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Our very own Brian Doyle, in his Special to the Oregonian article in Sunday’s paper (July 8th)book section, “In case of a reading emergency, pop the trunk” gets today’s (7/9/07) hit on Library Link of the Day. I’d even considered blogging about it myself so Library Link of the Day saves me from having to figure out what the “hook” would be. (And their LL of the D (archive links at bottom of the LLD page) for Sunday is a story for my own profession, “Cultural Images of Librarians.” A nice companion to the Saturday New York Times story (7/7/07) on the “Hipper Crowd of Shushers.”

Doyle’s is a terrific Sunday story and the only thing that surprised me was how surprised he was at how many people kept books in their trunks. Of course I’m always surprised when people say, “I thought I was the only one,” whether about something they did, ate, saw, or felt. If it makes you feel any better, you’re not the only one with angst, heartburn, grief, shame, joy, or any other emotion or condition you can think or feel.

It’s the small stuff that comes out and bites you when you’re not looking and I count on my favorite blogs to keep me informed, not to mention looking sideways and backwards.

PI Buzz brings me a dangerous dog registry and Oregon mortuary disciplinary actions and Robert Ambrogi brings me a contact lens solution recall blog link.

Here’s the 7th edition of the “Jailhouse Lawyers’ Manual.” Thanks to Tom Mighell at the July 1st edition of his Internet Legal Research Weekly, which you can subscribe to from his Inter-Alia blog.

The same day I read Ernie the Attorney’s post about Laughter Yoga, the Oregonian runs Margie Boule’s column on the healing power of laughter. Very funny or The Flux? As Pogo might say, “either way, it’s a mighty soberin’ thought.” 🙂

The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office posted this announcement, June 19th:

“Unfortunately, it’s a public record,” has been the Secretary of State Corporation Division’s constant refrain whenever we were asked about private information available to copy requesters. Although our forms did not request such information, and we tried to convince filers not to give us any, people still filed business registry, UCC and notary public document with social security and account numbers of their debtors. The debtors rarely knew the information, by law, could be published on-line or handed out to anyone willing to pay for a copy.

The Secretary of State sponsored House Bill 2090 to allow the Corporation Division to refuse to take this information. When personal information isn’t filed in the databases in the first place, it never has a chance to become public record, and the Division doesn’t have to make it available.

After July 15, 2007, the Secretary of State may refuse to file documents containing a Social Security number, a state identification number, a driver license number, a credit or debit card number, or an account number that is not redacted to at least the last four digits of the number. ORS Ch. 56 (2007)Cover pages containing credit or debit card or account numbers to transact business with the Corporation Division are not considered documents for filing and will be accepted.

Although the Division may reject documents, our intent is to educate filers, so that they will know not to include such information, and so that we can quickly and safely add to the public record.

If you have any questions about our new procedures, or the law they are based on, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The May issue of the Lane County Law Library Newsletter is out and features articles on legal research tips and the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, and a link to an interesting compilation by the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse of known data breaches (we must assume there are many additional unknown ones).

If you haven’t read Tim Rutten’s article, Where is the Outcry, in the Los Angeles Times, June 23rd, 2007, (it is also printed in the Oregonian on 6/25/07, p. D6) add it to your “must read” list, which I’m sure is very long – add it anyway. From the article:

” … In a column posted on the L.A.-based Pajamas Media website late this week, Rose began by reminding readers of legal scholar Ronald Dworkin’s admonition that “the only right you don’t have in a democracy is the right not to be offended,” then went on to decry the pernicious consequences of a “misplaced respect for insulted religious feelings,” now all too common in the West, including the United States. “This respect is being used by tyrants and fanatics around the world to justify suicide attacks and to silence criticism and to crush dissenting points of view,” he wrote….”

Monday’s Oregonian also had a related (at least to me) article, “Google joins Net Censorship Battle.”

I like to look at how other states present legal research and legal information resources online. Here are a couple new websites I’ve run across lately.

Connecticut Law About Criminal Records

California Courts Self-Help Center

The Library Link of the Day today (6/22) links to an inspiring June 19th, 2007, CNN Money story by Paul Sloan about writers who are making a very good living publishing their own e-books:

“Virtual book, real money: E-books don’t have the cachet of a New York Times best-seller, but how many writers will turn their noses up at $300,000 a year?”

Direct link and excerpt from Paul Sloan’s CNN Money story :