Yale law librarian debunks ‘the whole 9 yards’

Apr 1, 2013 9:20 AM CDT

Law Library of Congress is collecting treasures for you

Mar 1, 2013 8:20 AM CST

Yale Law Librarian Reopens Debate on the Origins of ‘The Whole Nine Yards’

The online debate has raged since Yale law librarian Fred Shapiro discovered an early reference that suggests a different origin for the phrase “the whole nine yards.” Writing in the Yale Alumni Magazine, Shapiro said he had conducted an online search and found a variant, “the whole six yards,” in…

Jan 3, 2013 12:30 PM CST

Around the Blawgosphere: Avoiding ‘Digital Distractions’ While Still Having Quality Time Online

The Double-Edged Touchscreen Writing at her blog, At the Intersection, Edge International general counsel Pam Woldow addresses the “inefficiency disease”–familiar to anyone reading this–of “digital distraction.” While much is written about how technologies that speed up communication increase efficiency in a legal workplace, the constant distraction of email messages and…

Dec 14, 2012 2:30 PM CST

ABA Legal Ed Section’s Council Advances Law School Accreditation Standards

The governing council of the ABA’s law school accrediting arm has given preliminary approval to a package of proposed changes in law school accrediting standards covering facilities, equipment, technology, libraries and information resources. The proposed changes, unanimously approved with only minor changes Friday by the council of the ABA Section…

Dec 3, 2012 10:44 PM CST

You Say Potato, I Say Potahto: Law Prof Creates a SCOTUS Pronunciation Dictionary

Dec 1, 2012 10:10 AM CST

ABA Committee Approves Proposed Changes in Law School Accreditation Standards

An ABA committee has voted to approve a package of proposed changes in the law school accreditation standards covering facilities, equipment, technology, libraries and information services. The proposed changes, unanimously approved Friday by the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar’s Standards Review Committee, will be presented to…

Nov 20, 2012 2:50 PM CST

Law Librarian Attributes Weight Loss to Starbucks Diet

Move over, Jared. A law librarian says she lost nearly 80 pounds by eating out, but she didn’t go to Subway. Christine Hall, 66, says she managed to lose weight by buying most of her meals from Starbucks, Today reports. Above the Law notes the story and identifies Hall as…

Oct 12, 2012 2:14 PM CDT

Archivists in State of ‘Triage’ as Budget Cuts Threaten Access to Public Records

As governments tighten budgets, archivists are being forced to cut back on staff and conservation activities, threatening historical documents and records throughout the country. This is particularly true in Georgia where the Georgia Archives may soon be impossible to visit, making it the first state without archives open regularly to…

Sep 27, 2012 11:32 AM CDT

Library of Congress Introduces Site Intended to Replace Thomas.gov

The Library of Congress recently unveiled Congress.gov, a legislative information site that is intended to eventually replace Thomas.gov, the entity’s existing research site. According to Robert Ambrogi’s LawSites, Congress.gov will have better search features and is designed to be more user friendly. It will also be easier to use on…

Sep 21, 2012 7:13 PM CDT

Askew Elected a Trustee of National Conference of Bar Examiners

Hulett “Bucky” Askew, the ABA’s former consultant on legal education, has been elected to the board of trustees of the National Conference of Bar Examiners. Askew’s election was announced in a press release (PDF) on Thursday by the NCBE, which develops the tests that are used as part of the…

Sep 6, 2012 11:00 PM CDT

Tips on Doing Legal Research Online—For Free (Video)

You actually can get something for nothing when it comes to online legal research, says Matthew Braun, a legal reference librarian at the Law Library of Congress. An annual meeting speaker for an ABA Standing Committee on the Law Library of Congress event, Braun shared some free legal research tips…

Aug 3, 2012 11:48 PM CDT

Critical Race Theory Is Less Popular, While Interest in IP Rises, Law Review Citation Study Finds

A new study of the most-cited law review articles concludes that critical legal studies and critical race theory “have faded in acceptance.” The opposite is true for intellectual property law, according to the study by Yale associate librarian Fred Shapiro and Harvard law librarian Michelle Pearse. IP was once viewed…

Jun 1, 2012 3:22 PM CDT

A Canine Cure: Law Library Sponsors Therapy Dog Program for Stressed-Out Students

Jun 1, 2012 9:10 AM CDT

The Supreme Court Spurns Wikipedia, But Federal Appeals Courts Cited It Nearly 100 Times in 5 Years

Federal appeals courts are increasingly citing the reader-edited encyclopedia Wikipedia, though the trend has not spread to the U.S. Supreme Court. Federal appeals courts have cited Wikipedia about 95 times in the last five years, according to a search by the Wall Street Journal Law Blog. In the Chicago-based 7th…

Apr 24, 2012 1:18 PM CDT