Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Until 2011

Phew, after a long tough slog through exams, I needed a couple of days to snooze and recover.
I am waking up only briefly from my well-deserved nap to wish everyone a wonderful, relaxing and also well-deserved break.

I still need a great deal more napping (I am a cat, after all) if I am to be ready for the ardors of the New Year. So, a quick reminder, after 5pm tonight (Wed., 12/22), the Library will be closed. I mean really CLOSED - that is no 24/7 access. We will reopen on Monday, January3 at 9am.

So, to paraphrase a famous line . . .

"Happy Christmas [holidays and New Year] to all, and to all a good-night!"


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Congress Repeals Ban Against Gays in the Military

Congress on Saturday, December 18, 2010, by a vote of 65 to 31 struck down the ban on gay men and lesbians serving openly in the military. The current "don't ask, don't tell" policy had been passed under the Clinton Administration, which allowed gay men and women to serve in the military as long as they kept their sexual orientation a secret. Political leaders have been trying to ban this policy arguing that it creates discrimination and has caused more than 13,000 men and women to be expelled from the military based on sexual orientation. The new law will be signed next week by President Obama. Read the full news article here.





Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Lady Justice: Story of an Icon

Two Yale Law School professors have just published a long-awaited book tracing Lady Justice (with and without blindfold) as both art and symbol throughout the ages and as a presence in courtrooms worldwide. In Representing Justice: Invention, Controversy, and Rights in City-States and Democratic Courtrooms, reviewed earlier this week in a New York Times feature article by Randy Kennedy, professors Judith Resnik and Dennis E. Curtis use of history of the familiar symbol to explain its role in the relationship between democracy and the courts. Explore some of the wonderful images from the book at the Yale Law School Library Document Collection Center site. In February, Hofstra Law Professor Bennett Capers, who has also written on Lady Justice, will speak at a special Yale Law School symposium.




Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Thursday, December 16, 2010

“Steep Learning Curve” For New U.S. Supreme Court Justice

The latest U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Elena Kagan, speaks about her new job. Read excerpts from her C-Span interview (her first interview since joining the Court) here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Cats on Westlaw

This video, made by an Arizona Law student, makes for a good study break.


It is a cautionary tale about avoiding extra charges on Westlaw and Lexis. No word from PETA yet.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

THOMAS Enhancements

The Library of Congress started enhancing the THOMAS site in January. Well, THOMAS has undergone its fourth major enhancement of 2010. Click here to read about the enhancements.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Monday, December 13, 2010

Geminid meteor shower this evening

The Geminid meteor shower peaks this evening and tomorrow morning. Jupiter and the moon are also putting on a show this evening. Take a short break from your studies and sky watch.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Issues of Internet Privacy in 2010

Internet privacy is an ongoing hot button issue this year and will continue its reign with the growing popularity of Facebook, Twitter, various Google features and more. Recently, the ReadWriteWeb blog published an article discussing the major privacy stories 0f 2010 that surrounded Facebook, Google, eReaders, WikiLeaks and more. The article analyzes the specific privacy issues and what action, if any, was taken to insure the privacy of users. Read the full article here.




Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Saturday, December 11, 2010

"Do Not Track" for the Internet?

Whatever your opinion on the importance of Internet privacy, you should know that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a report last week that will be an essential tool in charting the future of American consumer privacy policy. The report, "Protecting Consumer Privacy in an Era of Rapid Change: A Proposed Framework for Businesses and Policymakers," includes a proposal to develop a national "Do Not Track" tool for Internet users. The FTC has asked for comments, and business, consumers, and Congress are weighing in. In an Information Today feature article, columnist George Pike discusses pros, cons, differences from the "Do Not Call" registry concept, and early reaction to the proposal in Congress, where a House subcommittee hearing on the issue was also held last week.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Friday, December 10, 2010

Study Break

In my prowls of the Library, I see a lot of hard studying students. My research shows that every now and again your brain needs a break. So, in the interests of science, and helping you out on exams, here are a couple of suggestions for a quick study break.

