Thanksgiving Holiday Schedule

In recognition of the Thanksgiving holiday, the Law Library will operate under the following schedule:

Wednesday, November 21                     8:00 A.M. - 8:00 P.M.**

Thursday, November 22 (Thanksgiving)   CLOSED**

Friday, November 23                             CLOSED**

**There will be no access for students after 8:00PM on Wednesday, November 21.  24/7 access for students will resume at 10:00AM on Saturday, November 24.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Gather your social media in one place

Operating a website that gathers your social media and gives you a personalized web presence used to be either a complicated or expensive process.  However, there are a few options out there that take the work, and cost, out of making a website your own. 

At About.me, it takes only a few mouse clicks to create a personalized webpage like the one below:

See About.me and more applications that allow you to create an online presence and gather your social media links in one place here. 

And remember, all the standard warnings apply! Be mindful of what you create and say online.  Your future employers are watching~

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Decline of Cost Recovery for Online Legal Research

For too many years the idea that law firms just passed along the costs of legal research was conventional wisdom.  It was never that simple. 

Well, the times are changing again and the trend seems to be a Decline of Cost Recovery for Online Legal Research by law firms. This post at Dewey B. Strategic links to 2 reports that tracked law firm cost recovery practices.

The young associate's skill in effective and efficient legal research is still important. 


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

E-book Cognitive Disadvantages

E-books have many advantages such as portability, access and ease of use.  However, there are several cons like eye strain, battery power issues and cost (purchase price of books as well as device).  However, we rarely think about the cognitive disadvantages of e-books.  The AALL Spectrum recently published an article entitled "The Cognitive Disadvantage of E-books" which discusses several interesting cons of this format.  Some disadvantages discussed are longer reading times, stress and recall deficit.  Read the entire article here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

A New Mashable is Launched

Mashable, one of my favorite technology and media sites, announced this week the launch of a newly designed version that promises to be "more social, visual and mobile than ever before."  Some of the featured improvements will be incorporation of articles that are gaining traction or being shared the most on social media services, a "great reading experience" on any type of mobile device or monitor, and high resolution images that can be individually shared to social networks. Read more about the new features in the announcement. Then sign up to try out the beta version here, and give them some feedback.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

on Rationing the necessities

In case you have not heard, as of midnight tonight (Fri. 11/16), gas rationing in Nassau and Suffolk will end.


In other news . . . you may want to ration your remaining Twinkies.  Hostess has announced it will be going out of business.  Farewell to the icon of fake food and childhood indulgences.








Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

National Center for Education Statistics

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is “the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. NCES is located within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences.” If you are seeking education-related statistics beyond the sphere of the legal academy, then this site is an excellent place to begin your research.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Nicole Black's Litigation, Trial and Pre-trail iPad Apps For Lawyers

If you are interested in the most popular apps for lawyers developed for litigation, during trials and during the pretrial discovery phase, click here to read Nicole Black’s wonderful update.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Live Tweeting and Protected Rights

The term "recommended frequency" has taken on new meaning when talking about live tweeting and University of Washington sports.  A school policy about how many tweets are allowed during a game has landed one journalist in trouble with the school and caused a furor among Twitter users who view the policy with derision.

"Washington’s official policy threatens punishment, including the revocation of a reporter’s press credential for breaking the live-update limit, and at first glance seems to be an awkward, shortsighted stance to have today.

But it also raises an interesting question: As the ability to provide real-time updates becomes more and more common — and as the line between reporter and spectator becomes increasingly blurred — should the rights to live updates be protected to the same degree as TV and radio broadcasts?"

Read more about the legal and real world implications of sports live tweeting here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Reference apps for the mobile lawyer

These days it seems as if we’re always on the go. The good news is that for the mobile lawyer, there are lots of ways to get things done on the road, with smart phones and tablets leading the way.  Check out "Reference Apps for the Mobile Lawyer" by Nicole L. Black.

Not a complete list, but it will get you started.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat