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March 31, 2005

Quicklaw, Database of Canadian & UK Law, Free to Law Schools

I recently learned that U.S. law students, faculty and staff are once again eligible to receive individual passwords for Quicklaw, as known formerly as Quicklaw America.

Quicklaw, which merged a few years back with LexisNexis Canada, is a Web-based resource that offers over 2,500 databases of law, news and information from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Africa, Malaysia and the Caribbean. It includes cases & case citator, legislation, regulations, and news & journal articles.

To register for a Quicklaw password, contact LexisNexis Canada representative, David Woodard at david.woodard@lexisnexis.ca who can provide you with a temporary password. Once you have this password, go to http://www.lexisnexis.ca/ and click on the "Sign on to Quicklaw" button on the left. After logging in with this temporary password, you will be prompted to register for your own password.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 2:50 PM |

Free Advance Directives Fair at UW Law School - Complete a Living Will

The Terry Schiavo case has everyone thinking about living wills. The UW Law School Elder Law Clinic is offering an opportunity to create a living will at no cost during their Advance Directives Fair in the UW Law School Atrium next week, April 4th-8th. Hours are Monday 11-2, Tuesday 10-12, Wednesday 1-5, Friday 10-3. This event is free and open to the public. Directions and a map are available on the UW Law School Website.

According to Director Betsy Abramson, student attorneys from the Elder Law Clinic, will be on hand to provide information, forms and an opportunity for one-on-one counseling to complete a living will and/or powers of attorney for health care (including explaining the difference). They'll have the forms, pens, two disinterested witnesses, access to the copy machines, follow-up instructions and a card for your wallet.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 2:27 PM |

DCBA Awards Grant to DCLRC for Shepard's Public Access Subscription

From the DCLRC Docket (April 2005):

Dane County Bar Association Grants for Worthy Causes program has awarded DCLRC [Dane County Legal Resource Center] grant funding for our subscription to Shepard’s Public Access and supplies for the Small Claims Assistance Program. Thank you, DCBA, for helping to support our services!

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:50 AM |

Spammer Declares Bankruptcy

The Denver Post reports that the email marketing company, OptInRealBig.com has filed for bankruptcy. The company cites costly legal fees its battle with Microsoft, which claims OptInRealBig.com illegally spams computer users. According to the article, the company made $15 million a year sending 15 million e-mail messages a day.

Source: TVC Alert

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:28 AM |

WiFi Hot Spot Locator

Looking for a WiFi hot spot to connect your wireless laptop or PDA? With WiFiHotSpotList.com, you can find out where the hot spots are near your home or business. This is also great resource for travelers.

Simply enter in an address to get a list of nearby hot spots. Or browse by location. WiFiHotSpotList.com identifies hot spots both in the U.S. and internationally.

Source: Del.icio.us

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 8:59 AM |

March 30, 2005

Pros & Cons of Blogs in the Legal Profession

From TVC Alert:

The cover story in the current Washington Lawyer discusses the pros and cons of Weblogs, and how they are taking off in the legal profession. The article ends with a briefly annotated list of prominent legal blogs.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 4:15 PM |

SchoolMatters: Public School Information & Analysis Database

Standard and Poor's has launched a free database called SchoolMatters which provides information and analysis about public schools in the United States. Data is available nationally, by state, or even by local school district. Articles about the database appear in both the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Stateline.org.

From the Stateline.org article:

Ever wonder how much money your local school spends on education per student? Or how many students there are per teacher? Or how well the students score on standardized tests?

Or how about comparing all that information - per pupil spending, student teacher ratios, proficiency scores - side-by-side with neighboring schools, or even compare it with state-wide or national averages?

All this data and millions of other education snippets now are a mouse-click away for parents, educators and policy makers, thanks to an innovative Web site launched March 29 by the National Education Data Partnership, a collective of national education groups.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 11:45 AM |

March 29, 2005

Managing Email Overload

I used to get over a hundred emails per day. Thanks to a pretty good spam filter, that number is down, but not by as much as you would think.