1. Hangman online - we all played Hangman as kittens, so here's my choice for online hangman, complete with category choices (which kind of defeats the purpose imho)

2. Crossword Puzzles online - Boatload Puzzles lets you complete the puzzle online, thus saving on paper. For the hardcore puzzler, the Classic Puzzle from the New York Times

3. Sudoku - courtesy of the New York Times puzzles and games page

And, so that I can still keep my day job, if your idea of a study break is to peruse the hot topics in the news, check out Legislative Documents for the Obama Tax Compromise Bill . Hat tip to TaxProfBlog .

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Thursday, December 09, 2010

Blawg 100 Voting

Voting is open in ABA Journal's Blawg 100. ABA Journal has named the best legal blogs of 2010, the voting is to decide which of those are the best.

Students, yes, people really do read blogs about practicing law. Lots of them. In addition to being a good forum for academic communication, blogs are also a good way for attorneys to keep abreast of developments in a particular area of law, or just a good way for attorneys to commiserate.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Texas Judge To Hold Hearing On Constitutionality Of Death Penalty

In an unusual hearing, a judge from a state that is among the nation’s leaders in executing Death Row inmates is holding a hearing on the constitutionality of the state’s death penalty statute. Read more about it here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Library of Congress: Legal Blawg Archive

Legal blogs, or blawgs, "have increasingly become vehicles for legal scholars, practitioners, and observers from across the globe to share information on developments in various areas of law, as well as opinions as to how good or bad those developments are."

"The Law Library of Congress has been working since 2007 to archive monthly entries for blawgs such as these, so that the legal events addressed in the blawgs of today may be studied many years from now. This collection is called the Legal Blawg Archive." The Legal Blawg Archive provides the actual captured images for 130 blawgs across 19 subjects.

Thanks to Christine Sellers for her informative post!
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Monday, December 06, 2010

Google Instant & Legal Search

What does Google instant mean for legal search? This is a question that Steve Matthews pondered recently. He has written and made available some of the issues that he thinks are important. As we have learned in so many online innovations - other activities as well - we do our best to make a service better but then there are the results that just were not anticipated. We are fortunate that there are knowledge people who do take the time to think about these questions.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Sunday, December 05, 2010

Treaty Citations -- Sometimes They Don't Exist as Expected

A recent opinion article in The New York Times describes how we can expect the United States to rely more on treaty-like agreements than on actual treaties in the future. In such agreements, the U.S. agrees to try wholeheartedly to pass legislation that achieves the goals of the agreement, rather than signing a treaty and sending it to the Senate for ratification, because treaty ratification requires 67 votes in the Senate and legislation only requires 60 votes (with the modern-day filibuster).

Variations of this have been done in the past, even with what seem to be major multilateral treaties. For Instance, the 1947 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was signed by the U.S., but never ratified by the Senate, though it is generally accepted as binding on the U.S.

The main source people cite to for recent treaties to which the U.S. is a party is TIAS, the Treaties and Other International Acts Series. However, TIAS only publishes treaties that have been ratified by the Senate (the same is true for the older United States Treaties and Other International Agreements (UST) and Treaties in Force).

So, if you are looking for an official citation to a treaty that the U.S. signed, make sure that the U.S. actually ratified the treaty before tearing your hair out. The treaty may not have been ratified, even if the U.S. has been following the treaty as though it was. For non-ratified treaties, find a citation in a non-U.S. source, like the United Nations Treaty Series (Hein link).

Note: An increasingly popular type of non-treaty agreement for the U.S. is the Executive Agreement, which requires no Senate approval. But Executive Agreements should not be as confusing as major multilateral treaties that the U.S. appears to follow, but were never ratified.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Saturday, December 04, 2010

Heavenly Escapes

Yes, you can escape to a galaxy far, far away, where law school exams are not the center of the universe. Take a few minutes to relax and be inspired by the breathtaking space photos at two of my favorite web sites. The National Space Science Data Photo Gallery features views of the planets, galaxies and comets, all collected from NASA space missions. And for a fresh perspective on our planet and human endeavors, browse through some of the best photos of the Earth taken from the Space Shuttle. These "Human Imprints from Space," including a night view of New York City and Long Island, are provided by the Lunar and Planetary Institute, a scientific forum and research institute that supports the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and shares their explorations with the world.




Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Friday, December 03, 2010

Study Location Strategies

Our Library's design is rather convoluted, having evolved over time, but it presents you with some excellent studying alternatives. For example, for those of you who like it as quiet as possible, go to the Lower Level stacks area. There are no offices, restrooms or other potential noise generators. Of course, if you like a bit of background noise, try the Talking Areas.

As always, if you have any concerns about noise or other issues, you can contact the Reference Librarian via IM from wherever you are sitting during Reference Hours and he/she will try to resolve it. Remember to tell the Reference Librarian where the problem is. Since our IM service is just for Law Students, ask the Reference Librarian for our IM address.

Best of luck with your studying and exams.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Thursday, December 02, 2010

EU Launches Antitrust Probe Into Google

According to this Associated Press story, European Union regulators are looking into “whether Google Inc. has been manipulating its search results to stifle competition, funnel more traffic to its own services and protect its global stranglehold of the online search market”.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Helpful Tips During Exam Period

Knowing where to find helpful study guides, the archived exam, and study room policies may prove helpful when preparing for final exams.


Click here to access helpful study guides. Most current study guides are located in our Reserve collection and can be charged out for three hour periods.


To access the Exam Archive:

Go to Hofstra Law School Library home page http://law.hofstra.edu/Library.
In the middle column under "Resources," click “Exam Archive.”
You will be prompted to log in to the Hofstra University Portal using your Novell Username and Password.
Click on “OK”
Click the professor’s folder to access the exams.

Library Study Rooms:

Click here to access the Library’s study room policy.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Monday, November 29, 2010

Law school clinics and academic freedom

The current issue of Academe Online ("Kneecapping" Academic Freedom) highlights increasing attacks on law school clinics. Clinics are an important opportunity for students to receive hands on legal experience, but clinics may be challenged when they represent clients opposed to corporate or legislative interests. The AAUP has a brief time-line of publicized challenges to law school clinics here.

Hat tip to Law Librarian blog for the story.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Monday, November 22, 2010

European Library

The European Library is a free resource that permits you to search resources of the 48 national libraries of Europe. Quality and reliability are guaranteed; although, resources are not translated. Many of the resources are digital.

A bonus are the exhibitions the European Library makes available. For history buffs check out the Napoleonic Wars exhibition:

The Napoleonic Wars online Exhibition held by The European Library and discover more than 200 exclusive rarities across Europe!

Battles, grenadiers, artilleries, attacks, victories and defeats!

Napoleonic Wars were portrayed differently across Europe. Explore the understated! Dresses, headgears and sideburns from 1802 to 1896. A selection of portraits immortalizes public figures, sumptuous houses, crowds & daily life.

Military maps, city plans and magnificent representations of the well documented assaults launched by Napoleon Bonaparte in Europe. Challenge your knowledge of geography!

Rare letters, books, manuscripts and other prints chronologically displayed. Discover the handwriting of Napoleon Bonaparte or the original "Charte Constitutionelle"!

Playing cards, comics, music scores, coins Napoleon Bonaparte’s marble bust. Discover the specials collected across Europe during "Le Premier Empire".


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Cyber Crime Resources

Anyone interested in internet law, including computer crime, should be aware of several online resources for collecting, compiling, and utilizing information on cyber crime complaints. The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a partnership between the FBI the National White Collar Crime Center, has logged over two million consumer complaints of internet fraud, scams, identity theft, and other crimes on its web site since it began operations in 2000. In the past decade, it has referred over 750,000 of these complaints to law enforcement agencies around the world. The IC3 also uses the complaints to track emerging trends in cyber crime and to educate the public through its consumer education website, LooksToGoodToBeTrue.com. A good starting place for understanding the parameters and consumer impact of internet crime is the 2009 Internet Crime Report, a statistical overview of the current shape of cyber crime based on complaints received and processed last year by the IC3.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Friday, November 19, 2010

Planning for Turkey day

As you might imagine, we felines (even the virtual ones) are quite fond of the day you humans set aside to eat birds. (We just wonder why it is only once per year). Although we cats tend to be more spontaneous in our bird eating, we can respect your need to plan and to take time off to celebrate.

