Notable Internet Resources 2003
This is the archive of the Notable Internet Resources columns from 2003. Notable Internet Resources is produced by the Langdell reference department as a service to the Harvard Law School community. The Notable Internet Resources archive may be browsed by date or by topic.
Notable Internet Resources provides annotated links to resources on a topic of interest to the Harvard Law School community. Once published, no effort is made to ensure the links remain current or accurate. This archive is provided for informational purposes only. Please contact the Langdell reference desk, (617) 495-4516, located just off the reading room on the fourth floor of Langdell Hall with any questions.
Notable Internet Resources Listed by Date:
|
||||
Notable Internet Resources Listed by Topic:
Canon Law (August 18)
Copyright Extension and Copyright Holders (January
21)
Death Databases (March 10)
Disasters: Preparedness and Response (September
29)
“Do Not Call” Registries (June 23)
Finding Information About Other Countries: Part
1, Library of Congress (December 22)
Food Law Mélange (December 8)
Identity Theft (June 9)
Islamic Law Primary Sources (September 2)
Jewish Law (August 4)
Judicial Selection–News, Information and Analysis
on the Web (July 21)
Law Review Ranks (April 28)
Legal Ethics (April 14)
Legal History Olio (November 10)
Legal Periodicals Coverage by Major Non-legal
Databases (October 13)
Legal Weblogs (May 12)
Public Opinion Polls (January 6)
Regulations on the Web (February 17)
Search Engine Update (May 27)
SFX (March 17)
Summer Reading (July 7)
Supreme Court Farrago (November 24)
Tax Forms 2002 (March 31)
Toxic Mold, Sick Building Litigation (February
3)
U.S. Crime Statistics on the Web (October
24)
U.S. Federal Administrative Agencies (September
15)
Notable Internet Resources 2003 Archive:
January 6: Public Opinion Polls
Polling the Nations (Harvard PIN required)
http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.eresource:pollnati:
Polling the Nations contains public opinion surveys from hundreds of polling organizations in the United States and abroad. Coverage begins in 1986. Browse a detailed list of
topics or search by topic, source, or date. Results include the exact question asked.
Public Opinion Online (Westlaw password required)
http://www.westlaw.com/search/default.asp?DB=poll&RS=WLW3.0&VR=2.6:
Produced by the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, this database contains public opinion surveys from the media and major U.S. polling firms including Gallup, Harris, Roper, Hart, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, the
New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and other major sources. It covers 1960 to the present with some coverage back to 1936. Full survey information is available including number of respondents, demographics of participants, dates, and sponsoring organization. Each search result is a single question and answer. To obtain an entire survey, search the ON field (Organization Conducting the Survey) and the SB field (the Survey Beginning Date).
Public Opinion Online (LexisNexis ID required)
http://www.lexis.com/research/xlink?searchtype=bo&source=news;rpoll:
This is the database described above, available here via LexisNexis rather than Westlaw.
The Gallup Organization
http://www.gallup.com/: Gallup polls are available in the sources mentioned above, but the Gallup homepage is worth browsing. Recent polls on varied topics are arranged by category. See the news section for short articles on recent results.
Polling Report
www.pollingreport.com: The Polling Report offers recent public opinion survey results from many noted polling organizations. Search, browse by broad category, select from popular surveys, or consult a comprehensive list of topics. See "Contents.”
Public Opinion Polls on the Internet
http://www.library.miami.edu/netguides/socopin.html:
The University of Miami Libraries offers this excellent annotated list of links to public opinion information on the Web.
January 21: Copyright Extension and Copyright Holders
Eldred v. Ashcroft, No. 01-618 (Jan. 15, 2003)
http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/02pdf/01-618.pdf:
Last week the Supreme Court held the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act constitutional. The extension adds twenty years to the copyright term.
Circular 15t, Extension of Copyright Terms
http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ15t.pdf:
This four-page circular from the U.S. Copyright Office explains the extension in detail.
Copyright Search from the Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/copyright/search/:
This database from the Library of Congress contains the copyright registrations on file at the U.S. Copyright Office. It allows users to check the ownership and registration status of a work. Select one of three subsets of the database: books, music, and art; serials; or legal document records. Legal document records note assignments and other information on ownership status. The database does not include works registered before 1978. Works must be registered to be included. Note that the LOC's older copyright search system,
LOCIS, a more advanced but harder to use telnet system, is also available at this site.
