Bloggy Notion:

News of the Hastings Law Library

Posted by Susan Nevelow Mart at 02:33 PM | Permalink

Did you have such a great summer that you forgot how to search Westlaw and Lexis-Nexis? No worries, both the Lexis and Westlaw representatives are available for training to help you get back into school mode. If you don't find Mark or Debbie in the Computer Lab, the reference desk will give you their email address.

Posted by Blogger at 10:32 AM | Permalink

Finding a disagreement in the circuit courts is one good way to find a paper topic. You can read the arguments in each circuit and then decide how the circuit split should be resolved. The drawback of course is that a higher court may rule on the split and decide the issue before your paper is finished (or before your article is published). But even with that risk, this is still a tried and true way to find a topic.

BNA's United States Law Week used to publish a popular feature called the "Circuit Split Roundup." Professors still recommend this feature and students still come to the library looking for it, but it hasn't been published for several years. Perhaps the best place to find current circuit splits is "Split Circuits - A blog dedicated to tracking developments concerning splits among the federal circuit courts," written by Professor A. Benjamin Spencer from the University of Richmond School of Law.

Posted by Vincent Moyer, FCIL Librarian at 02:30 PM | Permalink

We have compiled a short list of the main books used by 1Ls. We have included information about casebooks, study guides, hornbooks, and the primary resources you'll use in your LW&R class. We also listed a few books focusing on how to succeed in law school. If you have any other questions about law books or using the law library, stop by the reference desk and we'll try to point you in the right direction. For additional information about the library, refer to our FAQ page or simply email a reference librarian.

Posted by Vincent Moyer, FCIL Librarian at 10:38 AM | Permalink

We recently heard that renovation of the 200 McAllister Building is 50 percent complete and so far it is almost on time. It is expected that the Library will start moving books back into our new space over the summer 2007, and we have been told that "the building will be ready before school starts for fall 2007." For an update on the construction and to view photos showing the progress, visit the College's Renovation Webpage.

Posted by Vincent Moyer, FCIL Librarian at 03:29 PM | Permalink

Your Hastings identification card also serves as a your library card. Before you can use it though, present your card to the Circulation Desk to get its barcode scanned into the Library’s system. Once entered into the system, you can place items on hold, check out DVDs or books, use course reserve items, and log on to the Library's electronic databases from home.

Posted by Blogger at 10:26 AM | Permalink

Did you know the CIA publishes basic information about every country, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, as well as some major regions, such as the Western Sahara? Go to the World Fact Book, at https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html to check it out. For each country, there is information on geography, people, the government, the economy, the military, transportation, communications, and transnational issues. Maps and flags of every listed nation are also online. The World Fact Book was just updated, so the information is current.

Posted by Susan Nevelow Mart at 04:04 PM | Permalink

Where can you find a good law dictionary? The preeminent law dictionary for American Law is Black's Law Dictionary. It is available in the First Floor Library at the Circulation Desk and the Reference Desk and on the regular shelves at KF156 .B53 2004. There is a copy available on the dictionary stand in the Gold Reading Room. There is also a copy available in the Computer Lab on Floor 1M. The first edition of Black's was published in 1891; the most recent edition is the 8th edition published in 2004.

The 8th edition of Black's is also available on Westlaw.

There are some very basic law dictionaries available for free online:

- Commonly Used Terms (Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts)
- Everybody's Legal Glossary (Nolo Press)
- Merriam Webster's Dictionary of Law, 1996 (Findlaw)
- People's Law Dictionary (Law.com)
- Law Dictionary--Glossary of Legal Terms (LawyerIntl.com)
- One-L Dictionary (Harvard Law Library)
- Glossary of Terms Used in Legal Research (West Publishing)
- Wex Legal Dictionary and Encyclopedia (Cornell's Legal Information Institute)

Posted by Vincent Moyer, FCIL Librarian at 11:29 AM | Permalink

Welcome back returning students, greetings to the 1Ls, transfer, exchange and LL.M. students. This is the Bloggy Notion, the online news of the Hastings Law Library. We will have regular postings of information about the Library, including legal research tips, notices, news and views.

Posted by Blogger at 04:13 PM | Permalink

"Peace and Hoops: Basketball as a Role Player in Sustainable Peacebuilding" by Chad Ford in Willamette Law Review, volume 42, issue 4 2006.

Posted by Blogger at 03:04 PM | Permalink

Most of the books you will need to complete your LW&R assignments are in the Gold Reading Room on the 3rd floor of 198 McAllister. Here's a list of titles with the alcove number where they are shelved. Please note that the Shepard's titles, and the Pacific Reporter are only in the First Floor Library.

Posted by Blogger at 02:27 PM | Permalink

These are the elevators on the 4th floor that will be the main entrance to the
renovated Library. To the right of the elevators will be the Reference and
Circulations desks, to the left will be the Computer Lab.

Posted by Blogger at 10:22 AM | Permalink

The renovation of 200 McAllister is coming along pretty much as scheduled. Here is a
photo of what will be the new grand staircase between the 4th and 5th floors.

Posted by Blogger at 10:19 AM | Permalink

Use HeinOnline to find .pdf versions of almost 900 law journals. Link to it from the Library's Subscription Database page.

Posted by Blogger at 01:16 PM | Permalink

Some Hastings students recently interned at the California Public Utilities Commission. To find out what kind of work the students did and how they liked the experience, contact:
Ben Allen
Eric Bak
Lisa Bowman
Kori-Renee Hart
Allison Mullings
Stephanie Perez

Posted by Blogger at 08:09 AM | Permalink