So, for your planning convenience, here are the Library and Reference librarian hours. As always, you can also find this information on the Library's web site .

PLEASE NOTE: the Library closes completely at 8 p.m. on Wednesday night, Nov. 24 and will reopen for regular 24/7 access at 12:01 Saturday a.m.

Circulation Desk Hours
Sun. (Nov. 21) 10am - Midnight
Mon.-Tues. (Nov. 22-23) 8am - Midnight
Wed. (Nov. 24) 8am - 8pm
Thurs.-Fri. (Nov. 25-26) LIBRARY CLOSED
Sat. (Nov. 27) 10am-8pm
Sun. (Nov. 28) 10am - Midnight

Reference Desk Hours
Sun. (Nov. 21) No Reference
Mon. (Nov. 22) 9am - 9pm
Wed.-Tues. (Nov. 23-24) 9am - 5pm
Thurs.-Fri. (Nov. 25-26) LIBRARY CLOSED
Sat. (Nov. 27) No Reference
Sun. (Nov. 28) Noon - 8pm



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Facebook Can Legally Terminate Users' Accounts

Are you curious as to the circumstances under which your Facebook or other online social networking account might be legally terminated? This article should help to satisfy that curiosity.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Bill Jackets Online

An update to this post from two years ago: bill jackets through 2008 are now available online. (Bill jackets contain the most important legislative history documents for New York statutes.)

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Federal Trade Commission Business Center

The Federal Trade Commission has a new Business Center at Business.ftc.gov. The Business Center provides legal resources for particular industries and "plain-language guidance about advertising, credit, telemarketing, privacy, and other topics."
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Monday, November 15, 2010

From the NYT: Nazis were given "safe haven" in U.S.

The New York Times reports today that they obtained the full text of a DOJ report detailing Nazis admitted into the U.S. The report is an important and fascinating historical work that shows government complicity in hiding Nazis as well as those who worked to identify and bring them to justice.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Changes for Exam Archive, HeinOnline

There are some recent changes in how you access two favorite Library resources, the Exam Archive and HeinOnline. Now, when you click on the "Exam Archive" link under Resources on the Law Library's main page, you will be taken directly to the Hofstra portal to log in, and then immediately to the law exam course page, without having to use an additional password. As long as you access the exams from the Law Library web page link, this will work from any location on or off campus. Remember that all past exams in the file are submitted on a voluntary basis and at the discretion of individual faculty.

Have you noticed something different when using one of your favorite databases, HeinOnline? The homepage has been redesigned. Simply click on the blue "Log in to HeinOnline" link in the upper right corner to be taken directly to the menu page to select the Law Journal or other HeinOnline library. Off campus, you will need to log in to the network using your name and Hofstra ID number to reach the homepage. More about the new page is here at the HeinOnline Blog.





Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Other Supreme Courts Around The World

The United States Supreme Court is always in the news, it seems. Sometimes, though, it is interesting to see what other Supreme Courts of the world are doing.

For instance, this news story mentions that the Supreme Court of South Korea recently upheld an appellate court decision that sentenced a defendant to a two-years’ suspended sentence for possessing instrumental music with song titles that praise neighboring enemy North Korea. Prosecutors charged the defendant with violating South Korea's National Security Act, which prohibits anyone from disseminating materials that promote North Korea.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Dodd-Frank Legislative History Webpage

Two years ago we mentioned that the Legislative Sourcebook on the website of the Law Librarians' Society of Washington, D.C. is a great source of compiled legislative histories (where someone has already compiled the legislative history documents, or at least a list of them, so that you don't have to). As part of the Sourcebook, the recently added an easy-to-use webpage for the legislative history of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Financial Protection Act, with links to all of the relevant documents.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Library of Congress: Current Legal Topics

The Library of Congress' Current Legal Topics is a guide that provides legal commentary and recommended resources on issues and events with legal significance.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Saturday, November 06, 2010

Law in Popular Culture

If you are looking for resources on how lawyers have been reflected in the popular culture (novels, feature films, comics, humor, television, and more), a good place to begin is with the Law in Popular Culture Collection at the Tarlton Law Library at the University of Texas at Austin. The goal of the collection is to "provide as broad a picture as possible of the image of the lawyer in the United States and British Commonwealth," as represented by authors from Dickens to Danielle Steele. All of the collection's literary, film, TV, and graphic works either feature a lawyer as a central character or were authored by a lawyer. The collection includes digital full-text "lawyer stories," the history of the legal thriller, and bibliographies useful for research in law and literature and law in popular culture topics.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Friday, November 05, 2010

NY Bar Exam

It is that time for the takers of the July 20101 N.Y. Bar Exam. Cross your paws for all of your friends out there who graduated and took the exam.

And yes, if you are a 3L or 4L, it is something you will need to start to think about. The New York Board of Law Examiners page is the place to start. For those curious, check out some past essay questions.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Thursday, November 04, 2010

Political Free Speech And Telephone Service Outages

It seems that telephone service providers sometimes encounter difficulties in routing all of the automated political solicitations that tend to mushroom, come election time. Read more about Comcast’s service outages, caused by the automated dialers, here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Blekko

Search engines that are not Google do still exist. Some of them are even being started today. Blekko, which launched this week, has been getting a lot of press. (An NY Times article is here; a ComputerWorld article is here.)

This search engine is a bit of a throwback, in that it relies largely on human-edited search results. Blekko's goal is to only list results from reputable sources, mostly by weeding out content farms and those public answer trees where the answers people provide are almost invariably wrong. Time will tell if this works, and some people grow used to searching with a system of slashtags.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Google Books: More Than a Page Rank

I was prowling the Law Librarian's blog and came across a post about "an article on The Atlantic web site that offers a bit on insight into how Google creates a result set for searches in Google Books."

Monday, November 01, 2010

Reminder: Tomorrow (Tues. Nov. 2nd) is Election Day

Just a reminder to vote tomorrow (Tuesday, November 2nd). Mid-terms are important and if you have heard even a little political news, you are aware that control of Congress may shift. Sites that may be of interest to you:

New York State Board of Elections: Official state site to inform citizens of New York State.

Project Vote Smart - Candidates for New York State office: Find you candidates and their biographies plus positions and finances.

2010 New York State Gubernatorial Debate held at Hofstra: If you missed the debate, you can view it at this site. One of the more original candidates debates in recent years.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Academic OneFile

Just in time for paper writing, Hofstra has a new multi-disciplinary articles database: Academic OneFile. A premier source for full-text, peer-reviewed articles from the world's leading journals, Academic OneFile offers especially strong coverage of science and technology, health and medicine, economics, business and literature. Authoritative, comprehensive and updated daily, Academic OneFile brings together millions of articles from 1980 to the present, many of them available in PDF. Academic OneFile is an Axinn Library database accessible through the Hofstra Portal with a network password.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Friday, October 29, 2010

Black Cat Day

Sunday is Black Cat Day. (You humans, for some undecipherable reason, call it "Halloween". Go figure.)

So being a virtual Law Library Black Cat (yes, virtual cats can have a color), I decided to stalk the Web for laws on Halloween. I have to give it to you humans (which is rare for a feline to admit), even if you cannot get the name straight, one of you did put together Weirdest Halloween laws in the country .


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Visual History of the Supreme Court

Timeplots.com has created a beautiful poster/webpage which diagrams the history of the U.S. Supreme Court, including all of its justices, who appointed them, when they served, and landmark decisions. It is viewable here. A snapshot of part of it is below.

This is part of a three-part project which also includes wonderful diagrams of the histories of the U.S. Senate and the Presidency.





Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Library of Congress: Guide to Law Online

The Guide to Law Online, prepared by the Law Library of Congress Public Services Division, is an annotated guide to sources of information on government and law available online. It includes selected links to useful and reliable sites for legal information.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Monday, October 25, 2010

Justis: new to Law Library's online resources

Hofstra Law Library is pleased to announce that we now subscribe to Justis: it is the online legal library of UK, EU and Irish law dating from 1163 to the present day. If you are engaged in European Union legal research, this database is for you. It has complete information (full text) and a strong / flexible search interface. The historical UK database is also useful.

Justis may be found on the Law Library's website under online resources - foreign/comparative law; and online resources - international organizations.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Friday, October 22, 2010

Just the Facts

With just over a week to go in what can safely be described as a contentious election, this is a good time to think about facts. Exactly how accurate are the claims of politicians and political advertising?

There are a number of good web sites to help answer this question. PolitiFact.com , sponsored by the St. Petersburg Times, provides a "Truth-o-meter" judging the degree to which a claim or ad is accurate. For another site, try FactCheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center .


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Thursday, October 21, 2010

ABA May Support Greater Law School Transparency

ABA President Steve Zack recently told a gathering of law school deans and professors that the organization is considering a proposal that would require accredited law schools to disclose cost and employment statistics to all accepted law school applicants. Read more here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Regulating the Legal Industry - International Perspectives

Think that the large number of U.S. law school graduates are making the job market too tough for young attorneys? Apparently other countries have problems with regulating the legal profession that make similar issues in the U.S. seem paltry. In India, there are over 1,000 law schools. And, in Japan, only 25% of people who sit for the bar exam pass (a huge increase from the previous number: 3%!). (from the National Law Journal)


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Law Library of Congress: Congressional Hearings

The Law Library of Congress contains approximately 75,000 volumes of printed Congressional Hearings.

"As part of the Law Library’s transition to the digital future, a collaborative pilot project was undertaken with Google, Inc., to digitize the entire collection and make it freely available to Congress and the world. Three collections have been selectively compiled to provide users with a test experience:"

For each Hearing, all of the text is in searchable PDF format.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Monday, October 18, 2010

MetaLib

MetaLib is a federated search engine that searches multiple U.S. Federal government databases, retrieving reports, articles, and citations while providing direct links to selected resources available online. You can search in a variety of information resources, such as catalogs, reference databases, digital repositories, or subject-based Web gateways. These information resources can be local or remote. A search may be basic, advanced or expert.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Rule of Law Index

The World Justice Project, following "three years of intensive development, testing, and vetting--including interviewing 35,000 people and over 900 experts in 35 countries," released its first annual WJP Rule of Law Index on October 14. The Index provides detailed information on ten dimensions of the rule of law--from open government and fundamental freedoms to the absence of corruption--in countries representing every region of the world. Working with 49 sub-factors and comparing countries within geographic regions and income level peer groups, the goal of the report, which also includes individual country profiles, is to chart each nation's adherence to the rule of law in practice, as experienced by its citizens. The breakdown by individual factors is one of the most interesting features of the Index, allowing the identification of particular strengths and weaknesses as they appear now and may change over time. The World Justice Project began its work under the auspices of the American Bar Association, but became an independent nonprofit organization in 2009.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Friday, October 15, 2010

My turn

Usually I convey to you important, interesting, useful or fun tidbits of information and maybe even an insight once in a while.

Today is my day to ask information from you. I know you all text. Would you use a service by which you could text a question to a Reference librarian? And, would you be willing to share your cell number so that we could set up this service?

Inquiring felines want to know. Just post a comment to this message with your thoughts.

And thanks.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Thursday, October 14, 2010

A Trend? Rising Civil Rights Complaints In Education

According to this article, the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights received nearly 7,000 complaints this fiscal year, an eleven percent increase over the previous year, and the largest increase in at least ten years. A random spike, or a burgeoning trend? Read the article to learn more.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

CooCoo

This post has absolutely nothing to do with legal research, law school, or the practice of law. However it is indispensable information for many people who work or go to school at Hofstra.

LIRR train schedules are available via text message. To receive a text message that includes the schedule for the next five trains, send a text message to 266266 with the name of the departure station and the arrival station (i.e. "Mineola to Penn"). (Apparently 266266 spells "CooCoo.") To receive a text message that includes the schedule for future trains, include a time in your text message.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat