Philip Y. Blue

December 18, 2008

Book Review: Anatomy of a Trial: Public Lessons Learned from The People vs. O. J. Simpson

TITLE: Anatomy of a Trial SUBTITLE: Public Loss, Lessons Learned from The People vs. O.J. Simpson AUTHOR: Jerrianne Hayslett PUBLICATION DATE: December 2008 PUBLISHER: University of Missouri Press PAGE COUNT: 256 pp.

ISBN: 978-0-8262-1822-3 PRICE: $29.95

The author was the information officer and media liason for Los Angeles Superior Court during the 1995 criminal trial of Orenthal James Simpson, a retired NFL running back and actor, on charges of murdering his ex-wife and her boyfriend in June of the previous year. Hayslett examines how an ordinary felony murder trial was turned into a public spectacle of excessive and outrageous proportions by the outlandish and, at times unprofessional, conduct of prosecutors, defense attorneys and, unfortunately, the presiding judge, Lance Ito. As she was present daily both in the courtroom and Ito’s chambers, the author delivers an insider’s account of how the judge went from a paragon of judicial stature and competence to a celebrity aspirant devoid of talent or stage skill. Frequently criticizing the judge for being too deferential to the demands of Simpson’s attorneys, Hayslett provides more than just a captivating tale of an aberrational trial and its consequences. Her account includes an essential blueprint for what the media and judges can do in the future to avoid sideshows and to fulfill their responsibilities to the public. Recommended for public, academic, and law libraries.

December 17, 2008

NBC Report: During Economic Downturn, Library Use “Way Up”While Budgets are Being Cut

by David Badertscher

According to an NBC report on MSNBC, use of library has gone “way up” during the present economic downturn; circulation is “skyrocketing”. All of this at a time when the budgets of many of these libraries are being cut..

When you go to the above link, be patient, You will first need to listen to a brief commercial before getting to the report about libraries.

September 24, 2008

Book Review: Legacy and Legitimacy: Black Americans and the Supreme Court

by David Badertscher

TITLE: Legacy And Legitimacy SUBTITLE: Black Americans And The Supreme Court AUTHORS: Rosalee A. Clawson and Eric N. Waltenburg PUBLICATION DATE: December 2008 PUBLISHER: Temple University Press PAGE COUNT: 224 pp.

ISBN: 978-1-59213-903-3

PRICE: $23.95

September 15, 2008

American Libraries Direct September 10, 2008

by David Badertscher

The e-newsletter of the American Library Association*.

Critics revisit library incident that paints Palin as censor

“Journalists and bloggers scrutinizing Sarah Palin’s record of public service have made national news out of a 1996 library incident in Wasilla, Alaska, where the Republican vice-presidential nominee was then mayor. The story that has emerged-in countless reports, from the blogosphere to the New York Times-paints Palin as a would-be censor and then–city librarian Mary Ellen Emmons as nearly losing her job for disagreeing….”

August 14, 2008

Book Review: Three Generations, No Imbeciles: Eugenics, the Supreme Court, and Buck v. Bell

by David Badertscher

TITLE: Three Generations, No Imbeciles

SUBTITLE: Eugenics, the Supreme Court, and Buck v. Bell

AUTHOR: Paul A. Lombardo

June 25, 2008

Selections from American Libraries Direct June 18, 2008

by David Badertscher

From the American Library Association (ALA).*

Midwest libraries endure rising floodwaters

“Days of sandbagging could not keep the Cedar River out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Overflowing barriers on June 12, it deluged more than 100 blocks of the city’s eastern side, including the Cedar Rapids Public Library (a YouTube video, above left, shows the library at about the 6:20 mark). Some 64 miles to the northwest, some 18 inches of water destroyed the wooden interior of the Elizabeth Rasmussen Martin Memorial Library in New Hartford (bottom left). In Iowa City, the University of Iowa ordered the June 13 closing of the Main Library and a number of other campus buildings in the wake of several area bridges collapsing. Hundreds of volunteers formed a chain (top right) to remove books and dissertations from the campus library, while others transferred artwork from the museum as the arts campus was submerged. River towns throughout the upper Midwest continue sandbagging in anticipation of record overflows predicted to hit by June 20…”

May 14, 2008

Book Review: On The Laps of Gods: The Summer of 1919 and the Struggle for Justice that Remade a Nation

by David Badertscher

From time to time we hope to post book reviews on this blog. Philip Blue our Senior Law Librarian has just written a very interesting review of a fascinating book. We hope you enjoy both the review and the book:

TITLE: ON THE LAPS OF GODS

SUBTITLE: The Red Summer of 1919 and the Struggle for Justice That Remade a Nation AUTHOR: Robert Whitaker PUBLICATION DATE: June 2008 PUBLISHER: Crown Publishers PAGE COUNT: 400 pp.