May 05, 2009
New Book Review on LLRX.com: Just and Unjust Warriors
LLRX Book Review by Heather A. Phillips - Just and Unjust Warriors: the moral and legal status of soldiers - Heather A. Phillips describes how though a series of eleven well-written and closely reasoned original essays this book question the treatments of many of the foundations of classical just war theory, such as a non-volunteer army, the use of private contractors as soldiers, the harmlessness of those not actively engaged in combat, the symmetry of combatants, proportionality and extreme emergency.
April 02, 2009
ACLU Announces New Book - Ongoing Fight for Gender Equality
ACLU Blog of Rights: "Coinciding with the start of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the fully revised and updated fourth edition of The Rights of Women was released this week. The latest release in the ACLU Handbook Series, The Rights of Women is a comprehensive guide that explains in detail the rights that women and girls have under U.S. law, and how these laws can be used in the continuing struggle to achieve full gender equality. One chapter is dedicated to the issue of violence against women, including sexual assault."
January 01, 2008
New on LLRX.com
Mis-Information at the Heart of the University: Why Administrators Should Take Libraries More Seriously, by Stuart Basefsky
Carpe Diem: Establish an Institutional Repository for Your Organization, by Carol A. Watson
What's New in Cordless Mice? by Jeffrey J. Beard
FOIA Facts: FOIA - The Year in Review, by Scott A. Hodes
E-Discovery Update: A Contrarian Retrospective On E-Discovery In 2007, by Conrad Jacoby
Who Said, “Go West, Young Man” - Quote Detective Debunks Myths, by Fred R. Shapiro
Burney's Legal Tech Reviews: Legal Gadget Wish-List for the New Year, by Brett Burney
CongressLine: The Committee Markup, by Paul Jenks
LLRX Book Review by Heather A. Phillips - Books on Trial: Red Scare in the Heartland
Analysis of the Energy Bill, the EPA's Refusal to Grant Waivers and State Laws With Respect to Climate Change, by Beth Wellington
LLRX Book Review by Sabrina I. Pacifici - The Yale Book of Quotations
October 31, 2007
New on LLRX.com for October 2007
- Cultural Challenges in Cross Border Mediation, by
Vikrant Singh Negi
- Persuading Judges in Writing: Tips for Lawyers (And how technology can help), by Troy Simpson
- Competitive Intelligence on a Shoestring, by
Susan Armstrong and Sabrina I. Pacifici
- E-Discovery Update: Discovery of Employee-Owned Computer Equipment, by Conrad J. Jacoby
- The Government Domain: Journalists and Government Information: SLA-DGI/GODORT Joint Meeting, by Peggy Garvin
- FOIA Facts - FOIA Litigation: When A Loss Isn't Always A Loss, by Scott A. Hodes
- LLRX Book Review by Heather A. Phillips - Nation of Secrets and Presidential Secrecy and the Law
- CongressLine by GalleryWatch.com: Lobbying and Ethics Rules, by Paul Jenks
- After Hours: Recommended Reading, by Kathy Biehl
- Rule the Web, by Julia Wotipka
- Commentary: Congress Looks Again at FISA, by
Beth Wellington
August 26, 2007
U.S. Supreme Court Coloring and Activity Book
"About the Book - "Have fun and learn about the Supreme Court! It's a coloring book with a surprising educational twist. This 32-page coloring book features expertly rendered illustrations depicting significant Supreme Court Justices of the United States to color in--including all current sitting Justices. The U.S. Supreme Court Coloring and Activity Book is perfect for the children of lawyers and judges, or for teachers looking for a new resource for Law Day or Constitution Day."
June 24, 2007
Encyclopedic Reference Work Cataloging all of the World’s 6,912 Known Living Languages
Ethnologue: "An encyclopedic reference work cataloging all of the world’s 6,912 known living languages." [This web edition of the Ethnologue contains all the content of the print edition and may be cited as: Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), 2005. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International. Online version: http://www.ethnologue.com/.]
Far from the Madding Gerund and Other Dispatches from Language Log (Paperback)
August 10, 2006
Recent Book Focuses on Language of the Media
As noted by Editor & Publisher, Richard Weiner' recent book, The Skinny About Best Boys, Dollies, Green Rooms, Leads, and Other Media Lingo: The Language of the Media "is not only a media dictionary, but a history book as well, one that Weiner hopes will be as fascinating to lay readers as it is for the seasoned professionals within the fields he covers."
See also, Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English, Second Edition, by Patricia T. O'Conner
July 17, 2006
New on LLRX.com
And you thought gadgets were only for the kitchen: The Return, by
Brian Neale, Roger Skalbeck, Susan Skyzinski and Barbara Fullerton
And you thought gadgets were only for the kitchen: The Future, by
Brian Neale, Roger Skalbeck, Susan Skyzinski and Barbara Fullerton
Writing Justice Blackmun, by Linda Greenhouse
Statement of Meredith Fuchs, General Counsel, The National Security Archive, Before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Hearing on the Media’s Role and Responsibilities in Leaks of Classified Information
Refining the Standard: Authenticating Computer-Based Evidence, by M. Sean Fosmire
Update to Researching Australian Law, by Nicholas Pengelley
Faulkner's Practical Web Strategies for Attorneys: Four Ways to Enhance Your Firm Website, by Frederick L. Faulkner IV
E-Discovery Update - by Fios Inc.: How Well Can You Protect Privilege Through Private Contract?, by Conrad J. Jacoby
CongressLine, by GalleryWatch.com: Congressional Seedlings, by Paul Jenks
Express Yourself on Your PDA, by Brett Burney
FOIA Facts: Who or What Constitutes Media under the FOIA?, by Scott A. Hodes
The Government Domain: Summer Infosnacks, by Peggy Garvin
A Cup of Creativi-tea: Icebreakers, by Terri Wilson
After Hours: The Grill Guru / Incense and...Cinnamon?, by Kathy Biehl
Commentary: Voters Rights Act, by Beth Wellington
LLRX Court Rules, Forms, and Dockets, the unique, free searchable database, maintained and continually updated by Margaret Berkland.
LLRX.com Bookstore has new recommendations
February 05, 2006
Review of Book That Sparked Controversy on Domestic Spy Program
'State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration,' by James Risen - Spies and Spymasters, Review by Walter Isaacson.
January 11, 2006
Photojournalists Capture Hurricanes' Impact in New Book
Editor & Publisher reviews a new book by a group of 20 Dallas News photojournalists and reporters that chronicles the devastating impact of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Eyes of the Storm: The Story in Pictures of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, by Dallas Morning News
Related postings on the hurricanes
November 27, 2005
New York Times Notable Books of the Year
New York Times, 100 Notable Books of the Year
June 27, 2005
New on LLRX.com
Market Intelligence – The Power of Three, by Donna Cavallini
Review of Annotated Refugee Convention: Fifty Years of North American Jurisprudence, by Elisa Mason
Using EISIL to Research Private International Law, by Louise Tsang
Revolutionizing Client Relations with CaseMap's New ReportBooks, by Dennis Kennedy
Garbage In, Garbage Out: Working Around Document Profiling to Improve Work Product Retrieval Efforts, by Angie Turner and Peter Ozolin
Update to Legal Protection of Cultural Property: A Selective Resource Guide, by Louise Tsang
Update to Researching Australian Law, by Nicholas Pengelley
The Government Domain: GPO Access and THOMAS for Legislative Research, by Peggy Garvin
After Hours - June Swoons: New Organic Lines; The Secret Life of ... Betty Crocker?; Cake Mix Goes Gourmet, by Kathy Biehl
Burney's Gadgets for Legal Pros: Take your Life with you on a Palm PDA, by Brett Burney
May 06, 2005
New Biography of Justice Blackmun
From the New York Times, a review of the new book on Justice Harry A. Blackmun by Linda Greenhouse.