Harvard Business School has put together a useful list of Tips for Mastering E-mail Overload. It instructs emailers both how to send better emails and how to read and receive e-mail. Some tips include:

  • Use a subject line to summarize, not describe
  • Give your reader full context at the start of your message
  • When you copy lots of people, mark out why each person should care
  • Check e-mail at defined times each day

To this list I would add: Get email listservs and current awareness messages out of your email. Some RSS readers, like Bloglines, allow you to have email messages delivered to your account. For me, this has been the single most effective method of reducing the volume and relevance of emails that I receive.

My email has become solely for messages that matter to me personally. All current awareness and listservs have been transferred to my RSS reader - Bloglines. As those of you who use RSS readers know, one of the beauties of these tools is that you never have to delete anything. You look at it and it's gone -- unless you save it, of course.

And if you haven't discovered RSS readers, do yourself a favor and check them out. They are huge time savers!

Source: LawLibTech

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:36 AM |

Between Lawyers: New Blog About Technology, Culture and the Law

Between Lawyers is a new blog on the issues raised when technology, culture and the law intersect. It is a cooperative effort by a group of veteran blawgers:

According to a post in Ernie the Attorney:

The idea is to for the aforementioned gang members to have conversations in public about law and technology. We've been having these conversations in a back channel E-mail discussion group for a few months now. Now we're going to have more of them in public.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:14 AM |

ZoomInfo Gathers Info About People

There is a new people finder on the Web called ZoomInfo and it's pretty amazing. Rather than just providing links to a bunch of pages on which a person is mentioned, it synthesizes the information and presents it via a "People Summary."

I typed in Bonnie Shucha and received a surprisingly accurate summary of myself. It identified my employment, professional memberships, and even got my email correct. (To maintain privacy, email addresses are not listed - but, you can attempt to send a message using a Web form.)

As you would expect, the more information that is available about someone on the Web, the better the summary.

Source: inter alia

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 8:58 AM |

March 28, 2005

Secretary of State Tips

LeapLaw has put together a useful list of tips for searching for and filing documents with secretaries of states for all fifty states, including Wisconsin. Although it is a blog, is it arranged by state, rather than chronologically. An RSS feed is available.

Source: BoleyBlogs

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 2:16 PM |

Blawgcast.com: Legal Podcasting Blog

"Covering the legal podcasting universe... "is the tag line of a new blog called, Blawgcast.com. A podcast, essentially, is a RSS feed that delivers audio instead of text.

From a recent post:

You can argue about the quality of podcasting content all day long. As with weblogs, there's plenty of junk. But the revolutionary thing about podcasting in these early stages isn't the content, but the way the content is delivered. Using software like iPodder, the content is delivered to your mp3 device automatically.

Source: Stark County Law Library Blawg

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 1:49 PM |

March 24, 2005

Celebrate National Library Week, April 10-16

Come celebrate National Library Week this April 10-16 at your local law library! Here's what's happening in the Madison area:
  • UW Law Library: We will be having daily games and contests - crossword puzzles, law school trivia, and more - which I'll be sharing on WisBlawg. There will also be displays set up throughout the library.
  • Dane County Legal Resource Center: Look for drawings for door prizes each day and a display summarizing the library and reading habits of local court staff.
  • WI State Law Library: There will several fun and educational events during the week including a tours and free training sessions. See the schedule on DCLRC Blawg.

And don't forget to send an e-greeting to your favorite librarian - candy and flowers are nice, too ;-)

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 11:35 AM |

Westlaw Available at Wisconsin State Law Library

The Wisconsin State Law Library has recently purchased a subscription to WestPack which is a version of Westlaw designed for public use in libraries. It is available on four computers near the library's reference desk. Contents of the subscription are summarized on the WSLL's Electronic Resources page.

