TRAC: Tracking the Work of Federal Agencies

Where do members of Congress, news reporters, and lawyers go to find out what agencies like the FBI and the Immigration and Naturalization Service really do on a daily basis, and how effectively they operate? Smart researchers rely on the TRAC (Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse) Public Web Site, which uses the Freedom of Information Act to acquire data and trends information on key federal agencies. An independent, nonpartisan research organization associated with Syracuse University, TRAC's purpose is to "provide the American people...with comprehensive information about federal staffing, spending, and the enforcement activities of the federal government." It's also a great resource for law students needing background and statistics for papers and class projects. Check out the site's free and user-friendly information, including agency basics and topical reports.



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1Ls - Last chance for Lexis/Westlaw training

First years - next week will be the last week for the required Westlaw and Lexis training. Sign up at the Circulation desk in the Library. There are still plenty of spaces left.

Make sure to register both Lexis and Westlaw passwords and to bring them to your training session. If you have any questions on how to register these passwords, visit your favorite Reference Librarian.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

ALTLAW—A Source For Free Case Law Online

A current trend in online legal publishing is to make case law more readily and freely available. One recent instance of this is AltLaw. According to its Web site, AltLaw “provides the first free, full-text searchable database of Supreme Court and Federal Appellate case reports. It is a resource for attorneys, legal scholars, and the general public”.

Note that the site is currently in beta. Coverage for most Circuits is limited to approximately the last ten to fifteen years. West Reporter Citations are not yet available, but they should be in the future. As of yet, there are no state law or district court cases on AltLaw.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Paper Writing Research

Paper Writing Research: a 21^st Century Library workshop takes you beyond Lexis & Westlaw. You have off campus access to many of Hofstra University’s subscription databases, so even at 2:30 a.m. the day your paper is due high quality multi-source research is available. Come learn what these resources are and why you want to use them.

Thursday, Oct. 4^th: 3:10-4:00 p.m.

Lower Level Computer Lab

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Free Books Online

The Online Books Page is a web site that indexes and links to thousands of texts that are free and available on the internet. Hosted by the University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Online Books, allows you to search and browse over 25,000 titles. From Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, there is something here for everyone.

In honor of Banned Books Week, take a look at The Online Book Page’s special exhibit of books that have been the object of censorship or censorship attempts. This page provides a short essay on censorship as well as links to previously censored works such as Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass and Thomas Paine’s The Age of Reason.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Federal Agencies Directory

Having trouble finding the website of the National Invasive Species Council? The Federal Agencies Directory is an easy-to-use site that provides links to every federal agency's homepage. (The directory is provided by LSU, in conjunction with the Federal Depository Library Program.)



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Non-legal research starting point

Academic Search Premier is a great site for starting your non-legal research. This is available through the Axinn Library Research Databases. There is so much here you cannot help but find something useful . . . or even fun!

For more detail on how to find great research databases, attend the 21st Century workshop - Paper Writing Research next Monday and Thursday. See Tuesday's post for details.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

A Quick Way To Decipher Legal Abbreviations

Do you have your notebook computer handy, and need quickly to check the meaning of a legal abbreviation? Then point your browser to the Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations. Simply type the abbreviation into the box, click "search", and the Index will offer you the following information: The preferred abbreviation, any alternative abbreviations, the full title that the abbreviation represents, and the jurisdiction of the country of the publication. Perhaps best of all, the Cardiff Index of Legal Abbreviations covers the legal publications of all countries, so it is very useful for deciphering foreign abbreviations.




Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

After the JD: Women in the Law

Just released last month is a report that sheds new light on the early careers, aspirations, and experiences of women entering the legal profession in the last few years. Women in the Profession: Findings from the First Wave of the After the JD Study, was published by NALP, the Association for Legal Career Professionals, and is available on their web site. Only one of several planned "after the JD monographs," it is based on data gathered from a representative sample of 4500 lawyers (both men and women) who were first admitted to the practice of law in 2000. This group was surveyed in 2002-2003 about their career choices, salaries, law school and workplace experiences, and their job satisfaction. They will be recontacted this year and in 2011 as part of a landmark longitudinal study by interdisciplinary scholars. Check out the NALP site for trends, statistics, and reliable current information about making a career in the law.



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21st Century Library: Paper Writing Research

Are you taking a paper course this semester or writing a note for a journal? If you already have chosen a topic, would you like some help gathering resources? If so, please attend the library's upcoming workshop exploring databases we have available both in the law school and via Axinn, the university's main library. There are many high quality resources available to you which you may not know about!! This workshop will introduce you to many of them, as well as touch upon the many "law and"-type resources available through Lexis and Westlaw.

Monday, Oct. 1st 10:10 am-11am; and

Thursday, Oct. 4th 3:10 pm-4pm

Lower Level Computer Lab. No sign up necessary, just come!

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat