Thanksgiving Weekend - Law Library Hours

The McKusick Law Library will be closing to the public at noon on Wednesday, November 26.  Circulation and reference services will be available on Wednesday, November 26 from 8:00 to noon.

The McKusick Law Library will also be closed to the public on Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28 for the Thanksgiving holiday, and circulation and reference services will not be available.  We are also normally closed to the public on Saturdays and Sundays, and will be closed on Saturday, November 29 and Sunday, November 30.  We will resume our normal hours to the public on Monday, December 1, from 7:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Law students will continue to have 24/7 access to the Law Library using their University ID cards throughout the holiday weekend. 

November is Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month - Law Library Display

November is Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month, which recognizes "the vital role critical infrastructure plays in our nation’s way of life" with the goal of "raising awareness of the importance of securing the assets, systems, and networks we count on every day" (from the Department of Homeland Security website here).

This year, President Obama's proclamation of Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month calls on our nation to "safeguard and strengthen the systems we rely on every day and to support first-class infrastructure that can sustain America's role as a leader on the world stage."

In recognition of this event, the Law Library is currently featuring a display which offers resources on the intersection of the law with various infrastructure systems, ranging from our transportation system (highways, bridges, railroads) to telecommunication and internet networks, as well as electricity and energy systems. Especially featured on the display is recent copy of Infrastructure, a quarterly newsletter published by the ABA Section of Public Utility, Communications, and Transportation Law.  Recent issues, including the issue on the display, are available on the Section's website here. 

The "Finals" Countdown: Study Aids and Other Law Library Resources

With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, the Law School finals period will be here before you know it!  The Law Library encourages you to utilize the many resources that are available to you as you prepare for your final exams.

The Law Library is currently featuring displays on both the lower level and the main level with items from the Study Aids and Academic Success collection.  This collection includes the most recent editions of the titles in the Nutshell series, as well as other titles that discuss study strategies, exam-taking skills, stress management, and more!  Titles in this collection may be checked out by law students for 24 hours.

The displays also feature information about using CALI as a study aid resource.  Don't forget that there are CALI lessons that cover all of the substantive courses, as well as Legal Research.  There are even CALI lessons and podcasts that cover exam-taking, outlining, and other study skills.

If you have any questions about study aid resources available through the Law Library, please ask a member of the Law Library staff!

A Visual View of Exonerations Nationwide

The Pace Criminal Justice Blog at Pace Law School recently posted an interactive map, displaying exonerations state-by-state in the United States, with further breakdown by the type of crime and the race of the wrongfully convicted.

The research for the interactive map was conducted by Pamela Perez, PhD, Professor of Biostatistics at Loma Linda University.  The research, for Safer-America.com, examined the 1,450 exonerations listed on the National Registry of Exonerations as of Oct. 20, 2014.

Interested in more information about wrongful convictions?  Consider one of the following titles available in the McKusick Law Library:

Wrongful Capital Convictions and the Legitimacy of the Death Penalty / Karen S. Miller

The Wrong Men: America’s Epidemic of Wrongful Death Row Convictions / Stanley Cohen

Multiple Page View Feature Now Available in HeinOnline

HeinOnline has recently unveiled a new multiple page view feature which enhances readability of documents in its platform.  To switch to the multiple page view, users can click an icon to the right of the "PDF" icon:

More information about the new feature is available here from HeinOnline's Help and Support Blog. 

For alumni of USD Law School: Don't forget that access to HeinOnline's Law Journal Library is now available for alumni!  More information is available on one of the Prairie Law Blog's previous posts, here. 

ABA Commission on Future of Legal Services is Seeking Comments

The ABA Commission on the Future of Legal Services has recently published an issues paper in conjunction with "a comprehensive examination of issues related to the delivery of, and the public's access to, legal services in the United States."

The issues paper is available here, and identifies several topics that the Commission is seeking comment on, including: Better Service, Problems in Delivering Law and Law-Related Services, Alternative Providers and Regulatory Innovations, Underserved Communities, Policy Changes, Insights from Other Fields, Data, Legal Education and Training, and Diversity and Inclusion.

The submission deadline for comments is December 10, 2014 and submission instructions are included in the paper.

Hat tip to the Legal Informatics Blog for their post on this topic, which also links to blog posts from a Commission member and the Commission vice-chair about the issues paper. 

