Farewell

Today the Hofstra Law library blog moves to a new space with a new look and new voices.  With sincere appreciation and apologies to T.S. Eliot, I say my farewell . . .

You've read many posts from this Cat,

And my opinion now is that

You should need no interpreter

To understand my character.

You now have learned enough to see

That Cats are much like you and me

And other people whom we find

Possessed of various types of mind.

You've seen me both at work and games,

And learnt about my napping aims,

My habits and my habitat:

So now

Tis’ time to wish farewell to this Cat.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Constitutional Protections For Mobile Phone Pass Codes?

A judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled last week that the Fifth Amendment protects the right of insider trading suspects to withhold the pass codes to their business cellular phones. Read more here.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

New CRS Report: Dark Web

You have probably heard of the Deep Web, but how much do you know about the Dark Web?  Discover more about the dark web in Kristin Finklea's CRS Report entitled - you've guessed it - Dark Web.

 "This report illuminates information on the various layers of the Internet, with a particular focus on the Dark Web. It discusses both legitimate and illicit uses of the Dark Web, including how the government may rely upon it. Throughout, the report raises issues that policy makers may consider as they explore means to curb malicious activity online."

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

LLRX.com: Guides for Legal Research & Technology

Looking for focused research guides and articles on leading edge topics in law and technology? Try LLRX.com, a site with contributions by lawyer and law librarian experts on subjects ranging from "Animal Rights on the Road to Personhood" to "Researching Australian Law" and features on the latest courtroom technology. LLRX is edited and published by Sabrina I. Pacifici, also the founder and editor of beSpacific, another wonderful resource with daily updates summarizing and linking to new government and international organization documents, reports, and data on legal, economic, scientific and cultural issues.  

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Hofstra Law Library webcasts

Have you forgotten something that was said in a journal orientation, or missed a library workshop?  Not to worry, webcasts of the journals' orientations and other library presentations are available.  Such as:

1, Googlerific Workshop for all things Google including Google Scholar and Google chat. 
2, Handouts for LegalTech: Essential technology for classroom, office and courtroom.
3, 1L Introduction to Bloomberg Law, Lexis Advance and WestlawNext.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Print Not Dead

Yes, I am a Virtual Cat, but I still love curling up with (or on) a good print book.  No need to worry about the blue light keeping me awake.  Thankfully, according to the NY Times, print books are having a resurgence in popularity.  Check out:

The Plot Twist: E-Book Sales Slip, and Print Is Far From Dead

(photo from A J Mast for the NY Times)

 s

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Copyright Clearance For The Lyrics To “Happy Birthday”???

Believe it or not, the lyrics of the childhood staple “Happy Birthday” song have been the source of copyright litigation. Read more about a recent judicial decision on this issue here.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

ProQuest Scholarly Content Now Discoverable in Google Scholar

"The full text of its scholarly content – including journals and working papers – is now indexed in Google Scholar, enabling Google Scholar users to seamlessly discover and access their library’s ProQuest collections.This allows Google Scholar users to view abstracts of ProQuest's materials for free in their Google Scholar results and then to access the full-text of ProQuest's materials for free, if their public library has a subscription to ProQuest."

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

10 Misconceptions About the Constitution--and a Test

One of the best items to be posted in honor of Constitution Day 2015 (September 17) was an ABA Journal news article, "10 Misconceptions About the Constitution."  If you think you know a lot about the drafting and significance of the U.S. Constitution, think again. This compendium of interesting and surprising Constitution facts was compiled by Robert J. McWhirter, author of the recently published book, Bills, Quills, and Stills: An Annotated, Illustrated, and Illuminated History of the Bill of Rights. (Yes, we have a copy in the Law Library.)  Even if you were aware of some of these lesser-known facts, you'll find the Constitution Quiz at the end of the article to be quite a challenge. Take a break from studying and give it a try.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

How well do you google?

You can get better results from Google is you use search operators. 

When you use a dash before a word or site, it excludes sites with that info from your results.

When you put a word or phrase in quotes, the results will only include pages with the same words in the same order as the ones inside the quotes.

site: Get results from certain sites or domains.

There are more.

The Infographic:  Get More Out of Google also has more tips and examples so you too may perform a "well-executed search" on Google.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat