Burning Ears Blawg

Hero of the Year Award

2006-09-27T15:27:00.000-05:00

Many of you know that librarian Kristin Cheney, Seattle University Library Director, founded and runs the Seniors with Pets Assistance Program, a non-profit food bank for the pets of Pierce County, Washington senior citizens on fixed incomes. Kristin was the recipient of the Spirit of Law Librarianship Award for her work in this program. We are very excited to announce that Kristin has been selected from over 4,000 nominees as one of ten finalists for the Animal Planet “Hero of the Year” award.

If you would like to vote for the Hero of the Year Award (voting runs Sept. 25 thru Oct. 6), check out the finalists online at: http://animal.discovery.com. For more information about the Seniors with Pets program, go to www.seniorswithpets.org.

Suffolk open to all

2006-06-13T09:26:00.000-05:00

Suffolk's Law library opens its doors to all
Posted June 12 in the online issue of Suffolk News-Herald (Suffolk, Virginia)
http://www.suffolknewsherald.com/articles/2006/06/13/news/news2.txt

DCLRC's new home featured

2006-04-17T07:31:00.000-05:00

The WI State Journal highlighted the Dane Co Legal Resource Center in its April 17th issue, featuring its location in the new Dane County Courthouse. Read the story.

Rails to Paradise starts in law library

2006-03-30T09:07:00.000-06:00

From the Tacoma News Tribune comes this article about Russ Holter, author of Rails to Paradise: The History of the Tacoma Eastern Railroad 1890-1919, who started his research in the state law library of Washington. An excerpt from the article:

"Luck and curiosity took over when Holter took a job surveying historic properties damaged by the Nisqually earthquake in 2001. One of the buildings was the Temple of Justice in Olympia, and Holter spent his lunch hours exploring the reference books in the state law library, including reports of cases decided by the court. The first book he opened described a 1900 lawsuit involving the newly formed railroad, including a description of its founding.

'I had hit the mother lode,' Holter said. 'I knew I had information no one else had and that I’d be the one to write the book.'"

The article was written by Peter Callaghan, a regular columnist at the News Tribune.

Law Librarian honored in Tulare, CA

2006-03-30T08:51:00.000-06:00

Caught in the "Local News" section of the Fresno Bee on March 22:

MATHIS HONORED:
Diane Mathis of Tulare was given a plaque by the Tulare County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday for her years of service to the community, including 21 years as research assistant at the Tulare County law library. She retired last week.

"She's certainly been one of my heroes," said Supervisor Connie Conway of Tulare. "Just look at the leadership she's shown."

Mathis, who was a Tulare City Council member from 1990 to 1998, said she'll spend more time with her grandchildren and volunteer at the World Ag Expo.

Digital law library a must in India

2006-02-09T07:56:00.000-06:00

In a Jan. 25 article from "The Hindu" the Chief Judge of the Madras High Court (India) said that lawyers should follow the global trend of setting up digital law libraries. Read the article here...

Law librarian interviewed in local paper

2006-02-09T07:52:00.000-06:00

Catherine Mello Alves, law librarian at Lowell Superior Court (Mass.), was recently interviewed for the Lowell Sun Newspaper. "She's the Walking, Talking Legal Pad for the Lowell Law Library" was featured in the February 3, 2006 issue. The link to the newspaper is www.lowellsun.com .

DCLRC is moving

2006-01-11T14:18:00.000-06:00

The Dane County Legal Resource Center (Madison, Wis.) is moving into a new library space in the new Dane County Courthouse on Friday January 13 and will officially open on Tuesday January 17, 2006. WI State Journal ran a few articles about the new courthouse and mentioned the role and location of the DCLRC in the life of the courthouse. See especially the article on January 6...search their archives for free here. Here's a photo of book moving day (January 11) as well.

Law Library Worker Part of Storm Relief

2005-11-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

From the Nov. 16 issue of the Oakland Tribune comes the story of Mimi-Cristien Nguyen's unique efforts to aid in Hurricane relief. Nguyen works at Alameda County Law Library (CA). Read the story.

Update on Milwaukee Legal Resource Center

2005-11-16T15:39:00.000-06:00

UPDATE to previous post: The County Board overrode the County Executive's budget amendment vetoes and the future of the Milwaukee Legal Resource Center looks much brighter. Story from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Law library used to help answer legal questions by paper's readers

2005-11-14T08:57:00.000-06:00

From Nov. 2 issue of the Daily Breeze in Torrence, CA:

"As this column has mentioned before, the South Bay Bar Association conducts a Pro Bono Clinic every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon in Room 160 of the Torrance Superior Court at 825 Maple Ave.

I recently participated, and on several occasions took individuals to the law library there (just before the Clerk's Office). I pointed out a reference book series titled California Forms of Pleading and Practice (which is on your immediate right as you enter the library, about halfway down).

The Pleading and Practice books are in alphabetical order, per subject matter. They contain basic legal authorities and forms on a wide variety of subjects (from a petition to compel arbitration to divorce to landlord-tenant issues to wills).

While these books may be used primarily by lawyers and paralegals, the information help and instruct laypeople as well." Read more at The Daily Breeze (may require fee and/or registration)

New Director in Provo

2005-11-14T08:46:00.000-06:00

From a Nov. 5 posting in the Deseret News:
PROVO — Kory Staheli is the new director of the Howard W. Hunter Law Library. Staheli replaces former library director Constance Lundberg, who will continue teaching part-time in BYU's law school, according to a press release from Kevin J. Worthen, dean of the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University. Read more...

Alaska DOC employs Lexis in Prisons

2005-11-14T08:37:00.000-06:00

From a Nov. 8 article published on Business Wire:
"LexisNexis U.S., a leading provider of legal, news and business information services, announced today it is providing legal research to the prison libraries in all Alaska Department of Corrections (DOC) facilities. The installation of legal information terminals allows the state to comply with court mandates requiring inmate access to the law while saving approximately $200,000 per year on staffing, maintenance, security and law book subscriptions.

The Alaska DOC has installed 58 secure terminals in 12 in-state facilities (serving 3,600 prisoners) and one out-of-state contract facility (serving 800 prisoners) that inmates use to access LexisNexis(R) legal research via a tightly controlled network."

The article goes on to say that:

"The virtually paperless computerized approach to legal research allows the Alaska DOC to reallocate staffing for its law libraries by greatly reducing security risks related to contraband stashed in books and by eliminating the labor-intensive process of maintaining each library collection."

and

"'Print law libraries are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Today, budget crunches in many states are causing prison systems to re-evaluate the hefty costs associated with storing, organizing, maintaining and safeguarding their law libraries. LexisNexis helps prisons cut costs without impinging on the rights of inmates in their care,' said Sheela Kesaree Zemlin, Director of Market Planning at LexisNexis. "

Read more at Business Wire

Law Library owed $2 million?

2005-11-14T08:33:00.000-06:00

From the Columbus Dispatch (Ohio), published Nov. 11:
"Last year, a county clerk discovered an accounting error that had been funneling money meant for the library into the county’s budget.

According to state law, a portion of fines paid by motorists ticketed for traffic violations in the county is owed to the library, said Joseph Schmansky, chairman of the library’s board of trustees. And 90 percent of any money not spent by the library at the end of each year must go back to the municipalities or townships where the tickets were issued, if the municipalities have their own police forces.

After some delay, the county rectified its error and began sending the fine money to the library this fall. So far the library has received two monthly installments of about $23,000 each. Schmansky said the library’s trustees have made the commissioners aware that the county likely owes more, but they have not determined how much was diverted mistakenly.

At their monthly meeting yesterday morning, the library’s trustees agreed that any effort to recover back payments might fall primarily to the local governments who stand to reap a small windfall.

"We’ll wait and see what they do first," Schmansky said.

Retired Delaware County Judge Henry Shaw said he filed a public-records request for documents he thinks will show that the error goes at least 10 years and could total more than $2 million. " Read more at the Columbus Dispatch (may require fee and/or registration)

Latest on Milwaukee budget

2005-11-14T08:27:00.000-06:00

Here is the latest on Milwaukee County's budget crisis, from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel October 26. Amendments have included funding for the Milwaukee Legal Resource Center.

Law Lib considered on TV set

2005-11-04T07:37:00.000-06:00

From the Oct. 31 issue of "Inside TV" magazine, in an article showcasing the set of "Boston Legal," specifically lawyer Dennis Crane's (played by William Shatner) office:

"Denny used to have law books on his shelves, but then we realized that the firm would have a law library, so we turned the shelves into a bar where Denny could entertain in his office."

No established right to law library for pro se prisoners

2005-11-02T08:28:00.000-06:00

The US Supreme Court has ruled that a California inmate representing himself will not be granted a new trial just because he had virtually no access to a law library or books. This ruling reversed a previous decision to grant a new trial. Read the story from Bloomberg.com.