November is National Native American Heritage Month

Each year, November is celebrated as National Native American Heritage Month, a time that "our Nation pauses to reflect on the profound ways the First Americans have shaped our country's character and culture" (from the Presidential Proclamation of National Native American Heritage Month 2014). 

In recognition of National Native American Heritage Month, the Law Library is currently featuring a display that offers resources from the Law Library's Native American and Indigenous Peoples Collection.  This collection is now located on the Main Floor of the Law Library, and brings together resources that were previously divided between the Reserve Room and the LC Classified collection on the lower level.

This unique collection offers resources in Federal Indian Law, tribal law, and state-tribal relations.  The collection also offers many print resources that discuss Native American heritage, culture, thought, and political issues, and many of these resources are especially featured in the display. 

To learn more about Native American Heritage Month, visit the Library of Congress' website here.  The Library of Congress page includes a special exhibit featuring audio interviews of Native American veterans who served in conflicts from World War II to the Iraq conflict, available via the Veterans History Project.  More information about the history of Native American Heritage Month is available here from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. 

November is National Adoption Month - Law Library Display

November is National Adoption Month, a nationwide observance intended to help build awareness of adoption throughout the nation. Across the country, programs, events, and activities are planned to "share positive adoption stories, challenge myths, and draw attention to the thousands of children in foster care who are waiting for permanent families" (From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Adoption Month 2014 webpage).

This year, the President's Proclamation of National Adoption Month calls on Americans to "recognize the thousands of parents and kids who have expanded their families to welcome a new child or sibling, as well as the professionals who offer guidance, resources, and counseling every day."  Among these professionals are the many lawyers, judges, and other legal professionals whose expertise and services are integral to the adoption process.

In keeping with the President's Proclamation, the Law Library is currently featuring a display which features many of the Law Library's resources on the law of adoption, including information specific to South Dakota as well as selected resources discussing the Indian Child Welfare Act.  Among the titles included on the display are:

Making it Permanent: Reasonable Efforts to Finalize Permanency Plans for Foster Children / by Cecilia Fiermonte and Jennifer L. Renne; edited by Claire Sandt

Adoption Laws in a Nutshell /Sanford N. Katz and Daniel R. Katz
Handling Child Custody, Abuse and Adoption Cases / Ann M. Haralambie

Achieving Permanency For Adolescents in Foster Care: A Guide For Legal Professionals / Sharon G. Elstein, et al.

Facing the Future: The Indian Child Welfare Act at 30 / edited by Matthew L.M. Fletcher, Wenona T. Singel, and Kathryn E. Fort

Adoption Law and Practice / by Joan H. Hollinger, et al.

Children, Tribes, and States: Adoption and Custody Conflicts Over American Indian Children / Barbara Ann Atwood

Veterans Day - Law Library Hours and Info on Display

Tuesday, November 11 is Veterans Day, an official state holiday in South Dakota (see SDCL Section 1-5-1).  The McKusick Law Library will be closed to the public on November 11.  We will resume our normal public hours on Wednesday, November 12.  Law students can continue to access the Law Library 24/7 using their University ID cards.

In honor of Veterans Day, the Law Library is currently featuring a display highlighting resources that concern veterans, military service, and the law. Included on the display is an article by Law Library Director Darla Jackson titled At Ease: A Primer for Legal Research Related to Military Law Issues.  The article is available via Professor Jackson's Selected Works author page here.  Other titles featured on the display include:

Veterans Appeals Guidebook: Representing Veterans in the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims / Ron Smith, editor

Veterans Benefits Manual / Barton F. Stichman, Ronald B. Abrams, editors

Medicine Bags and Dog Tags: American Indian Veterans From Colonial Times to the Second Iraq War / Al Carroll

Military Service and the Law / Joseph Butler and Brian Clauss, editors; foreword by L. Tammy Duckworth

Military Law Sourcebook / American Bar Association 

Some "Abstract" Thinking: New Study Shows that Abstracts and Tables of Contents Increase Citations

Should Your Law Review Article Have an Abstract and Table of Contents?
by Lee Petherbridge & Christopher A. Cotropia

The empirical study by Petherbridge and Cotropia found that law review articles that include "just an abstract are cited on average roughly 50% more, and articles that include just a table of contents roughly 30% more.  Including both document elements corresponds to the largest increase in citation, over 70%."

Hat tip to the WisBlawg of the University of Wisconsin Law Library for their recent post, linking to the article on SSRN.