U.S. Copyrights (Westlaw password required)
http://www.westlaw.com/search/default.asp?DB=copyright&RS=WLW3.0&VR=2.6:
This is the same database described above, but available here through Westlaw.
U.S. Copyrights (LexisNexis ID required)
http://www.lexis.com/research/xlink?searchtype=bo&source=copyrt;allcpy:
The same database again, available through LexisNexis.
WATCH: Writers, Artists, and Their Copyright Holders
http://www.watch-file.com: This source contains volunteered names and addresses of copyright holders or contact persons for authors whose archives are in U.S. and U.K. libraries. The site features a useful section describing how to find U.S. and U.K. copyright contacts.
Music Copyright Records from ASCAP
http://www.ascap.com/ace/ace.html:
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) offers its database of music copyright records covering all compositions licensed by ASCAP. Search by title, writer, performer, or publisher. Results include the names and addresses of copyright holders.
February 3: Toxic Mold, Sick Building Litigation
Mold: Mealey's
Litigation Report (LexisNexis ID required)
http://www.lexis.com/research/xlink?searchtype=bo&source=torts;meamld:
This Mealey's publication covers mold-related litigation and workers'
compensation claims. It summarizes new complaints, litigation developments,
ongoing trials, and regulatory activity. Available from 2001.
Indoor Toxic Mold: A Mushrooming Problem?
http://www.goodwinprocter.com/publications/ELA_toxicmold_5_02.pdf:
This short piece from a Goodwin Proctor newsletter is a nice introduction to
toxic mold and mold-related legal claims.
Toxic Mold Tort News
http://www.toxic-mold-tort-news-online.com:
Toxic Mold Tort News briefly describes major mold lawsuits, types of toxic
molds, and strategies for mold prevention. The site is most likely funded by
its lawyer referral service.
Dr. Fungus
www.doctorfungus.org: This site
deals with all aspects of fungus. The section on sick buildings is
informative, covering the health impact of toxic molds in indoor air.
References are provided.
The Mold Source
http://www.themoldsource.com/starter.html:
Although badly designed, this site offers some good information. It
describes recent lawsuits, typical legal claims, mold news, testing methods,
and symptoms.
Toxic Mold Study by the American Reinsurance Company
http://www.amre.com/content/rl/report_toxicmold.pdf:
This report from 2001 provides "information on toxic mold, the increase
in mold related claims and litigation facing insurers, potential insurance
coverages, claims issues, and insurer responses."
EPA Mold Resource Page
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/moldresources.html:
The EPA provides information on molds, sick buildings, indoor air quality,
and the health consequences of breathing molds. See also the mold
information provided by the Centers for Disease Control at http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/airpollution/mold/default.htm.
Molds, Toxic Molds, and Indoor Air Quality
http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/01/notes/v8n1.pdf:
Prepared by the California Research Bureau on behalf of a legislator, this
report provides background information on molds, their potential health
effects, and how they relate to indoor air quality.
February 17: Regulations on the Web
Regulations.gov
http://www.regulations.gov: Available since January, this site provides comprehensive access to proposed federal regulations and allows visitors to easily post comments. The aim is to increase public participation in the rulemaking process. Search for regulations by keyword, or browse by agency. Background information on regulations is not provided, and it is not possible to view comments submitted by others.
Federal Register (1994- )
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces140.html:
The Federal Register is available from 1994 forward. Browse linked tables of contents for issues published since 1998, search a specific volume, or search several volumes at once.
Federal Register through Hein Online (1968-1980)
http://heinonline.org/FedReg/WelcomePage:
Through Hein Online, the Federal Register is available from 1968-1980 (volumes 33-45). More years will be added as the digitizing project continues. Annual Indexes and Lists of Sections Affected are available for the same years. This resource is currently only accessible to those using a Harvard Law School Internet connection.
Federal Register Indexes and Tables of Contents (1994- )
http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/the_federal_register/indexes.html:
Browse annual indexes to the Federal Register from 1994 through 2002. Within an alphabetic portion of the index, use your browser’s find function (control key and “F” key at the same time) to locate terms. You can opt to receive daily emails of Federal Register contents from this site.