Related references:
Becoming Justice Blackmun: Harry Blackmun's Supreme Court Journey
Also by Linda Greenhouse, from the New York Times Magazine, April 15, 2005 , The Evolution of a Justice.
beSpacific postings on the Blackmun Papers
April 01, 2005
March 24, 2005
Commentary on P2P Case Argues in Favor of Innovation
From the Chronicle of Higher Education, this commentary, available free: Hollywood Profits v. Technological Progress: "Commenting on a case that pits entertainment companies against peer-to-peer program developers, which is scheduled for argument in the Supreme Court next week, Doron Ben-Atar, a professor of history at Fordham University, writes that it is impossible to contain the abuse of technology without undermining the free flow of knowledge."
Related reading: Trade Secrets: Intellectual Piracy and the Origins of American Industrial Power
January 21, 2005
January 09, 2005
New Book on Weblogs and Libraries
Weblogs and Libraries, by Professor Laurel A. Clyde
"This book discusses the topic of 'weblogs and libraries' from two main perspectives: weblogs as sources of information for libraries and librarians; and weblogs as tools that libraries can use to promote their services and to provide a means of communication with their clients. It begins with an overview of the whole weblog and blogging phenomenon and traces its development over the last six years. The many different kinds of weblogs are outlined (including personal weblogs, community weblogs, multimedia weblogs). The problem of locating weblogs is addressed through a discussion of weblog directories, search engines and other finding tools. Chapters include using weblogs as sources of information in the library or information service, the options for creating a weblog, and managing the library’s own weblog."
January 06, 2005
January 05, 2005
New on LLRX.com
New on LLRX.com for December 27, 2004:
The Federal Web: Content at the Ten-year Mark - Peggy Garvin, author of The United States Government Internet Manual, takes researchers on a tour of content they can expect to find on federal, executive branch websites, and where on the site they can expect to find it.
Notes from the Tech Trenches - Voice over IP: Finally, a Workable Option - Cindy Carlson extols the benefits of migrating from plain old telephone service to Voice-over-Internet-Protocol.
Free Online Resources for Public Library Users: Pennsylvania and Ohio - Lois C. Ambash continues her review of resources available online from remote locations to holders of public library cards, with an emphasis on full-text health resources.
FOIA Facts - Circumventing the FOIA - Scott A. Hodes spotlights how Sarbanes Oxley created an oversight board for accounting firms that is not subject to FOIA.
Free Online Resources for Public Library Users: Michigan and the District of Columbia - Lois C. Ambash continues her review of resources available online from remote locations to holders of public library cards, with an emphasis on full-text health resources.
Wireless Connectivity to a Projector From Your PC - Brett Burney reviews the Infocus LiteShow, which provides a wireless alternative for your on-screen presentations.
June 01, 2004
Style Guide for Journalists, Bloggers and Other Interested Writers
"An essential book for anyone who writes reports, articles, books, letters or memoranda, The Economist Style Guide will enlighten, educate and amuse."
See also this webpage for excerpts from the book. I recommend reviewing the entry, Americanisms.
March 29, 2004
Lessig's New Book on Copyright Law and the Internet
Free Culture, by Lawrence Lessig: How Big Media Uses Technology and the Law to Lock Down Culture and Control Creativity:
Use this link to download a free pdf version of the book, under a Creative Commons license. The book is also available in nine other formats, to date, via this link.
Reviews of the book are here.
March 08, 2004
White House and Secrecy of Gov't Documents
Bush Administration Thwarts Access - Excerpt from The Buying of the President 2004 Shows the White House's Propensity for Secrecy [Link]
February 10, 2004
January 15, 2004
January 06, 2004
WorldWatch Institute's New State of the World Report
State of the World 2004: Table of Contents.
December 28, 2003
New Mexican Legal Dictionary/Desk Reference
This new book, Mexican Legal Dictionary and Desk Reference, by prolific author and international/comparative law scholar Professor Jorge Vargas, should be in the library collection of any organization that conducts research on Mexican law. The resource includes "over 3,000 legal terms, definitions, rules and legal principles taken from federal codes, federal statutes, regulations, bilateral treatises and international agreements between the United States and Mexico."
Recent Book on Internet Strategies
From Steven M. Cohen, Keeping Current, Advanced Internet Strategies to Meet Librarian Patron Needs. This book comprises five chapters, and focuses primarily on web-based current awareness strategies; resources for staying abreast of advances in search engines techniques and learning about new features; reviews of software for monitoring changes on websites; and how best to leverage content from topical and research specific weblogs. The book includes useful screen shots, recommendations for web-based current awareness services (free and fee), as well as discussion of the limitations of these resources.
October 13, 2003
Evaluating Competitive Intelligence Software
Assessing Competitive Intelligence Software A Guide to Evaluating CI Technology, by France Bouthillier and Kathleen Shearer Foreword by Chun Wei Choo:
"As commercial software products for Competitive Intelligence (CI) have begun to emerge and gain acceptance, potential users find themselves overly dependent on information supplied by the software makers. Reviews and surveys are published from time to time, but CI is not a "one-size-fits-all" process and the software that supports it must be highly customized. This new book is the first to propose a systematic method firms can use to evaluate CI software independently, allowing them to compare features, identify strengths and weaknesses, and invest in products that meet their unique needs. Authors Bouthillier and Shearer demonstrate their 32-step methodology through an evaluation of four of the most popular CI software packages. In addition, they identify important sources of information about CI software, map information needs to intelligence outcomes, and describe key analytical techniques." [
Link]
October 03, 2003
August 01, 2003
Intelligent Information Gathering
Robin Good's Mini Guide: Become a News G-d: How to be the first one to know everything about anything - Intelligent Information Agents Come of Age.
This 102 page guide, in pdf, is available for purchase via Robin Good's Sharewood Tidings website. Arranged in 14 short chapters, it evaluates a wide range of free and fee-based services and sites that can be used to effectively undertake the challenges inherent in the task of daily news and information gathering on the web.
The authors provide an excellent primer on "how to gather information intelligently," and the rationale for looking beyond your current complement of online services to the growing realm of web-based options from small companies or even individual enterprises.
The guide covers 14 different "change trackers," 7 examples of "internet monitoring and clipping services," and includes a brief overview of news aggregators, a good overview of search tools and toolbars, clipping services, and an eclectic list of free, alternative news resources.
I recommend this guide for busy researchers who will appreciate its well organized presentation of numerous resource options into one easy to read publication.
July 07, 2003
June 23, 2003
New Book on History of the Library
Library: An Unquiet History, by Matthew Battles. See the review in Newsday:
"The charm of Battles' book lies in its historical sweep and its appreciation for the browser's delight. Cicero to Swift, Bacon to Borges - this is a book full of breezy learnedness. An earnest and passionate bibliophile, Battles traces the varied forms of writing and book-making from the bamboo and silk of ancient China, clay tablets of Mesopotamia and Mayan deerskin, to the more familiar wax tablets, papyrus scrolls, and, finally, parchment of the medieval Western world. Mostly, though, it is what Battles calls "biblioclasms" that capture his imagination - great moments in the collecting, cataloging and destruction of books." (via Library Stuff)
June 10, 2003
New Book On Competitive Intelligence Research
Super Searchers on Competitive Intelligence, The Online and Offline Secrets of Top CI Researchers. From the press release:
Companies operating in today’s unpredictable roller-coaster economy have increasingly turned to Competitive Intelligence (CI) as an effective means of building and maintaining an edge. This book presents leading CI researchers in their own words, revealing their secrets for monitoring competitive forces and keeping on top of the trends, opportunities, and threats within their industries.
Business Statistics on the Web
Business Statistics on the Web: Find Them Fast-At Little or No Cost. "Statistics are a critical component of business and marketing plans, press releases, surveys, economic analyses, presentations, proposals, and more--yet good statistics are notoriously hard to find. In this practical guide, statistics guru Paula Berinstein shows readers how to use the Net to find statistics about companies, markets, and industries, how to organize and present statistics, and how to evaluate them for reliability."
May 27, 2003
Managing a Website
The Accidental Webmaster, by Julie M. Still, reference librarian at Paul Robeson Library, Rutgers University-Camden, Camden, New Jersey.
May 26, 2003
May 22, 2003
Google Hacks Hits New York Times Best Seller List
Kudos to Tara Calishain and co-author Rael Dornfest, whose book, Google Hacks, is on the New York Times Paperback Bestseller List!
Are Wikis the Next Hot Web Tool?
Business Is Toying With a Web Tool puts the spotlight on an innovative, user friendly open-source tool called a wiki, used to create inter-related web pages. Not new to the scene (the technology was first used in 1995), but perhaps ready to be embraced along the lines of blogging applications, wiki technology offers many interesting possibilities for collaborative knowledge management applications in organizations large and small. Another excellent article on this technology was written by David Mattison, so for those who are interested in this topic, please be sure to add this to your reading list, as well as this article, What's a Wiki?, and this book, The Wiki Way: Collaboration and Sharing on the Internet.
May 18, 2003
New Book: Google Hacks
Tara Calishain of Research Buzz fame authored a new book, Google Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools.
May 16, 2003
Resources on Search Engine Terms
From Microdac News, several recommendations for directories and glossaries of search engine terms, including Search Engine Directory (free) and the Search Engine Yearbook ($$).
May 07, 2003
Book Review: Librarians, Reference and the Web
Here is a recent review of the Librarian's Internet Survival Guide: Strategies for the High-Tech Reference Desk by Irene E. McDermott (reference librarian/systems manager at the San Marino Public Library in California).
May 02, 2003
New Book On Legal Issues for Libraries
Marylaine Block reviews a new book by Mary Minow and Tomas A. Lipinski which focuses on the many legal issues that confront today's libraries, including the Patriot Act, fair use, web filtering, censorship and web site accessibility. The Library's Legal Answer Book is targeted at the public library community, but this work by two expert lawyer/librarian authors, complete with extensive legal citations, will no doubt be of interest to special and law libraries as well.
May 01, 2003
IP Expert Comments on Patriot Act and DMCA
From Eyeteeth, this interview with professor and author Siva Vaidhyanathan, whose books include The Anarchist in the Library, which details the impact of peer-to-peer networks on the dissemination of information, and Copyrights and Copywrongs: The Rise of Intellectual Property and How It Threatens Creativity.
His comments about libraries and the Patriot Act include the following: "What we’re doing though is making librarians choose among their values. Librarians believe very strongly in recordkeeping and in maintaining archives. It’s part of the historical record; that’s half of what they do. But the other half of what they do is serve and protect their patrons. The federal government has made librarians choose between retaining records that might be useful, for instance in budgetary discussions not to mention historical research, and protecting their patrons, so their patrons don’t feel intimidated by the books they choose to read or by the potential of oversight of the books they choose to read. There are a lot of librarians around the country right now who are taking a very noble and strong stand against this situation, and I think we need to celebrate them and support them in this effort."
March 26, 2003
Authentication Systems, Privacy and Security
Currently available online only in OpenBook format, a free pre-publication version of Who Goes There?: Authentication Through the Lens of Privacy, Stephen T. Kent and Lynette I. Millett, Editors, Committee on Authentication Technologies and Their Privacy Implications, National Research Council. The report provides analysis of and recommends guidelines for the development, implementation and deployment of authentication systems that include passwords, public-key infrastructures (PKI), smartcards and biometrics.
November 04, 2002
2002 Privacy Law Sourcebook
EPIC has published The Privacy Law Sourcebook 2002, is a good choice for researchers who want to have the full text of major privacy laws and directives in one easy to use source, as well as associated links to privacy resources on the web.