Et tu, Westlaw?

I just learned from a reliable source that Westlaw will soon be sending out letters to academic law library directors and deans announcing a "significant" price increase in Westlaw prices for next year--maybe 10%. When I received the letter from LexisNexis telling us about their proposed pricing for next fiscal year, I assumed a similar letter from Westlaw would soon be in the mail. Now I have to figure out what I'm going to cut to finance these increases. The Westlaw increase is a particularly bitter pill to swallow after the clumsy way Thomson handled the removal of the Dialog databases.

Back from the Moot

I just returned from a week spent in Vienna, Austria at the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. This is the premier international moot in this field, and it was thrilling to be a part of it. The Vis Moot truly is an international event. This year, 203 universities from fifty-two countries participated--around 1,400 students, plus coaches and arbitrators. The United States sent the largest number of teams--fifty-one law schools were represented. Every year, the students are given a devilishly complex problem requiring them to deal with the law of international commercial arbitration and also with the law of international sales. For the latter, students around the world rely on the award-winning CISG database produced by Pace Law School's Institute of International Commercial Law. I am proud to serve as the Database Manager for this project, and I enjoyed the opportunity to meet and talk with individuals I have previously known only through email correspondence. I also enjoyed watching Pace's Vis team argue during one of the rounds of the competition. They did a fine job against tough competition! The final round pitted Touro Law School (here is a link to Touro's press release about the Moot) against Carlos III (Madrid), with Carlos III eventually prevailing. The quality of the final two teams was impressive, and it must have been difficult for the judges to choose between them.

Vienna is a beautiful, gracious city, with a great public transportation system, but it is also well suited to walking. I made time to visit three of Vienna's art museums and spent a whole day visiting some of my favorite paintings at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, which is known for its fabulous collection of Old Masters. The forsythia and daffodils were already in bloom (they're not in New York), but it was cold, and last Thursday night, the snow was falling in big, heavy clumps. This only made the city more beautiful. Austria is a Catholic country, and shops were festively decorated for the Easter holiday. The only downside is that with the dollar becoming weaker each day we were in Austria, or so it seemed, everything was very expensive, and we decided we would rather eat than buy souvenirs.

The photograph above is of Vienna's Rathaus (City Hall), where we gathered last Tuesday night to find out which sixty-four teams would advance to the next round.

Clarence Thomas Interview

There is a very flattering article about Associate Justice Clarence Thomas in the online Wall Street Journal. The article is based on an interview with Justice Thomas, who repeats many of the themes that he developed more fully in his autobiography, My Grandfather's Son. "'Being willing to accept responsibility, that sort of dark side of freedom, first--before you accept all the benefits. Being ready to be responsible for yourself--you want to be independent. That was my grandfather.'" Justice Thomas was taught to "arrive at his conclusions honestly and not 'to be bullied away from opinions that I think are legitimate.'" For me, the most interesting insight of the article came in the last paragraph. When asked why he does not ask questions during oral argument, "Mr. Thomas chuckles wryly and observes that oral advocacy was much more important in the Court's early days. Today, cases are thoroughly briefed by the time they reach the Supreme Court, and there is just too little time to have a meaningful conversation with the lawyers.'" As he points out, "'This isn't Perry Mason.'"

AALL Third Annual Bloggers Get Together

It's time to mark your calendars for the AALL's Third Annual Bloggers Get Together!

Time: 5-6 p.m.
Date: Sunday, July 13th
Place: TBA
Guest Speaker: TBA (we are inviting bloggers from the Portland area)

Come share your ideas and meet the other law librarian bloggers! Open to all bloggers and potential bloggers.

RSVP: Last year we had over 35 participants so we are anticipating a good crowd this year. For a headcount, please RSVP Barbara Fullerton by Tuesday, July 1st to bfullerton@10kwizard.com.

Special Thanks to Laura Orr, Law Librarian at Washington County Law Library, for helping in organizing this event!

Web 2.0 Challenge announcement

If you read law-lib, Teknoids, or WisBlawg, you've probably already seen this, but we want to reach as many people as possible. Bonnie Shucha, Debbie Ginsberg have been working on a course for CS-SIS that we're excited about. At least two of us from OOTJ will be facilitators for it.

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CS-SIS is pleased to announce the Web 2.0 Challenge, an online course to introduce law librarians to social software and how to use it in their libraries. The Web 2.0 Challenge will provide a free, comprehensive, and social online learning opportunity designed for law librarians by directing them in hands-on use of these technologies. The course is intended for those who have little experience with these technologies but are interested in learning more.

The online course will take place between July 21 and August 18, immediately following the AALL Annual Meeting. The five week course will cover these areas:

Week 1: Blogs & RSS
Week 2: Wikis
Week 3: Social Networking Software and Second Life
Week 4: Flickr & Social Bookmarking Software
Week 5: Selling Social Software @ Your Library

Participants will be required to complete a series of weekly activities, including viewing an instructional screencast; completing hands-on exercises based on the lesson; weekly blogging about their experience; and participating in a weekly small group chat session. The course will culminate with each participant developing a proposal for implementing a specific social software tool in their library.

Full enrollment will be limited to approximately ninety participants. However, course content will be freely viewable to anyone who wishes to follow along. Enrolled participants who complete all weekly activities are eligible for weekly and grand prize drawings (prizes provided by CS-SIS). Certificates will also be awarded to all participants who complete the course.