Code of Federal Regulations (1997- )
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/index.html:
The CFR is available from 1997 to the present. Easiest access is through the browse feature. (Specify title and year.) Alternatively, search by keyword or retrieve parts by citation. Titles appear here concurrently with the release of paper versions. This version is official.
e-CFR
http://www.access.gpo.gov/ecfr/: Still in beta, this unofficial version of the CFR is kept more up to date than the version available above. Updated nearly daily, new regulations are folded in within a week or so of becoming final. Easiest access is browsing by agency or title. It is also possible to retrieve a part by citation, search in specific titles, specific fields, or search the entire
CFR.
List of Sections Affected
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/lsa/aboutlsa.html: The List of Sections Affected can be searched or browsed. It is also possible to view the Current List of CFR Parts Affected (current month), Last Month’s List of CFR Parts Affected, or the List of CFR Parts Affected Today. For convenience, it is possible to retrieve a specific Federal Register page in PDF from this site.
Federal Administrative Decisions and Other Actions
http://www.law.virginia.edu/admindec: Created by Barbie Selby at the University of Virginia School of Law, this excellent guide links to agency homepages, to frequently accessed portions of those pages, and to administrative decisions and other actions.
March 10: Death Databases
Social Security Death Index Search
http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/vital/ssdi/main.htm:
he Social Security Administration maintains a database of reported deaths. This site makes that data publicly available and searchable. It’s comprehensive for deaths after 1962. Search by name, SSN, residence, or date of birth or death.
Obituary Pages (Westlaw password required)
http://www.westlaw.com/search/default.asp?DB=obitpage&RS=WLW3.0&VR=2.6:
This database contains obituaries and death notices from 3,500 major U.S. and international papers with the exception of the New York Times. The default is to search the most recent three years. To search prior years, add a date restriction, DA(bef 2000).
Obituaries in the News (LexisNexis ID required)
http://www.lexis.com/research/xlink?searchtype=bo&source=news;allnws:
This news database on LexisNexis is huge, and includes obituaries in the New York Times. Unfortunately, death notices are not included. To exhaustively search for obituaries in this news database, enter the following:
section(obit! or death) or terms(obit!) or keyword(obit!) and headline(obit! or death) or hlead(died or deceased or funeral! or bur!) and firstname /3 lastname.
Political Graveyard
http://politicalgraveyard.com/:
Find brief descriptions of dead politicians, judges, and diplomats including where they were born, lived, died, and are buried.
Interment.net
http://www.interment.net/: Interment.net contains cemetery records from approximately 6,700 cemeteries around the world and includes U.S. veteran cemeteries. It is not possible to comprehensively search the site. For some cemeteries, listings are selective.
Dead or Alive?
http://www.dead-or-alive.org/dead.nsf:
Find out whether famous people are dead or alive. Search by name or browse by field (profession) or other parameter. Users can take “dead or alive” quizzes in several categories, entertainment, politics, sports, etc. A new quiz for each category is mounted every hour or so.
March 17: SFX
SFX, which stands for “special effects,” is a new linking technology recently implemented by Harvard University Libraries. It
provides seamless connections between many of Harvard’s electronic indexes, journal collections, and the HOLLIS catalog.
Users can finally link directly from citations in indexes to the text of articles available through other resources, as well as to
HOLLIS catalog records for journals containing the articles.
The Harvard University Libraries subscribe to about 9,800 electronic journals through individual subscriptions and publisher
aggregations, such as ProQuest and JSTOR. (This number does not include journals on LexisNexis or Westlaw.) Articles in
virtually all of these electronic journals are SFX “targets” of a large number of SFX “sources.” These sources include such major
indexes as EconLit, Social Sciences Citation Index, ProQuest, MEDLINE, ERIC, PsycInfo, and PAIS. Users of these sources
will see a small SFX button next to search results. This button generates a menu of links to electronic versions of the article, and
to the HOLLIS catalog record for the journal.
This new technology will be of most note to faculty and students who use non-law, law-related databases available through the
Harvard Libraries portal (http://library.harvard.edu/e-resources). SFX does not impact users of Westlaw or LexisNexis.
