Criminal Law Library BlogRobert C. Richard, Editor in Chief of Vox PopoLII reports thatSarah Rhodes has just published a terrific new overview of digital legal preservation, entitled “Preserving Born-Digital Legal Materials…Where to Start?” on Cornell’s VoxPopuLII blog. The post addresses core concerns, as well as emerging issues, and provides a thorough and accessible view of the field. He thinks it will prove a very rewarding resource for novices and experienced preservation professionals alike.
Articles Posted in Library Organization and Planning
Help Save Connecticut Courthouse Libraries By Spreading the Word
Since first hearing about the planned closure of of six of the fifteen courthouse libraries in Connecticut I have contacted I have heard from a number of people (both librarians and non-librarians) from throughout that state. By all accounts the announced closures will prevent attorneys, judges and members of the public from accessing the up-to-date legal materials they need. They will especially hurt disadvantaged citizens and pro se litigants, who are especially vulnerable and may be unable to access official legal resources and will be required to struggle to travel to far-away courthouses. While the dire budgetary circumstances are the state currently faces are understandable, it is essential that Connecticut’s public law libraries and courthouses remain open. They are irreplaceable.
To help spread the word, the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) has been working closely with the Southern New England Librarians Association (SNELLA) to oppose the announced closures . Kate Hagan the AALL Executive Director has distibuted an e-mail (see below) which details that effort. It includes some useful links for those who want to become active in saving Connecticut court libraries.
People are also urged to search the directory of state legislators and government employees at the of Connecticut Website for other contacts that could be helpful in this effort. This web site includes a directory of state employees, a directory of state legislators, and a directory of federal legislators serving Connecticut, all with links for e-mail contact information.
User Driven Enhancements to THOMAS Launched on its Fifteenth Birthday
THOMAS was launched on January 5, 1995, at the inception of the 104th Congress. The leadership of the 104th Congress directed the Library of Congress to make federal legislative information freely available to the public. Since that time THOMAS has expanded the scope of its offerings to include many features and content including those listed below.:
Bills, Resolutions Activity in Congress Congressional Record Schedules, Calendars Committee Information Presidential Nominations
Now, fifteen years later in response to user feedback and in celebration of its fifteenth anniversary, THOMAS has been updated for the second session of the 111th Congress.
Characteristics Which Can Help Save Libraries in a Highly Competitive and Dynamic Environment
BY: David Badertscher*
I have been following with great interest recent discussion on listservs and in the literature regarding a perception that libraries are becoming less relevant in a technologically-oriented society that relies increasingly on “instant gratification”(achieved largely through online searching and related techniques).
Technology is wonderful, and I think should it should be embraced, but not at the expense of alternative tools and methods that produce better results and may be more cost effective. If they are to accomplish their mission and remain relevant over time to their parent organizations, libraries must always be prepared to use a variety or mixture of techniques and materials, both technical and non-technical, to achieve results that are accurate, timely, efficient, cost effective, and deemed by patrons and managers to be trustworthy. The alternative is to increase the risk of libraries being perceived as no longer capable of meeting growing expectations and thereby becoming possible candidates for eventual closure.
Placement: Preservation Librarian Opportunity at GPO
Librarian (Preservation)
Salary Range: 102,721.00 – 133,543.00 USD /year
Open: Monday, December 07, 2009 to Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Special Libraries Association Members Fail to Approve Proposal to Change Organization’s Name
We just received word about the outcome of the vote on the proposal to change the name of Special Libraries Association (SLA) to the Association for Stategic Knowledge Professionals. The name change proposal stemmed from the findings of the Alignment Project, an intensive two year research effort aimed at understanding the value of the information and knowledge professionals in todays environment and how to communicate that value.
Although not a member of SLA, I have followed developments related to this issue on the SLA listserv and have been very impressed with both the dedication and passion exhibited by the SLA membership.
As for the outcome, I think this is good news. As a professional librarian (an information and knowledge professional) I am very concerned about libraries and librarianship being viable now and remaining so in the future. An important part of that viability, it seems to me, relates to the essential need for libraries and librarians to maintain a clear identity as the preeminent information and knowledge professionals in the world, both now and in the future. There is a danger that proposals such as the one we are discussing here will, if ratified, result in a dilution of that identity and by extension diminish the perceived value of librararies and librarians (whatever their names) in the marketplace as compared to other organizations and occupations that are somewhat comparable. I commend the SLA membership for its decision.
David Badertscher
Here is a note from SLA Headquarters concerning the outcome of the vote of the SLA membership:
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GungaWeb An Online Tool That Assists Analysis of New York Criminal Cases
GungaWeb is an online tool that assists analysis of New York criminal cases with respect to sentencing, lesser included offenses, plea bargaining restrictions, charging and offense elements.
Detailed sentencing reports for all Penal Law offenses plus DWI and,now for 2009, Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle (VTL511). Dynamic detailed and summary reports of lesser included and greater inclusory offenses. Commentary on pertinent legislative amendments included.
Current subscribers include over 100 New York judges and law clerks.
