Have you ever wondered about the questions public law librarians are asked? Have you ever thought that answers to lawyer and non-lawyer legal questions are “all online?”
Think again!
The Oregon Special Law Library Association (ORSLA) asked the question. Read the answers (and a few samples below). Public law librarians around the country will recognize these:
It’s not always easy to find original and official texts of Oregon Measures (citizen or legislative referrals), so here are some tips*
MEASURE 5: Property Taxes
Measure 5 was a 1997 House Joint Resolution, and an amendment to the Oregon Constitution (Article XI, Section 11).
DSM-5 Draft Criteria Open for Final Public Comment: May 2nd through June 15th, 2012
Oh, the wonders of the internet – and the DSM and its 5th edition, for which psychiatrists, psychologists, and lawyers await with baited breath: DSM-V is expected in May 2013.
Free, public workshop at the Multnomah Central Library:
Sunday, June 10, 2012
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Multnomah County Central Library
801 SW 10th Avenue, Portland, OR
U.S. Bank Room.
Free and open to the public.
“The Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics has been produced at the Hindelang Criminal Justice Research Center (University at Albany, SUNY) since 1973. Originally published annually in print format, it is now available as a free Internet resource. Funding for this resource has been provided by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (U.S. Department of Justice).
As of July 31, 2012 the Justice Department will no longer be funding the project. Staff at the Hindelang Center are investigating possible commercial publishers for the Sourcebook.” (Source: law and government librarian listserv.)
You won’t find this news at the U.S. Department of Justice blog or at their Justice News site, but the USDOJ site has lots of other news.
Do you have questions about Washington State law? Here are some legal research tips, which will also apply if you need to research other states’ laws (just substitute the other state’s name for Washington’s).
WASHINGTON STATE LAW LIBRARIES, PUBLIC & ACADEMIC:
If you want to know about legal forms, practice books, treatises, free and subscription databases, and other legal research tools, the best place to start is with a law library website or law librarian in Washington State. Some non-Washington state law libraries will have a few of these research resources, but if you aren’t near one of those law libraries, read on ….
This Oregonian opinion article by a recent law school graduate isn’t just Oregon-centric and encapsulates what some of us have always known: we don’t live in a bubble, you will pay tomorrow for what you do today, that butterfly flapping its wings in Rio, will soon send something to bite you in the Bronx, and if you drown young people in student debt, they cannot breathe let alone dream about swimming to victory for themselves, their families, and the world.
“Student law school debt harms Oregon’s legal community,” by guest columnist Gary Gray, May 29, 2012.
From Tamara, aka PI Buzz, a private investigator who should also be declared an honorary librarian given her outstanding research, knowledge, and penchant for sharing attributes: Free Sources to Verify a Death
InfoDocket links us to, “New Report from ALA Explores Challenges of Equitable Access to Digital Content”
“The American Library Association (ALA) today released a new report examining critical issues underlying equitable access to digital content through our nation’s libraries. In the report, titled “E-content: The Digital Dialogue,” authors explore an unprecedented and splintered landscape in which several major publishers refuse to sell e-books to libraries; proprietary platforms fragment our cultural record; and reader privacy is endangered….” [Link to ALA press release and report.]
The 2012 PNPA Seminar and Annual Meeting will be held on Saturday, June 2, 2012 at the Governor Hotel in downtown Portland.
The topics and speakers for this year’s meeting are:
Oregon Legal Research Blog