Law Libraries

State Supreme Court Bans Sitting Justice From Filing His Dissent

Bibliofuture — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 14:15:49 -0400

From the Law Librarian Blog: The Mississippi Supreme Court ordered one of its sitting justices not to publish his dissent with the Court's majority decision. Apparently the Court stopped its court clerk from filing Justice Oliver Diaz's opinion into the record.

The dissent is available via the Internet. You can read more here.

A Standard is a Standard is a Standard Unless It's Not Enforced By the ABA

webdonkey — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:41:47 -0400

Harvard Law School's appointment of John Palfrey as the new law library director does not comply with ABA's Accreditation Standard 603(c) (Director of the Law Library). Details at http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/law_librarian_blog/2008/07/a-standard-is-a.html

Living with myself as a law firm librarian

Blake — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:43:58 -0400

explodedlibrary.info has an interesting post Living with myself as a law firm librarian Morgan writes:

This leads back to my initial dilemma – what happens if I am indirectly helping a client do things which conflict with my personal values? Well I'll still do my best for that client. This is when I need to trust in the system and hope that the lawyers (and law librarians, if any are involved) on the other side do their best job, and that the judge or jury get it right, and that eventually a fairer outcome is reached. As a law firm librarian, I don't just work for lawyers (directly) and clients (indirectly), both of these things are a part of working for the legal system.

Law libraries ‘a waste of space?’

Bibliofuture — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 01:55:57 -0400

Wonder why the Worcester Law Library was shut out of the plans for the new courthouse complex in Worcester? As we wrote in an item in this week’s hearsay, court spokespeople refuse to explain why the law library has been the sole tenant of the otherwise abandoned “old” Worcester courthouse for eight months, despite promises last year that a lease was in the works for a new space.

Article continued here.

In Memoriam: Professor Roy M. Mersky, 1925–2008

Bibliofuture — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:53:20 -0400

Professor Roy M. Mersky, the Harry M. Reasoner Regents Chair in Law and longtime director of the Tarlton Law Library and Jamail Center for Legal Research at The University of Texas School of Law, died May 6, 2008 in Austin after a brief illness. Mersky, a decorated World War II veteran and civil rights advocate, was 82.

Paragraph above is from University Texas at Austin website. There is additional information there you will want to look at.

More on the passing of Professor Roy Mersky . . .
at the Legal Writing Prof Blog

UT Law Librarian Roy M. Mersky, Dead at 82

webdonkey — Wed, 07 May 2008 14:48:38 -0400

During his 40-plus years, Professor Mersky developed the University of Texas law library into one of the preeminent research facilities in the nation, a legacy few achieve. Details on Law Librarian Blog at
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/law_librarian_blog/2008/05/roy-m-mersky-de.html

Fayette librarian finds voice decades after giving up dream

Blake — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:50:15 -0400

Barbara Pasqua was 4 years old when she started preparing for a music career. For the next 14 years, she studied voice at the Pittsburgh Playhouse with the goal of studying music at Carnegie Mellon University.
"I wanted to be an opera singer," said Pasqua, 57, assistant law librarian at the Fayette County Law Library.

A standing-room-only crowd listening to her sing the national anthem in a recent courthouse ceremony heard evidence that she could have been a contender.

The Public Library of Law

anderskb — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:53:04 -0400

Popgadget had post about legal resources, including the Public Library of Law, which bills itself as the "world's largest free law library." They claim to search content from many law sites on the web, including free links to paid Fastcase (the site sponsor) content. They offer searches for case law, statutes, regulations, court rules, constitutions and legal forms.

US News Law School Rankings: Why March Madness Has Started Early This Year in the Legal Academy

webdonkey — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:06:30 -0400

Two events have the legal academy buzzing before the release of the dreaded US News Law School Rankings on March 28th. Details on Law Librarian Blog. First, the ABA Journal article, The Rankings Czar: Law deans hate Bob Morse's rankings. He'd like their help to make them better is out. Second, lawschooldiscussion.org has posted what the site claims to be pages from an advance copy of USN&WR's 2009 Law School Rankings, instead of listing the Top X schools.

The Largest Free Law Library

Great Western Dragon — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:15:11 -0400

Fastcase recently launched what it claims to be the largest free law library. Granted, that library is online, but that's nothing to take away from the fact that it boasts a collection of 1.8 million pages of federal cases, all in the public domain. The collection also contains all US Appeals Courts decisions dating back to 1950.

The free part involves signing up for a 24 hour subscription or paying US$95 for a one month access.