For more information, see:
Harvard SFX: an Intro
http://library.harvard.edu/sfx/sfx_intro.pdf
Harvard SFX Frequently Asked Questions
http://library.harvard.edu/sfx/sfx_faq.html
Ex Libris SFX
http://www.sfxit.com/
Information from the vendor of SFX technology.
SFX Citation Linker
http://sfx.hul.harvard.edu:82/citation/sfx_local/
A fantastic side benefit of SFX is Harvard’s new Citation Linker. Use this detailed template to retrieve an article by citation, if
available through a Harvard electronic subscription. URLs generated by the Citation Linker are permanent, so can be added to
course Web pages. To access articles, users will be prompted to enter a Harvard ID and PIN number. (For permanent URLs to
articles on Westlaw or LexisNexis, please call Harvard Law School Library Reference at
617-495-4516 for assistance.)
March 31: Tax Forms 2002
United States Tax Forms from HLSL
http://www.law.harvard.edu/library/research/guides/united_states/specialized/tax_forms.php:
Michael Jimenez, Reference Librarian, has put together this excellent guide. Heavily used federal tax forms and instructions have been downloaded to our local server so you don't have to access the “overtaxed” IRS site during the height of tax season. These forms are in pdf format and can be filled in online. (They are not interactive; you must perform your own calculations.) Links to Massachusetts tax forms and other state forms are provided.
CCH Interactive Forms
http://tax.cch.com/ipnetwork: The CCH Tax Research Network is a subscription database of CCH federal, state and international tax law products. The Library’s subscription includes an interactive federal and state tax forms service. It performs necessary calculations and provides links between instructions and tax tables. To use this service you must install the CCH Perform Plus II software. Click the perform plus II tab and then Download Install Software to Access Year 2002 Forms. CCH Technical Support is available at (800) 835-0105. See this guide to the product,
http://tax.cchgroup.com/training/quickstart/ppii02post.pdf.
IRS e-file
http://www.irs.gov/efile/: The IRS explains how to file your tax return electronically. This is a program offered by private companies partnering with the IRS, so there is a fee. Information about free electronic filing for eligible taxpayers is provided.
Telefile: Massachusetts Department of Revenue
http://www.dor.state.ma.us/options/telefile.htm:
The Massachusetts Department of Revenue allows resident taxpayers to file their return by touch-tone phone for free. This page provides the necessary information and the Telefile worksheet.
E-filing for Massachusetts Residents
http://www.dor.state.ma.us/options/options.htm:
Some Massachusetts residents are eligible to file returns electronically. This is done through partnerships with several private companies. Fees range from about $10 to $30.
State Tax Forms
http://www.taxsites.com/state-forms.html:
Dennis Schmidt, a Professor of Accounting at the University of Northern Iowa, kindly maintains this current and complete list of links to state tax forms on the Web.
Taxes from Yahoo.com
http://taxes.yahoo.com/: There are many advertisements at this site, but it does offer links to tax forms, tax calculators, guides, tips, terms, rates, state tax profiles, and a tax preparation checklist.
April 14: Legal Ethics
ABA Codes and Rules on LexisNexis (LexisNexis ID Required)
http://www.lexis.com/research/xlink?searchtype=bo&source=ethics;codes:
This source contains the Model Rules of Professional Conduct with comments, the Model Code of Professional Responsibility, and the Code of Judicial Conduct in one searchable database.
ABA Center for Professional Responsibility
http://www.abanet.org/cpr/home.html:
This ABA site offers the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, the Model Code of Professional Responsibility, the Code of Judicial Conduct, and links to state legal ethics rules and resources. Find also sections on multidisciplinary practice, multijurisdictional practice, client protection, and lawyer discipline.
American Legal Ethics Library
http://www.law.cornell.edu/ethics/:
Cornell’s Legal Information Institute links to the legal ethics rules for most states. Topical entries, arranged by rule number, link to state-specific information and indicate whether the state follows the Model Rule or the Model Code.
Ethics and Lawyering Today
http://www.ethicsandlawyering.com:
Produced by two lawyers, this is a free monthly newsletter covering developments in legal ethics. Register to receive it by email or read it at the site.