We anticipate opening enrollment at the end of June. There is no charge for this course and enrollment will be offered first come, first served. A limited number of spots will also be reserved for on site registration at the AALL Annual Meeting CS-SIS program, H-1: Cool Tools: Energizing Law Librarianship with Web 2.0 on Tuesday, July 15th.

If you would like to be notified when enrollment opens, please send us your contact information.

If you have any questions or comments, please also enter them on the form - or you may contact Bonnie Shucha at bjshucha@wisc.edu.

Sincerely,
Bonnie Shucha, Debbie Ginsberg and Meg Kribble,
Web 2.0 Challenge Co-chairs

The post that was almost a comment!

I was going to simply comment on Jim's welcome post, until I realized that I can just post here myself! What can I say? Between my own travel travel and hosting the indefatigable and inspiring Sabrina Pacifici's visit to the South Florida Association of Law Libraries yesterday, it's been a long week!

I just wanted to take a moment to thank Jim and the other OOTJers for the welcome. As Abbie said, it's an honor to be here. I'm looking forward to posting and sharing, most immediately about some of the things I learned at SXSW and why more law librarians and legal technologists should attend next year's conference.

Jim had links to almost all my online places save Ravelry, the new social network/pattern database/stash management tool for knitters. I would love to make more law librarian contacts there! (If you already have an account, that link will take you directly to my profile; if you don't, sign up!)

Simplicity

Which of these resembles your library catalog?

UBLaw Podcast: Samina Raja on Racial Disparities in Food Access

I’ve just posted the latest episode of UBLaw Podcast: Samina Raja on Racial Disparities in Food Access

Samina Raja is Assistant Professor of Urban and Regional Planning in the UB School of Architecture and Urban Planning. Clinical Professor Lauren Breen is Director of the UB Law School Community Economic Development Clinic. They will be discussing Professor Raja’s paper, “Racial Disparities in Food Access: Lessons from Erie County, NY.”

UBLaw20080314.mp3

Time: 24:56

Abstract:

The metaphor “food deserts,” used to describe neighborhoods with few supermarkets, has captured both public and academic attention in recent years. Planning solutions designed to alleviate food insecurity and promote food justice may be misguided without a nuanced understanding of disparities in food environments. Professor Raja empirically examines racial disparities in food environments. She investigates how food access in neighborhoods of color differs from those in other neighborhoods, using Erie County, New York as a case study. Professor Raja tests the hypothesis that access to different types of food retail destinations, located within a five minute travel time, in predominantly black and mixed-race neighborhoods differs from that in predominantly white neighborhoods, while controlling for other factors such as income, population, and area. Raja finds an absence of supermarkets in neighborhoods of color when compared to white neighborhoods. However, the study reveals an extensive network of small grocery stores in neighborhoods of color. Professor Raja’s research suggests that supporting small, high quality grocery stores, rather than soliciting large supermarkets, may be a more effective strategy for ensuring access to healthful foods in neighborhoods of color.

Trained as a civil engineer and an urban planner, Professor Samina Raja’s research, teaching, and community engagement focuses on planning and designing communities that promote food justice, and facilitate healthy living for all residents. Her recent projects have examined racial disparities in food environments and their implication on health outcomes. Professor Raja works with local community groups to design, implement, and evaluate strategies to strengthen Buffalo’s community food system. Her research is funded by the National Institute of Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

(Cross-posted at Buffalo Wings and Toasted Ravioli.)

Revisiting the Magna Carta

Remember the Magna Carta from school? If not, don't feel too bad about it because neither do 45% of UK residents according to the poll featured in today's British Library Press Release.

In a nutshell, the Magna Carta is an English legal document from 1215 that is viewed as one of the most important in the history of democracy. It played an invaluable role in the creation of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. One of 4 copies from 1297 has been on display at the National Archives in Washington, DC for the past 20 years. All thanks to the generosity of H. Ross Perot. Then...he put it up for sale.

Fear not, it came back on display yesterday! That's thanks to the generosity of its new owner, David M. Rubenstein. Phew!

If you're not in the DC area, you're not out of luck. You can still look at the copy at the National Archives online here or at the New York Times' site here. The British Library also has some fun ways to view the original online. You can use the Library's Shockwave viewer, or a more simple online version here. Additionally, you can check out the translation here.

For more on the Magna Carta, check out "Magna Carta and Its American Legacy" at the National Archives site and "The Basics" on the British Library site.

Shadow and James's Excellent Cleveland Adventure

So my partner Kristina and I have been doing this little podcast, The Shadow and James Show. We talk about our weekly adventures, with an emphasis on food, movies, travel, and cats. Nothing earthshaking, but it's fun. Give it a listen!

We've just posted Episode 15:

Nellie McKay at Nighttown
Breakfast at Stone Oven Bakery
Arms & Armor at Cleveland Museum of Art
Lunch at That Place on Bellflower
Coffee at Arabica Coffee House
Breakfast again, at the Glidden House
The Cleveland Orchestra does Mahler
West Side Market and coffee at Talkies Film & Coffee Bar
Dinner at Balaton
Back home again

Time: 42:36
Music: Phantasma, by Bitstream Dream, featuring Anji Bee, on the Podsafe Music Network.
Send voice comments to (716) 989-4422 or email shadowandjames@gmail.com.