Miami-Dade County Law Library in Trouble

2005-10-10T11:14:00.000-05:00

From the Law Librarian Blog:
Obituary for a Law Library
Dan Cordtz writes in the September 30, 2005 issue of Miami Daily Business Review (available in LexisNexis)

The beleaguered Miami-Dade County law library, facing a $600,000 operating deficit, has received a $100,000 emergency transfusion from the County Commission. But that was far short of the amount needed to keep it running at its normal level. As a result, the 68-year-old library in the courthouse at 73 Flagler St. - used by some 700 attorneys and ordinary citizens each week - will lose half of its 14 staff members at the end of October and has already canceled most of its subscriptions to legal periodicals. Three branches - in Miami Beach, at the North Dade Justice Center and South Dade Justice Center have already closed - and a fourth at the Richard Gerstein building is scheduled to shut its doors soon.

John W. Thornton Jr., partner of Thornton & Rothman and president of the Dade County Bar Association, expressed sympathy and dismay at the library's plight but did not foresee a significant contribution from the association. "We started the library many years ago," he said, "but the sad reality is that the Internet and online legal research has made the library no longer as viable as it once was.

The article discusses efforts by the law library director and a local judge to save the library.
Lee Peoples, Oklahoma City University Law Library

Editor's Note: Plans call for the local public library taking the county law library's collection.

Law Prof call for Law Schools with no Libraries

2005-10-05T08:17:00.000-05:00

From Law.com comes this article: "Law School: Make it Optional?" in which the author claims ABA standards for accreditation serve the interests of law professors and librarians, not the public.

A few "older" articles

2005-08-18T14:01:00.000-05:00

Here's four "older" (published over a month ago) articles that you may have missed. Despite none of them being freely available on the newspapers' websites, you may be able to find a cached edition to read or through access to newspaper articles in a database like Proquest.

"Law Library still relies on hard copy in time of Google" was pubished in the Bangor (Maine) Daily News, August 20, 2004. The article summarizes the services of the Penobscot County Law Library and mentions how attorney use of the library may have decreased because accessible online services, the public now access the library more often.

"Internet has left law library quiet, empty Public Law Library well-equipped, little used" was published on Sept. 7, 2004 in the Mobile (AL) Register. The article describes the Mobile County Public Law Library as being an "occupatinally oriented library fashioned and designed for the needs of lawyers or those with at least a working knowledge of law," not really suited for the lay person who needs a different type of resource. The judges interviewed for the article concede that they no longer need to use the library's books because "These days, it's all electronic."

"Man's quest spotlights law library public access" was published in the St. Cloud (MN) Times on March 6, 2005. The article tells the saga of retired psychiatrist Water Kuckes of Avon, MN, who visited every public law library in the state to make others aware of how they can access legal resources. The above link takes you to the article, reprinted on the "Citizens for Judicial Accountability" website.

"Law Libraries stand open, empty" was published on July 11, 2005 in the Albany (NY) Times Union. The article tells of the rarely-used NY court libraries and their under-funded resources that are disintegrating. It doesn't paint a pretty picture. A quote: "Slowly the libraries are becoming archives, more than places of research, the librarians said. One day, [Schenectady County Supreme Court law librarian Patricia] Schultz predicted, 'I could see just having a computer.'"

Problems in Florida...Again

2005-08-16T07:39:00.000-05:00

From the Florida Legal Research blog:
"Once again, funding for Florida's county law libraries is in jeopardy. Today's Miami Herald carried an editorial urging the Miami-Dade County Commission to revise the 2006 budget to include $650,000 cut from the Miami-Dade County Law Library. The Florida Bar Daily News Aug. 3 picked up the story."

Item posted on blog August 15 in the Florida Legal Research blog. Article ran on August 3.

Former Legal Researcher now at FLICC

2005-08-12T11:26:00.000-05:00

Ok, it's technically a library publication, but it's still press about law library folks, so I'm including it here. Thanks to Elizabeth LeDoux at Covington and Burling (Washington DC) for the submission.

Press Release: Roberta I. Shaffer Appointed Executive Director of FLICC and FEDLINK
From August 11, 2005.

Memphis says law librarians still necessary

2005-08-11T15:24:00.000-05:00

The Memphis Daily News (a business paper) has a front-page story on law librarians, asking if law librarians are still necessary.

Fortunately the writer decided that yes, they are still needed.

Story currently not available electronically; article was published 8-11-05.

Thanks to Molly and Ellen at the 6th Circuit US Courts Library in Memphis for this submission and comments.

Welcome!

2005-08-11T09:46:00.000-05:00

This blawg will track local news stories about law libraries, good and bad. If a law library in your area has been featured in the local news, please email me so it can be mentioned here.