September 2009
Spotlight on Bureau of National Affairs’ U.S. Law Week Database!
During the academic year, all students receive a weekly email from the Associate Law Librarian Lucinda Harrison-Cox containing highlights from BNA’s U.S. Law Week database. Updated weekly, BNA’s U.S. Law Week is the premier database for news about recently decided federal and state cases and activities of the federal agencies. Also included within the database is legal news about the President and the U.S. Congress.
The U.S. Law Week’s Supreme Court Today database tracks the activities of the U.S. Supreme Court during its current term.
A notable feature of U.S. Law Week is the Circuit Splits. Listed by subject area are recently decided cases in which two or more Circuit Courts of Appeals have reached different conclusions on the same legal issue. This feature can be helpful when researching a topic for a paper or law review article.
For help with using the U.S. Law Week database, don’t hesitate to ask the Reference Librarian on duty at the Reference Desk.
[Posted September 25, 2009]
Environmentally-friendly printing!
As you use LexisNexis and Westlaw for your legal research, the Law Library staff encourages you to reduce the amount of paper you print from the LexisNexis and the Westlaw printers located in the Law Library’s Print Center.
For starters, consider using the double-sided LexisNexis printer (label # 710305) or the double-sided Westlaw printer (label #S5443).
Both LexisNexis and Westlaw enable you to print a cite list of your research results or restrict the portions (also referred to as “fields”) of the document(s) to view which in turn will limit what you print.
When using LexisNexis to search for cases, click “Custom” from the View options (located at the left side of the screen). You can select to view only the syllabus and headnotes which are similar to the synopsis and headnotes of the cases on Westlaw.
When you print cases from Westlaw, you have the option to print only the synopsis and headnotes.
The syllabus/synopsis and the headnotes from cases from each system are very helpful in determining whether a case is relevant to your research.
Before you even print the case from Westlaw or LexisNexis, look at it in a case reporter to determine if you need it since the Law Library collection’s contains all the West regional and federal case reporters!
If you have any questions with environmentally-friendly printing, ask the Librarian on Duty at the Reference Desk!
[Posted September 18, 2009]
Reference Assistance!
Do you....
Need help with researching cases or statutes? Writing a paper for a class but do not have a clue as to where to begin your research? Citation questions? Difficulty using Westlaw or LexisNexis? Wondering if the law library’s collection has a particular book?
Don’t be shy, ask the Reference Librarian on duty to help you with these questions!
A Reference Librarian is available to assist you with research from 8:30 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays and until 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays. Except for the holiday weekends (Columbus Day and Thanksgiving), a Librarian will be at the Reference Desk on Sundays from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. In addition to Sundays, there will be reference assistance Saturday, September 19th, from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
[Posted September 11, 2009]
1L Westlaw and LexisNexis Training
Westlaw training sessions will be held September 8 through September 11. All Westlaw training sessions are in the Main Computer Lab
Introductory LexisNexis training sessions for half of the 1L class will be conducted September 9 through September 11 in the Training Lab (adjacent to the Reference Desk) with the remaining 1L class receiving training on September 16 and September 17 in the Main Computer Lab.
Advanced LexisNexis training sessions for the 1Ls will be held in the Main Computer Lab on September 23, September 24 and September 25.
For more information about the Westlaw and LexisNexis training, email , call 401-254-4542 or see Nan in the Law Library.
[Posted September 1, 2009]