From Recent Publication Announcements of the ABA
Another Bite at the Apple: A Guide to Section 2255 Motions for Federal Prisoners
By Janice L. Bergmann
Today, the writ of habeas corpus is a federal remedy primarily used by state prisoners to challenge their conviction or sentence. Habeas corpus was also the primary post conviction remedy for federal prisoners until 1948, when Congress adopted Section 2255. Congress intended Section 2255 to supersede habeas corpus as the means by which federal prisoners could challenge the lawfulness of their incarceration, but nonetheless Aafford federal prisoners a remedy identical in scope to federal habeas corpus.
Another Bite at the Apple: A Guide to Section 2255 Motions for Federal Prisoners is the first book of its kind to focus on the special procedures and concerns that arise when a prisoner moves to Avacate, set aside, or correct a federal conviction or sentence under Section 2255.
This book is especially important now as Section 2255 proceedings have become significantly more complex with the enactment of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, and federal courts continue to struggle with the interpretation of the AEDPA=s provisions. This book examines the various legal and practical questions that may be encountered in section 2255 proceedings, including those posed by the AEDPA. This book is an essential resource for anyone wanting an introductory education about section 2255, or experienced practitioner looking for an in-depth analysis. This important book is the perfect handbook for the in the litigation of noncapital section 2255 proceedings.
This book examines:
-An Overview of Section 2255 Proceedings, including the relationship of Section 2255 to other federal postconviction remedies
-Timing Considerations, including the statute of limitations
-Section 2255 Jurisdiction, including custody and mootness, and cognizable claims
-Obstacles to Relief, including retroactive application of Teague v. Lane and Fourth Amendment claims
-Proceedings Before the District Court, including motion, summary proceedings, relief and postjudgement motions
-The Appeal and Subsequent Motions, including perfecting the appeal and second or successive motions
-Finally, an appendix contains the full text of section 2255 and the rules governing 2255 proceedings.
Product Details: 5090118 Regular Price: $99.95 CJ Section Member Price: $84.95 ©2008 6 x 9 – Paperback 327 pages
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Human Rights and the Alien Tort Statute Law, History and Analysis
by Peter Henner
This unique book addresses the legal interpretations and practical implications of the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), which has become the primary vehicle for international human rights litigation in United States courts in the last thirty years. It places the Alien Tort Statute in perspective, from its original enactment as a jurisdictional statute in 1789, through its evolution into a vehicle for human rights litigation. It includes in-depth analysis of legal decisions and describes the theoretical issues, practical considerations, and anticipated prospective development of the statute. It also examines the relationship between the Alien Tort Statute and two issues which have received particular attention during the Bush administration: the use of torture by United States officials and the practice of extraordinary rendition.
“Whether you are a trial lawyer representing plaintiffs or defendants in the expanding field of ATS litigation or a federal judge faced with deciding the complex jurisdictional and immunity questions which such litigation presents, you will want a copy of Peter Henner’s Human Rights and the Alien Tort Statute. In this readable, lucid and logically organized text, Peter Henner has covered it all from the history of the Alien Tort Statute’s enactment in 1789 to recent efforts to bring cases against the United States.”
Hon. Stewart F. Hancock, Jr.
Retired Associate Judge, New York State Court of Appeals
Product Details:
Regular Price: $109.95 Section Member Price: $87.95
©2009 6 x 9 – Paper 492 pages Product Code:
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Selected Recent and Forthcoming Books: Criminal Procedure
Projected publication dates from July 2009 to September 2010*
Sorted in ascending order by projected publication date:
Title: Criminal Law and Procedure for the Paralegal
Author: Gary W. Carter
Publication Date: July 2009
Publisher: Wolters Kluwer Law & Business
Market: United States
ISBN: 0-7355-7012-4
ISBN 13: 978-0-7355-7012-2
Binding Format: Trade Paper
Price: $95.95(USD) Retail (Publisher)
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Title: International Children’s Rights
Author: Sara Dillon
Publication Date: November 2009
Publisher: Carolina Academic Press
Market: United States
ISBN: 1-59460-115-1
ISBN 13: 978-1-59460-115-6
Binding Format: Trade Cloth
Price: $100.00(USD) Retail (Publisher)
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Title: The Criminal Cases Review Commission: Hope for the Innocent?
Contributor: Michael Naughton (Editor)
Publication Date: December 2009
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Market: United States
ISBN: 0-230-21938-1
ISBN 13: 978-0-230-21938-0
Binding Format: Trade Cloth
Price: $90.00(USD) Retail (Macmillan)
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Title: Real Law Stories: Inside the American Judicial Process
Author: Richard A. Brisbin John C. Kilwein
Publication Date: December 2009
Publisher: Oxford University Press, Incorporated
Market: United States
ISBN: 0-19-973359-7
ISBN 13: 978-0-19-973359-0
Binding Format: Trade Paper
Price: $22.95(USD) Retail (Publisher)
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SRLN: Training on Public Libraries and Access to Justice
With funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the National Center for State Courts, the Center-hosted Self-Represented Litigation Network, in cooperation with the Legal Services Corporation, is presenting:
A Training on Public Libraries and Access to Justice January 11-12, 2010, Austin, Texas
Information on Application Process