Legal Research News and Information with an Emphasis on Wisconsin
From a recent survey on library use conducted by Pew Internet & American Life: The survey results challenge the assumption that libraries are losing relevance in the internet age. Libraries drew visits by more than half of Americans (53%) in the past year for all kinds of purposes…. And it was the young adults in …
A big manila envelope from the New York Times was in my mailbox today. Hmm, I didn’t request anything from them lately. It was from none other than Robert Pear, NYT Washington Bureau reporter, whom I “met” a while back via his response to something I posted on WisBlawg. He was thoughtful enough to send …
From the Appleton Post-Crescent: A new law that gives police quick access to public library surveillance video showing suspected criminal activity was put to use two days after the legislation took effect. See the full article for details. See my earlier post for information about the new legislation.
Following up on my post last week about Milwaukee Public Library’s decision to discontinue holds on media items, see the JS Online article about the decision. From the article: Milwaukee Public Library Director Paula Kiely said the change will save about $100,000 in staffing under the 2008 budget… [But] critics say the policy will disproportionately …
From Check It Out @ Madison Public Library: If you read books, you probably buy them as gifts for the holidays, too. Shoppers who frequent the west side Barnes & Noble (7433 Mineral Point Road) this season between December 19 and December 22 can also benefit the library. On these days, any purchase made with …
Due to budget shortfalls, the Milwaukee Public Library has reluctantly changed their policy regarding holds: Effective January 2, 2008, most media items can no longer be reserved and held for pick-up. This includes feature films and TV programs as well as music CDs. Educational and children’s CDs, however, can still be placed on hold. Other …
Lots of cool Library 2.0 applications have come my way recently. LibX is a browser plugin for Firefox and Internet Explorer by which libraries can create a customized toolbar to directly access their library’s resources. It also installs a direct catalog search link into search results from Amazon, Google, and more. The University of Ohio …
It’s Black Friday and I seem to have gift buying on the brain. Thanks to Bev Butula for sharing with me the Holiday Gift Guide for Lawyers. Lots of fun stuff — I agree with Bev that the Personalized Lawyer Figurines are particularly cool. But why should lawyers get all the cool gifts? So – …
Wisconsin Senate Bill 214, which clarifies to whom library records may be released, was signed into law by the Governor last week as Wisconsin Act 34. The law states that library records “indicating the identity of any individual who borrows or uses the library’s documents or other materials, resources, or services may not be disclosed …
The Wisconsin Court System’s workshop for public librarians received some recognition in the Library Journal last month. The workshops acquaint public librarians with the latest law resources available for pro se litigants. From the article: Local and state court officials, lawyers, and the state law librarian made presentations on the range of resources now available, …