The Constitution on the Web

While Hofstra Law School marks Constitution Day (see our "Constitution Day" post, 9/6/2005), explore a few of the best free online resources on the U.S. Constitution. GPO Access: Constitution Main Page, provides quick access to the text in various formats and a publication by the Congressional Reference Service analyzing and interpreting the Constitution through annotations of Supreme Court cases (to June 2000). The National Archives site features high resolution images of the original document and biographies of the delegates. The Library of Congress and Yale Avalon Project present a wealth of historical documents related to the Constitutional Convention and the ratification process. The Constitution comes alive at the National Constitution Center, an independent, non-partisan organization established by act of Congress in 1988. Their interactive exhibit, Centuries of Citizenship: A Constitutional Timeline allows visitors to view news stories, debates, and explore “Can You Vote?” at points along more than 200 years of constitutional history.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Finally, I can be Googled!

Thanks to Google's new blog searching capability, you can now Google me (try searching for ernster virtual cat) or any of your other favorite blogs. Go to Google Blog Search to find out what bloggers are saying about Katrina relief, the Judge Roberts hearings and any other item of interest.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

The Invisible Web: Review and Resources

An excellent article in the Wisconsin Lawyer, found here, outlines the advantages of expanding one's online search skills to troll the invisible Web, which contains information that is irretrievable using a general search engine, such as Google.

The invisible Web is of great potential use to those in the legal profession, as it includes a vast amount of legal and governmental documents. This includes case law, statutes, bills, regulations, patents, briefs, census data, government reports, treaties, and more. Extensive business and corporate data also are available on the invisible Web, including SEC filings, stock quotes, company profiles, and the like. Links to resources to assist you in taking advantage of the invisible Web appear here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Bathrooms are open!

The bathrooms in the library are now open again. Some minor touch-ups still need to occur, but you no longer need to leave the library to use the bathroom.

Thanks for your patience during the university construction.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

So much to do, so little time

So much is happening this Wednesday during Common Hours, it may be difficult to decide what to do. Fortunately the free time is for 2 hours and activities are staggered so you can participate in more than one. Overview of the Library's website starts at 12:10 and won't last an hour so you will have time to stop by the bake sale before heading to 308 for the Professors' discussion of the Supreme Court. OK, you may prioritize your schedule differently, but take advantage of the activities offered!

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Supreme Court Nominations

The Library of Congress Law Library Reading Room has added new resources on Supreme Court nominations. The three categories of links can be reached from the main page and are:
1. John G. Roberts Nomination Collection, which contains a bibliography of books, articles and opinions written by Roberts, cases argued by Roberts and a variety of secondary and other sources;
2. Supreme Court Nomination Documents, which contain floor debates, votes, hearing transcripts and Senate statements of the current Supreme Court Justices;
3. Web Resources Relating to Supreme Court Nominations.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Google Earth - A 3D interface to the planet

This Google application has a HUGE wow factor. It has been suggested that it is the best thing ever to be given away in the history of free things (This had been a pay service called Keyhole before being purchased by Google) . Google Earth is a map of the world made up of satellite and aerial images. You can type in an address or zip code and zoom right in from outerspace. It's a planet worth of pictures that you can magnify, tilt and explore to your heart's content. You can "fly" from one location to another. It is so powerful that the South Korean government is voicing concerns about disclosure of it's military bases. I could go on and on, but this MUST be downloaded (easy & quick) and seen to be appreciated. Here is the Link: http://earth.google.com/ . Be forewarned, flying around the planet is strangely addicting! To get beyond the basics, check out Chris Sherman's recent article Hacking Google Earth . This is world class COOL!!

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat