Saturday, March 08, 2014

CDC Releases Intimate Partner Violence Report

An excellent new resource for background and data on what is a public health as well as a criminal justice problem--domestic and intimate partner violence--is now available from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Based on a nationally representative, random survey of over 16,500 adults (both women and men) conducted in 2010, Intimate Partner Violence in the United States - 2010 is now freely available on the CDC website.  A publication of the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Violence Prevention, the report covers the prevalence, frequency, demographics, and the impact in terms of physical and mental health, of physical and sexual violence, stalking, and psychological aggression by an intimate partner.  Anyone interested in domestic violence issues or related research should check out this new report.  

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Friday, March 07, 2014

New York State of Mind*




Our next Life-Line Research workshop will focus on how to research New York law efficiently and cost effectively.

When:  Wed, March 12 noon-1pm
Where:  Rm 014
R.S.V.P.:  lawdek@hofstra.edu
Plus:  lunch and surprise gift

* with admiration to Billy Joel




Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Thursday, March 06, 2014

Budget for the U.S. Government, FY 2015

On March 4, 2014, the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released President Obama’s Budget for the U.S. Government, FY 2015. Have a look at the current and past U.S. budgets here.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Wednesday, March 05, 2014

Research Resources: GlobaLex

Published by the Hauser Global Law School Program at NYU School of Law, GlobaLex is an electronic publication dedicated to international and foreign research. New and updated research guides published by GlobaLex include:
New research guides:
  • Nuclear Law Research Guide By Linda Tashbook

Updated research guides:


  • The Crisis in Darfur: Researching the Legal Issues by Amy Burchfield
  • An Introduction to Sources for Treaty Research By Mark Engsberg and Mary Beth Chappell
To Access Globalex:

  • Go to the Library's home page, click "Online Resources"
  • Then, click on the "International Law" or "Foreign/Comparative Law" link
  • Scroll down, click the "GlobaLex" link

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Monday, March 03, 2014

Hein Online Search Tip

The Hein Online databases contain an enormous quantity of useful legal material but is not the most user friendly interface.  So, here are some simple tips:

1.  Terms are not case sensitive but the connectors are.
2.  Place words in quotes to be treated as a phrase, ie "buyer beware".
3.  The connectors AND/OR must be in caps.  You can use & instead of the word AND.
4.  You can set a date range by date:[1938 TO 1945].  Note that the "TO" is in caps.
5.  The * is a multiple character wild card.  Use it in the middle of a word "lab*r to find all variations; or at the end of a word such as employ* to find words that have "employ" as the root.  It is the same idea but slightly different than how the wildcard and root expander work on Lexis and Westlaw. 

Remember that the documents in Hein Online are PDF so it is worth your time to learn to use properly.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Sunday, March 02, 2014

Research Resources: Product Safety & Liability Reporter (BNA)

If you are interested in a weekly publication that offers coverage of developments and issues in product safety, liability litigation and regulations, take a look at BNA's Product Safety & Liability Reporter.  The Reporter also contains information on product recalls, enforcement actions, litigation strategies and more.  Dates of coverage are from January 19, 1996 to the present.

To access the Product Safety & Liability Reporter (BNA):

  • Go to the Library's home page, click "Online Resources"
  • Click the "Consumer Law" link
  • Scroll down to "Product Safety & Liability Reporter (BNA)"

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat