Library Boy on Vacation

Mrs. Library Boy is dragging me away from the blogosphere for a few weeks to Northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories.

Talk to you in August.

Interview With Legal Reference Specialist at Law Library of Congress

In Custodia Legis, the blog of the Law Library of Congress in Washington, has been running an interview series featuring members of the library staff. The series started in late October 2010.

This week's interview is with Margaret Wood, Legal Reference Specialist. It is number 35 in the series:

"I often talk about the work we do with public patrons who have pro se complaints or launch into a description of the challenges of legislative history at friends’ dinner parties. But I think the characteristic that would describe this job would be how busy – even hectic – it is: from answering patron questions in a variety of formats; to working on the Reading Room collections; creating exhibits for the Reading Room; giving briefings and presentations to visitors; ... and on one occasion analyzing the work of a legal medieval scholar. Many of the people I know still think of the librarian as someone who sits quietly dispensing information at a measured pace – we are not those librarians!"

Private Law Firm Librarians Launch On Firmer Ground Blog

A new legal blog called On Firmer Ground has been launched as a international collaborative effort to highlight the challenges faced by private law firm librarians:

"We are not here to merely talk about the state of our industry. We are here to discuss proactive solutions and innovative ideas that will not only sustain this noble profession, but help it thrive in a changing world. We invite you into our discussion. Join your colleagues and other luminaries as we open our minds and share our opinions on the future of law firm libraries."

"Our discussions are candid, inclusive, and respectful. Every voice, every opinion counts. We invite you to speak your mind and join us as we face the challenges of uncertain economic times together and envision the future tomorrow holds for law firm librarians in the legal industry. Together, we can create a common voice and develop a shared vision for a secure and exciting future as law firm librarians."

"On Firmer Ground is a joint project of the Legal Division of the Special Libraries Association, the Private Law Libraries Special Interest Section of the American Association of Law Libraries, the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (l’Association Canadienne des Bibliothèques de Droit) and the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians."

Library of Parliament Outlines Current and Emerging Issues for Canada's 41st Parliament

The Library of Parliament has released a document outlining the current and emerging issues that will face the new Canadian Parliament elected on May 2, 2011. William Young, Parliamentary Librarian, explains:

"The pages that follow illustrate the kind of work we can do for you: 27 concise and easy-to-read briefings on subjects ranging from cybercrime to the impact of demographic changes on public policy. The issues are presented in summary form and represent just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to our subject-matter expertise (...)"

"The sheer volume of information presented at the beginning of a new Parliament may be stimulating, but taking it all in can be a challenge. We hope this publication gives you a good overview not only of today’s current and emerging issues, but also the skills and knowledge your Library offers for your use."

Among the issues of legal significance that the document deals with are:

• Senate reform
• ethics and public office
• aboriginal claims
• developments in sentencing
• bilingualism of Supreme Court justices
• human trafficking
• trade agreements
• cybercrime

Canadian Association of Law Libraries 2011-2012 Webinar Series

The Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL) will be offering 5 Webinars from July 2011 to March 2012.

The first session of the new season - The New Collaboration Tools: Let's Work Together! - will be on Tuesday, July 19th at 1:00-2:30mp EDT:

"How do you collaborate with others? What if they work in other cities, countries, and time zones? New project management platforms such as Basecamp, collaborative mindmapping, and wireframe/mockup tools like Mockingbird and Balsamiq join familiar tools like wikis and Google Docs to make teamwork easier, regardless of where everyone is located. Join legal information consultants Connie Crosby and Kathie Sullivan for a tour of the latest collaborative tools being used in a number of industries and explore how law libraries can use them"

Cost and registration information is available on the CALL website.

The other webinars are:

• September 15th - Legislative Tips & Tricks: Researching Federal and Ontario Legislation
• November 16th - Yahoo Pipes: Slicing and Dicing RSS Feeds for Legal Practice Groups
• January 19th - Building an RFP: How to Identify Your Needs
• March - Special presentation by Lexis to be announced

Supreme Court of Canada Has New Deputy Registrar

Mary Sue McFadyen has been named to the position of Deputy Registrar to the Supreme Court of Canada:

"The Deputy Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada is responsible for supporting the Registrar in the administration of the Court, and in his or her absence, assumes all of his or her powers and duties. The Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada is responsible for all administrative work in the Court and exercises the quasi-judicial powers conferred by the Rules of the Supreme Court of Canada."

She is the former Director General, Legal Services, with the Office of the Ombudsman for National Defence.

She will oversee the work of the Court Operations Sector as well as that of the Communication Services unit.

The Court Operations Sector groups together four core program branches: Registry, Law Branch, Library and Information Management (where I work), and the branch that publishes the Supreme Court Reports. The Communications Unit manages external communications, public visits and educational activities, as well as internal communications.

Supreme Court of Canada: New Library Titles

The list of new library titles added to the Supreme Court of Canada collection for the period of June 16th to 30th, 2011 is now available on the Court website.

The web page explains: "The Supreme Court of Canada Library does not lend materials from this list, which is provided for information only."

But, once the material goes into the general collection, after about a month, the works do become available for inter-library loan to authorized libraries.

It is possible to subscribe via e-mail to receive the list.

U.S. Supreme Court Justices on Good Legal Writing

The most recent issue of The Scribes Journal of Legal Writing reprints interviews with 8 U.S. Supreme Court justices on the issue of quality legal writing:

"You’re holding a one-of-a-kind volume — transcripts of Bryan Garner’s interviews with Supreme Court Justices on legal writing and advocacy."

"These pages contain a rich lode of quotable nuggets. While reading, I [editor Joseph Kimble] started to jot down some examples and wound up with three dozen. Here is just a small sampling:

• 'I have yet to put down a brief and say, I wish that had been longer' (p. 35).
• 'What the academy is doing, as far as I can tell, is largely of no use or interest to people who actually practice law' (p. 37).
• 'I love But at the beginning of a sentence . . .' (p. 60).
• '[G]ood counsel welcomes, welcomes questions' (p. 70).
• 'So the crafting of that issue . . . Man, that’s everything. The rest is background music' (p. 75).
• '[T]he genius is having a ten-dollar idea in a five-cent sentence, not having a five-cent idea in a ten-dollar sentence' (p. 100).
• 'I can’t bear it [legalese]' (p. 141). 'Terrible! Terrible!' (p. 156)."

"It’s all here, from thoughtful responses to pointed questions about writing and oral argument, to fascinating facts about the Justices and their interests. (Justice Ginsburg took a class from Vladimir Nabokov. Justice Breyer likes Stendahl.) And while the Justices naturally disagree on some things, you’ll find themes that run through their answers — themes about clarity and simplicity, honesty and accuracy, overlong briefs (and opinions), rewriting and re-rewriting, attending to grammar, anticipating the other side’s arguments, the primary importance of briefs in decision-making, and the professional need to cultivate strong writing skills."

[Source: Law Librarian Blog]

LexisNexis 2011 Report on Best Practices in Government Libraries

LexisNexis has published a report called 2011 Best Practices for Government Libraries.

It gathers together contributions from dozens of librarians in U.S. government agencies and courts, and from library association leaders.

Among the contributions from law librarians:

• Blogging at the Largest Law Library in the World
  Christine Sellers, Legal Reference Specialist, and Andrew Weber, Legislative Information Systems Manager, Law Library of Congress
• Thinking Outside the Email Box: A New E-Newsletter for the Justice Libraries
  Kate Lanahan, Law Librarian, and Jennifer L. McMahan, Supervisory Librarian, U.S. Department of Justice
• Bill’s Bulletin: Librarians and Court Staff Working Together to Develop an E-Resource
  Barbara Fritschel, U. S. Courts Library, Milwaukee, WI
• Proletariat’s Speech: Foreign Language Learning with a Common Touch
  Janice P. Fridie, Law Librarian, U.S. Department of Justice
• Web E-Accessibility to Reach Full E-Audience: "Expanding Our Horizon" to Better Honor Diversity
  Ken Wheaton, Web Services Librarian, Alaska State Court System Law Library
• Rebranding the Library
  Julie Jones, Hartford Branch Librarian, U.S. Courts, Second Circuit Library
• Public Records Resources Online: How to Find Everything There Is to Know About "Mr./Ms. X"
  Jennifer L. McMahan, Supervisory Librarian, U.S. Department of Justice
• The Challenge of E-Legislative History for the "51st State"
  Lisa Kosow, Law Librarian, U.S. Attorney‘s Office for the District of Columbia
• E-Initiative Liberia: Creating a Legislative Library in the Rubble of War
  Mary Nell Bryant, M.A., M.L.S., U.S. Foreign Service Information Officer, retired
• JustSearch at the Department of Justice
  Lila Faulkner, Diane L. Smith, and Jane Sanchez, Library Staff, U.S. Department of Justice Library Staff