Heidi Yelk, Reference/Electronic Services Librarian at the WSLL, had this to say about WestPack:

Full-text case law searching is not new to the library since we've offered that through Loislaw.com for the last few years. I think what is exciting about having WestPack is the deeper scope of the databases and that we now provide full text searching of several popular treatises (McQuillians, Couch on Insurance, Wright & Miller and more). In addition, there's access to several forms databases. This is very useful for both our attorney customers and our pro-se customers.

There will be a free WestPack training session at the WSLL on Wednesday, April 6 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. (register by contacting tammy.keller@wicourts.gov). And, in celebration of National Library Week, they will also be showcasing WestPack on Thursday, April 14th with drop in demos from 9 a.m.- 3 p.m.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 11:21 AM |

March 23, 2005

Have a Government Info Question? Ask a Librarian by Live Chat or Email

Have a question about federal or state government information? Ask a government information librarian by live chat (virtual reference) or email via the Government Information Online project. A link to the service has been added to the main page at GPO Access (top right).

Loretta Harmatuck, Government Services Librarian at the Wisconsin Reference and Loan Library offered some information about her library's participation the project:

At the Government Information Online website patrons can choose an email link for asking questions or a link to chat live with a government information librarian at one of the more than thirty libraries participating across the nation. The librarian responds in real time or refers the question to the most appropriate library to answer the question.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 12:58 PM |

Coming Soon? Free Written Opinions in PACER

In an upcoming CM/ECF release (Release 2.4), PACER users will be able to obtain written opinions at no charge from district courts. Opinions will be accessible via a separate Written Opinions Report and from a case's docket report. See release notes.

CM/ECF is a case management/electronic case files system that some courts use in conjunction with PACER. Imaged documents are available on these systems in PDF. Currently, the Wisconsin Eastern District Court is using CM/ECF District Version 2.3 which means the upgrades are not yet available. The Wisconsin Western District Court does not use CM/ECF system.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 10:28 AM |

Lawyer Argues Juror's Blog Tainted Trial

A defense attorney in New Hampshire is arguing that his client’s right to a fair trial was compromised by comments made by a jury member on a blog. Read the article in the Laconia Citizen Online.

Source: Robert Ambrogi's LawSites

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 10:01 AM |

PACER Adds Partial Social Security Number Search to US Party/Case Index

In response to public demand, PACER has added new search functionality to the U.S. Party/Case Index. According to their announcement, you can now search by the last four digits of the Social Security Number when combined with at least three characters of the last name. See complete announcement for more information.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:46 AM |

Michigan Pulls Ex-Convicts from Criminal Records Database

According to an article in the Detroit Free Press, state prison officials in Michigan have removed information on ex-convicts from their criminal records database called OTIS (Offender Tracking Information System). Officials believe that employers and others have been improperly using the system to run criminal background checks. The database is searched about 120,000 times per day.

Information has been removed on those who are no longer in the department's custody, on parole or on probation. However, the system does still contain information and photographs of current prisoners, parolees and probationers.

Thanks to DCLRC Librarian, Paula Seeger, for the tip.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:35 AM |

March 21, 2005

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Has RSS Feed

JS Online, the online edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, now has an RSS feed. There doesn't appear to be a link to it on the site.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 2:14 PM |

Free Online Dispute Resolution Web Conference

From Robert Ambrogi's LawSites:

Online dispute resolution is subject of free Web conference April 4-8 The Center for Information Technology and Dispute Resolution at the University of Massachusetts will present its seventh annual online dispute resolution Cyberweek April 4 to 8. This is an entirely Web-based conference with no fee for participation and registration. I have participated in this conference in prior years and can recommend it as worthwhile for anyone interested in ODR. Events on tap for Cyberweek include:

  • Release of new ODR library and database
  • Discussions with leading practitioners and theorists about the present and future of ODR
  • Report on the UN Forum on ODR 2004
  • The 2005 International Competition on Online Dispute Resolution
  • Seminar on the challenges in planning and implementing ODR efforts
  • Panel discussion on teaching ODR
  • Seminar on public sector ODR
  • Demonstration of teaching and collaborating in groups with Moodle
  • Simulated dispute resolution processes
  • Demonstrations involving ConflictLab.com, SmartSettle.com, Info-Share.org and others

To participate, fill out and submit this registration form.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 2:05 PM |

March 17, 2005

The Influence of Blogs and the Web on the US Supreme Court

The American Lawyer has a very interesting article about the ways in which the Internet and blogs have affected the reporting about and the practices of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Source: Blawg

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 1:03 PM |

Bird Watching at the UW Law Library

A beautiful pair of coopers hawks has been perched this morning in the tree right outside of the Grand Reading Room window at the UW Law Library. They were also spotted on Bascom Hill yesterday - maybe building a nest. If you are on campus, come take look!

(I couldn't get a good photo of our birds, so this one is from The Illinois Raptor Center web site)

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 11:59 AM |

March 16, 2005

"First Ever 'Russ Feingold Blog Post' "

The Wisconsin State Journal reports that Senator Russ Feingold is guest blogging at MyDD.com. In the post, he shares his thoughts on the political impact of bloggers and the Federal Election Commission rules relating to political communication on the Internet. Here's a bit from the blog post:
My kids often tease me about the time I pre-heated a toaster before putting some bread in to toast it. I deny it. I still maintain to this day that I DO know how to use a toaster, but I also admit to some not-so-brilliant moments with technology, if you can consider a toaster technology. But, today, even my kids would have to pause to give me a pat on the back for this first ever "Russ Feingold Blog Post."
The WSJ also reports that we can look for more blog posts from Sen. Feingold in the future. (See Melanie Conklin's Page Two column in Wednesday's WSJ - it doesn't seem to be available electronically.)

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 1:47 PM |

Wisconsin Politics & Policy RSS Feed from Stateline.org

Stateline.org, a service devoted to tracking state political and policy news, has established RSS feeds for each state, including Wisconsin. There are also several issue based feeds.

Stateline.org is funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts as a public service. The site, which has been around since 1999, is staffed entirely by professional journalists and offers tips and research material on state policy innovations and trends.

Source: Ohio Law

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 11:37 AM |

RSS Feeds for 10-Ks, 10-Qs, IPOs, & Insider Trading

Edgar Index, a subscription-based service offering customizable RSS-based alerts of SEC filings, has a handful of free RSS feeds. Categories include IPOs, quarterly reports (10-Qs), annual reports (10-Ks) and insider trading.

Edgar Index's customized services are available for $4.95 per month. You can create unlimited feeds based on company name, keyword, or SIC code. Feeds include notification of annual/quarterly reports, prospectuses, changes in beneficial ownership of securities, etc.

Source: AbsTracked

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 11:21 AM |

Tips for Lawyers When Retiring Old Computers

This month's Wisconsin Lawyer features a handy collection of Tips for Retiring Old Computers. The article offers guidance on effectively removing confidential client information and provides suggestions for selling, donating, or recycling the machine. Definitely worth reading.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:35 AM |

WisBar To Be Redesigned

According to an article in the March Wisconsin Lawyer, the State Bar's Web site, WisBar, will be getting a face lift this spring. The new site will feature a user-centered design and will be integrated with the State Bar membership database. For more information, see the article, All Systems Go for Launch.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:27 AM |

March 15, 2005

City of Madison Accident Database

The City of Madison Police Department has made a database of accident information available on their Web site. Search by date, name, accident case number, or insurance company.

Scanned motor vehicle accident reports are available in PDF format. The database includes accident data since Jan 1, 2002.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 11:25 AM |

Legal Dockets Online Free for Law Schools

Legal Dockets Online (LDO) has announced that law schools are eligible for a free annual subscription. LDO is a portal featuring an extensive collection of links to free and fee-based (PACER) sources of court dockets for federal, state, and local courts. Other court documents (opinions, orders, etc) and criminal record databases are linked when available. LDO also publishes a blog for court records news.

