Thomson Reuters has just published a new edition (the tenth) of Black’s Law Dictionary, the well-known and highly regarded legal dictionary. Check this blog post from Dewey B Strategic for a great photo of all ten editions with an annotated timeline. The post also provides a brief history of Black’s and summarizes some of its new features.
Westlaw Classic is Going Away
Some important news for those of you who still use Westlaw Classic: As of July 1, 2014, Westlaw Classic will no longer be available on academic contracts. You will need to use WestlawNext for all of your Westlaw research.
Your current One Pass credentials (Username and Password) give you access to both Westlaw Classic and WestlawNext. This Username & Password will continue to be your login for WestlawNext. You don’t need to make any changes before July 1, 2014. Over the next week or so, if you sign on to Westlaw Classic, you will begin to see a reminder message of its upcoming demise.
The librarians are available if you have any questions or would like help using WestlawNext.
Food for Fines
If you are graduating this year and you owe any library fines, here’s a chance to save some money and do some good. For every can or unopened package of food (no glass!) you donate at the Circulation Desk, the Library will reduce the amount you owe by $2.00. So, for example, if you owe $10 in fines, bringing five cans of food would reduce your fine balance to zero! You can’t beat a deal like that. (We donate all food collected to the Salvation Army’s Chinatown Corps., which helps more than 700 senior citizens in the nearby neighborhood.)
Donations must be made prior to May 20, 2014. Note: this offer does not apply to fines for lost or damaged materials.
The Real Cinco de Mayo
Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo (the 5th of May), and we hope you all found at least some time to celebrate and enjoy the day amidst all the hard-core studying.
Often mistaken for a celebration of Mexican independence, Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s victory in the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. On May 5, 1862, General Lorencez and 6,000 French troops marched towards Puebla, Mexico. Greatly outnumbered, the Mexicans fought and improbably defeated the French army at Puebla.
Now, Cinco de Mayo is widely celebrated in the United States as a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage. Even Congress has officially recognized the holiday, passing a number of resolutions entitled “Recognizing the historical significance of the Mexican holiday of Cinco de Mayo.” For example, S. Res. 128, 111th Cong. (2009), H. Res. 230, 111th Cong. (2009), and H. Res. 347, 110th Cong. (2007). This year, President Obama held a reception at the White House to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.
Check out these links from the Law Library of Congress for more information.
Celebrate Law Day
In 1958, President Eisenhower designated May 1 “Law Day, USA.” Law Day celebrates the rule of law and its contributions to Americans’ many freedoms. Law Day 2014 is especially significant as we approach the fiftieth anniversaries of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The theme for this year’s observance is American Democracy and the Rule of Law: Why Every Vote Matters, urging every American to reflect on the importance of the right to vote, and challenging them to ensure that all citizens have the opportunity to exercise this right. Additional information on Law Day can be found on the ABA’s Law Day web page.
Exam Prep Help!
Three important Library resources to keep in mind as you prepare for upcoming exams.
First: The Library’s Exam Preparation Resources web page offers a host of materials containing practical advice and strategies designed to help you navigate the exam process.
Second: The Library maintains an archive of previous years’ exams for most courses. You can access these exams by course or professor name. From the Library’s home page, click Find Sample Exams under How Do I . . . ?
Third: CALI offers a variety of lessons and podcasts with helpful tips and advice from faculty on preparing for and taking exams. To access these materials, log in to CALI; under CALI Topics, click Legal Concepts and Skills and scroll down to one or more of these lessons:
Exam Taking Skills, Outlines, and Advice for Law Students (Panel 1 PodCast)
Exam Taking Skills, Outlines, and Advice for Law Students (Panel 2 PodCast)
Exam Taking Skills, Outlines, and Advice for Law Students (Panel 3 PodCast)
Tips for Multiple Choice Exams in Law School (Podcast)
Top 10 Tips for Successfully Writing a Law School Essay
Writing Better Law School Exams: The Importance of Structure
Go Green for Earth Day
Earth Day this year (April 22) celebrates Green Cities, a campaign to help cities around the world become more sustainable and reduce their carbon footprint. Visit www.earthday.org/ for more details.
Here’s a suggestion from the Mendik Library: By drinking your coffee, tea, or other beverage from a spill-proof, reusable mug, you’ll help to reduce the volume of plastic, Styrofoam, and paper cups piling up in landfills or requiring energy for recycling. At the same time, you’ll be complying with the Library’s food and drink policy and earning our thanks!
If you don’t have a spill-proof mug, pick one up at the Circulation Desk for $3.00. Although we already sell these mugs at a loss, for every one purchased through the end of this semester’s exam period librarians will contribute $1.00 to Earth Day Network (www.earthday.org/), which works with over 22,000 partners in 192 countries to broaden, diversify and mobilize the environmental movement.
We’re counting on everyone to do the right thing.
Finding Federal Court Records Online
Finding federal court records online has always seemed more difficult than it should be! While Westlaw and LexisNexis provide access to the federal docket sheets that list the filings for each case, the filed documents themselves are not always available. Instead, a service called “PACER” (an acronym for “Public Access to Court Electronic Records”) became the method of choice for obtaining federal court documents. PACER is not without its shortcomings: there is a $0.10 per page fee (but a maximum charge of $3.00 per document), and some users complain of PACER’s clunky interface, limited functionality, and inability to update more than once a day.
PacerPro is a free commercial service offering a better way of searching federal court records. Updating in “real time” from all 214 federal court sites, PacerPro provides a more streamlined search interface, the option of downloading an entire docket with a single click, and the ability to bookmark cases. Using PacerPro still requires a PACER account, however, and users will generally still incur the charge of $0.10 per page. PacerPro does not include documents from federal bankruptcy or appellate courts.
For NYLS students, Bloomberg Law remains an even better option. Bloomberg provides full-text searching of federal and state court dockets and available filings. Most importantly, all documents are available via Bloomberg for free to law students and faculty.
Tax Season—Forms and Resources
It’s that time of year again! Are you looking for tax forms? You can find federal forms on the IRS site here.
The IRS also provides a list of free resources to help you file your taxes.
If you are looking for New York forms, find them here. If you need forms from other states, there are links to all state tax forms from the Federation of Tax Administrators. The Journal of Accountancy has also compiled a list of additional tax filing resources for the year 2013. Taxhelp.org provides additional information relating to Tax Help for Students.
Curious to know what the first Form 1040 looked like in 1913? Click here to find out!
There is still time to enter the Mendik Library’s Info Hunt!
To enter the drawing, simply answer six questions using these easy step-by-step instructions. They’ll lead you right to the correct answers. You don’t have to get the answers right and you’ll learn a lot in the process! This year’s prizes include study guides, texts, NYLS OneCards, and more!
Submit your completed answer sheet at the Reference Desk or email it to reference@nyls.edu before 5 pm on Tuesday, April 1. The drawing will take place outside the Library entrance on Tuesday, April 1 at 5:40 pm. Winners need not be present, but an additional entry form will be given to all who attend the drawing.