LLRX.com's Court Rules, Forms, and Dockets is another source for federal and state court docket links - and it's free. Search by keyword or browse by type or jurisdiction.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 11:09 AM |

Dane County Law Day Events

The DCLRC Blawg presents the following summary of Dane County Law Day events:
The theme for Law Day this year is "The American Jury: We the People in Action." May 1 is the official observance, but since it falls on a Sunday, most local events will be held on Friday April 29 or during the week of April 25.
  • Legal Information Booth
  • Courthouse Tour
  • Legal Research in a Nutshell: How to Find and Understand the Law in WI
  • What does this year's theme mean locally?
For more information, see the DCLRC Blawg post.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 10:24 AM |

March 14, 2005

Fuel Cost Calculator from AAA

Planning a road trip? Check out the Fuel Cost Calculator from AAA. Based on current regional fuel prices, it will calculate how much you'll need to spend on gas for you trip. Enter the year/make/model for your vehicle.

Source: Librarians Index to the Internet

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 11:27 AM |

Customize Google News

Google News is offering some new options for customizing your news - Look for the box that says "Edit this customized page" Highlights include:
  • Page customization-- Select from 9 available languages and 22 local editions of Google News from around the globe
  • Add custom sections-- Create you own personal section for the Google News front page by specifying keywords, preferred language, and/or categories from where to draw the stories.
  • Share customized news page-- Users may share their customized news page with others by clicking on the link at the bottom of their page that reads "Share your customized news with a friend."

Source: Google Weblog

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 11:00 AM |

Article About Blogging on the Job in Wisconsin State Journal

Today's Wisconsin State Journal has an article about the implications of blogging at the workplace. Some companies are starting to create policies for employees that blog about their jobs. From the article:

A few companies actually do encourage personal, unofficial blogs and have policies defining do's and don'ts for employees who post online. They recognize that there can be value in engaging customers through thoughtful blogs.

Sun Microsystems Inc. encourages blogging, offering server space for personal blogs but warning bloggers not to reveal secrets or make financial disclosures that might violate securities law. Sun also offers advice on how to keep blogs interesting.

Christopher Cobey, an employment lawyer at the Littler Mendelson law firm's Silicon Valley office, said publicity over recent blog-related firings has prompted increased inquiries from companies about developing policies.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 10:51 AM |

March 10, 2005

WisStat Offers Custom Demographic & Economic Data

Looking for a map of median house values for Dane County? a family demographic profile for DeForest? or a table of major crops harvested in Wisconsin? These and many more customizable tables, profiles and maps are available free on WisStat from the UW Extension Applied Population Laboratory.

WisStat is a very powerful database for compiling demographic and economic statistics for the state of Wisconsin, its counties and smaller communities. Learning to use it takes a while, but it will be time well spent for those needing this type of detailed, customized data. A help page is available.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 3:16 PM |

Data Thieves Strike LexisNexis

First it was ChoicePoint - this time LexisNexis is reporting theft of personal data. The E-Law Library Web Log has summarized the story:
The New York Times reports that LexisNexis announced that thieves obtained the personal information - including social security numbers - of about 30,000 people from the Accurint database (part of Seisint) that the company purchased last year. Hackers apparently obtained access to the information through the login names and passwords of legitimate users. The legitimate customers notified LexisNexis in early February when they noticed bills for the database use. After an investigation, LexisNexis notified law enforcement. The company plans to send letters to the 30,000 individuals whose information was compromised. The article states that the company plans to offer free credit monitoring to all of the affected customers.

According to the LexisNexis press release, the information accessed "includes names, addresses, social security and drivers' license numbers, but not credit history, medical records or financial information." The company's steps to enhance security
include:

  • Enhancing ID and password administration procedures and requirements for
    customers
  • Dedicating additional resources to consumer privacy
  • Working with customers to stress the importance of consumers' privacy
  • Working with law enforcement to protect against criminal
    activities

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 2:09 PM |

March 9, 2005

LexisNexis Adds Wall St Journal (But Not Yet for Law Schools)

Yesterday we reported that The Wall Street Journal full-text was being pulled from Westlaw. It seems that LexisNexis has picked it up. According to LexisNexis InfoPro, they are now the only online provider to offer the legal market access to Factiva news sources, including the WSJ.

BUT, bad news for law school users: Factiva content (including WSJ) is not yet available in law schools. The release date has not been set.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 3:23 PM |

UW Law Student Bar Association Blog

Although it's been up since November, I've just noticed that the UW Law School Student Bar Association has a blog. Nice.

From SBA President, Nathan Lundby:

The University of Wisconsin Law School Student Bar Association (SBA) is the representative organization for the law school’s student body. We represent students in dealing with the faculty and administration. Our goal is to make the law school the best place it can be by providing a number of services and resources for the law students.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 1:47 PM |

Law Day Events in Dane County

DCLRC Blawg will be reporting on planned Law Day events in Dane County:

One event that will be scheduled is the Legal Information Booth, staffed by volunteer lawyers from the Dane County Bar Association. It will be held Friday April 29 near the Martin Luther King Blvd entrance of the Dane Co Courthouse, during a time to be determined.

Say tuned to DCLRC Blawg for more announcements.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 1:35 PM |

March 8, 2005

State Tax Forms and E-Filing Sites

Looking for state tax forms or e-filing Web sites? The Federation of Tax Administrators has clickable maps of both tax forms by state and state-sponsored electronic filing sites by state.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 3:00 PM |

ECOLEX, A Database of International Environmental Law Documents

ECOLEX, from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN), is a free database of international environmental law documents. It includes multilateral treaties, national legislation, European Union instruments, international "soft law" and related documents, law and policy literature, and court decisions. You can search by subject area, keyword, country, or date.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 2:56 PM |

Westlaw Adds New York Times, Loses Wall St Journal

As of March 1st, Westlaw now carries the full text of The New York Times since 1980 and abstracts since 1969. However, The Wall Street Journal coverage has switched from full text to abstracts only.

This is due to a larger change: Dialog news materials (branded by Westlaw as "NewsRoom") have replaced Factiva as the news content provider on Westlaw.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 2:41 PM |

LexisNexis Pulls Public Records from Pay-Per-Use Services

In the wake of the ChoicePoint personal data thefts, LexisNexis is no longer offering public records searching via their pay-per-use services, LexisNexis AlaCarte and LexisNexis by Credit Card.

Source: TVC Alert & House of Butter

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 10:23 AM |

UW Law Library's Revised Outlaw Document Delivery Fee Schedule

The UW Law Library has revised our fee schedule for our Outlaw document delivery and inter-library loan service.

For a list of other libraries offering fax/mail/email delivery of legal materials, see Sources of Legal Information for the Wisconsin Attorney - Suppliers of Legal Information by Fax, Mail, or Email.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:45 AM |

March 7, 2005

WI Western Bankruptcy Court Offers RSS Feeds

The Wisconsin Western Bankruptcy Court is offering a RSS feed for notification of new orders (including judgments) and complaints filed. Each time a new document is filed, the court sends a notice with the docket number and party names. By clicking on the link, you will be directed to view the full docket in PACER (log-in required). Links are available to many documents via PDF. PACER fees apply. The court also has a RSS feed for their What's New page.

Word of warning: These feeds do not work with all feed readers. I use Bloglines and was unable to subscribe. However, I did subscribe with MyYahoo! by removing the "s" in "https" Terry Payne, Automation Specialist Trainer at the U. S. Bankruptcy Court, suggests using Firefox's Sage or RSSReader.com.

Source: Legal Dockets Online and Terry Payne

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 1:38 PM |

The Third Branch Winter 2005 Issue

The Wisconsin Court System has recently published the Winter 2005 edition of The Third Branch. Highlights include the impact of the Governor's budget bill on the courts, the relationship between media and the courts, pro se video series, jury trial statistics, and more.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:16 AM |

Historical State Documents Available on the Web

The University of Wisconsin Digital Collections group has digitized an impressive collection of Public Documents of the State of Wisconsin. The collection consists of the annual and biennial reports of all important Wisconsin state agencies from 1852 through 1914. This is a great resource for anyone doing historical legal research.

In addition to the annual and biennial reports of various state officers, departments and institutions, the Wisconsin Public Documents database is a source for Wisconsin statistical tables, financial charts, vintage photographs, supplementary documents, maps, other graphics and research monographs on specific topics. Virtually all aspects of the social sciences in Wisconsin during the 1852-1914 time frame are represented in this collection of 118 volumes.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:06 AM |

Search Law Journal Articles From Home or Office with WSLL's LegalTrac

Legal periodicals can be a great source of information, but unfortunately, most journals are not freely available on the Web and therefore, not searchable in Google. However, you can atill search them via the Web at no cost via LegalTrac.

LegalTrac is an index to legal journal article citations. It is available at the Wisconsin State Law Library (WSLL), in court offices, or from anywhere with a library card from the WSLL, DCLRC (Dane County Legal Resource Center), or MLRC (Milwaukee Legal Resource Center). To see if you are eligible to receive a library card, contact the WSLL.

If you find a citation to an article you need, contact a law library to obtain a copy. Both the WSLL and the UW Law Library offer mail and fax delivery services.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 8:45 AM |

March 3, 2005

RSS Feed for Daily US Supreme Court Decisions

Now you can have new United States Supreme Court decisions delivered daily via RSS, courtesy of Cornell's Legal Information Institute. They are also listed on the LII site.

Source: AbsTracked

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 10:01 AM |

Listening to White House Tapes

The the Presidential Recordings Program at the University of Virginia's Miller Center of Public Affairs has made available an archive of White House tapes. You can listen to more than 5,000 hours of White House conversations recorded between 1940 and 1973 by six American presidents:

Transcripts are also available for selected tapes from the Kennedy administration. There are also some interesting virtual exhibits featuring the tapes. Topics include civil rights, Vietnam, the space race, and politics.

Source: ResourceShelf

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:46 AM |

Get Phone Numbers, Addresses & Driving Directions on Your Cell Phone

Yahoo! Local has added a couple of neat tools for delivering content to your cell phone, but it only works with major providers (see below).
  • Phone numbers and addresses - You will need a SMS-enabled (text messaging) phone. In the directory listing, click on the "Send to Phone" link on the top. Enter your cell phone number and email address, then, click "send." Yahoo! will send you a text message with the name, address, and phone number. Learn more

  • Driving directions - You will need a SMS-enabled (text messaging) & Web-enabled phone. On your driving directions results screen, click on the "Send to Phone" link on the top. Enter your cell phone number and email address, then, click "send." You will receive a text message with a link that will take you directly to a Yahoo! Web page with the directions. Learn more
It appears as though these services will work with the following cell phone providers: AT&T Wireless, Cingular, Nextel, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon. I use Einstein and it didn't work for me.

Source: Search Engine Watch

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:23 AM |

March 2, 2005

Find An Image with Yahoo and Google

Along with all the other stuff you can find, the Internet is a great source for images. Whether you are looking for a photo of Billy the Kid, a diagram of a combustion engine, or a picture of a four leaf clover, chances are some one has put it on their Web site.

Rather than searching the general search engines, try limiting your search to an image search engine such as Yahoo! Images or Google Images. Yahoo now claims 1.5 billion images and Google is a close second with 1.1 billion.

Source: LibrarianInBlack

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 1:17 PM |

WI Legislator Briefing Book, 2005-06

The Wisconsin Legislator Briefing Book is a guide prepared by the State of Wisconsin Legislative Council to brief legislators on various subjects and procedures. Sections may include summaries of existing laws and current issues, FAQs, procedural flowcharts, and more. There is a lot of useful info here, for legislators and non-legislators alike.

Contents include:

Part I, The Legislature and Laws Related to the Legislature
Administrative Rules Review
Budget Process
Ethics Code
Interstate Legislative Organizations
Legislative Documents and Procedure
Legislative Staff Services
Lobbying Law
Open Meetings
Open Records
Wisconsin’s Legal Framework

Part II, Selected State Programs and Laws
Chapter A - Agriculture
Chapter B - Criminal Justice, Corrections, and Juvenile Justice
Chapter C - Economic Development and Employment
Chapter D - Education, Elementary-Secondary
Chapter E - Education, Post-Secondary
Chapter F - Environmental Protection
Chapter G - Family Law
Chapter H - Financial Institutions and General Insurance
Chapter I - Health Care and Health Insurance
Chapter J - Housing
Chapter K - Human Services and Aging
Chapter L - Municipal and County Government
Chapter M - Natural Resources
Chapter N - Privacy
Chapter O - State and Local Revenue System
Chapter P - State-Tribal Relations
Chapter Q - Transportation
Chapter R - Utilities and Energy
Chapter S - Veterans and Military Affairs

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 11:30 AM |

U.S. Supreme Court Briefs on the Web

Looking for briefs from U.S. Supreme Court cases? There are a few free Web sources you can try:
  • FindLaw's Supreme Court Center Free full text briefs from the 1999-2000 term to the present. Also includes dockets, decisions, orders, etc.
  • Supreme Court Briefs Free full text briefs filed by the Solicitor General from July 1998-present and selected briefs from 1982-96.
  • BriefServe Fee based service offering recent full text documents, including briefs, testimony, petitions, orders, etc. Docket sheets are available free of charge, but all other documents are offered at a cost. Registration is required.

For older briefs, contact a local law library. The UW Law Library has Records and Briefs of the United States Supreme Court, from 1832-Present and Landmark Briefs and Arguments of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 10:18 AM |

March 1, 2005

WI State Law Library Courses - Earn CLE Credits

The Wisconsin State Law Library staff offer both free and fee-based classes on legal research and using electronic resources in the legal research process. These are great classes at great prices.

The following classes have openings:

  • Internet Tips & Tricks Wednesday April 20, 2005 8:30-10:00 a.m. Fee: $50.00. 1.5 CLE credits applied for.
  • Wisconsin Briefs Online Wednesday July 13, 2005 9:00-10:00 a.m. FREE Class. 1 CLE credit applied for.
  • NEW! Conquering the Invisible Web Wednesday August 10, 2005 10:00-11:30 a.m. Fee: $50.00. 1.5 CLE credits applied for.
  • Using LegalTrac and HeinOnline (Locating Law Reviews Online) Wednesday September, 14, 2005 9:00-10:00 a.m. FREE Class. 1 CLE credit applied for.
  • NEW! Using the Internet for Background Checks and Public Records Research Wednesday October 12, 2005 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Fee: $125.00. 3 CLE credits applied for.
  • NEW! All about Blogs: Using Blogs for Current Awareness and Communication Wednesday November 2, 2005 9:00-10:00 a.m. FREE Class.

Course descriptions and registration instructions are available on the WSLL Classes and Tours Web page. And FYI - I'll be teaching the Invisible Web and Blogging classes.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 3:11 PM |

March Issue of WSLL @ Your Service Is Available

The March issue of WSLL at Your Service is now available from the Wisconsin State Law Library.

Highlights include:

  • New WSLL classes
  • WI Statutes online updates
  • PowerPoint Pack and Go
  • USB Flash Drives

Source: Connie Von Der Heide, WSLL Librarian

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 3:05 PM |

Dane Co Juvenile Court Resource Booklet Available

The new Dane County Juvenile Court Resource Booklet is now available on the county's Web site or can be purchased from the Dane Co. Legal Resource Center for $2.00. The DCLRC is located at Rm 315--210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.Madison, WI 53703 or call (608) 266-6316.

The 37 page booklet covers delinquency, TPR, adoption, CHIPS and JIPS, as well as FAQ's, reading lists, and useful web links.

Source: Paula Seeger, DCLRC Librarian

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 2:57 PM |