Freivogel on Conflicts
http://www.freivogelonconflicts.com:
Attorney William Freivogel maintains this page on conflicts of interest. He provides short, clear explanations on an extensive list of topics. References are provided.
Crossing the Bar
http://www.crossingthebar.com:
This site focuses on rules related to the multijurisdictional practice of law. It covers ABA documents, state reciprocity rules, and unlawful practice statutes.
April 28: Law Review Ranks
Journal Citation Reports (Harvard PIN required)
http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.eresource:jocitrep
Journal Citation Reports ranks 99 law reviews, as well as journals in other academic disciplines. Impact factor is derived from citation analysis for those journals included in the Social Science and Science Citation Index. From the entry screen specify journals in the Social Sciences, and lists by subject. Select law as a subject, then rank journals by impact factor, total cites, immediacy index, or cited half-life.
Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory (Harvard PIN required)
http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.eresource:ulrichsi
Use Ulrich's to compare subscriptions, the number of indexes covering a law review, and for contact information. Ulrich's is a standard reference source listing information about most periodicals, including law reviews and other legal periodicals. Entries generally provide contacts, frequency, circulation, abstracting and indexing information, and online availability.
The following articles rank law reviews by various parameters: (LexisNexis ID required)
Fred Shapiro, The Most Cited Law Reviews, 29 Journal of Legal Studies 389 (2000)
http://www.lexis.com/xlink?searchtype=Lexsee&search=29+J+Leg+Stud.+389
Ranks 30 general law reviews and 30 specialized law reviews by total citations and impact factor.
Trace E. George and Chris Guthrie, An Empirical Evaluation of Specialized Law Reviews, 26 Florida State University Law Review 813
(1999)
http://www.lexis.com/xlink?searchtype=Lexsee&search=26+Fla.+St.+U.L.+Rev.+813
Ranks one hundred specialized law reviews based on author prominence.
Robert M. Jarvis and Phyllis G. Coleman, Ranking Law Reviews: An Empirical Analysis Based on Author Prominence, 39 Arizona Law Review 15 (1997)
http://www.lexis.com/xlink?searchtype=Lexsee&search=39+Ariz.+L.+Rev.+15
Ranks 161 law reviews based on author prominence.
Directory of Law Reviews and Scholarly Legal Publications http://www.andersonpublishing.com/lawschool/directory
This resource does not rank journals, but provides lists of specialized
law reviews by topic. It also lists general law reviews, and peer-reviewed
and trade journals. Brief contact information is provided for each.
May 12: Legal Weblogs
Weblog technology, developed in the late 1990’s, was widely adopted in response to 9/11. A weblog or "blog" is like an online journal allowing an author to make near-instantaneous postings. Weblogs are organized chronologically and usually include an archive of past postings. Most weblogs are frequently updated and include links to related weblogs.
Weblogs At Harvard Law
http://blogs.law.harvard.edu: Created to publicize and promote weblog technology at HLS. Includes a directory of Harvard weblogs. Co-edited by Donna Wentworth and Dave
Winer. Hosted by the Berkman Center.
Daypop
http://www.daypop.com: Search weblogs by keyword. Daypop indexes over 14,600 weblogs and news sites. Includes a Top 40 ranking of hot topics in the weblog community.
How Appealing
http://appellateblog.blogspot.com:
This is the weblog of Buchanan Ingersoll appellate lawyer Howard J.
Bashman. It focuses on the appellate courts.
JURIST The Paper Chase
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/:
This is the weblog of University of Pittsburgh School of Law Professor Bernard
Hibbitts.
LawMeme
http://research.yale.edu/lawmeme/:
A law and technology weblog hosted by Yale Law School and operated by Yale law students. LawMeme “focuses on the mutual influence of technological development and legal doctrine, with a particular focus on civil rights online, intellectual property, and the first amendment.”
Lawrence Lessig
http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/lessig/blog/:
The weblog of Stanford Law School Professor Lawrence Lessig.
SCOTUSBlog
http://www.goldsteinhowe.com/blog/:
The weblog of the Washington, D.C. law firm Goldstein & Howe. It focuses on issues before the Supreme Court of the United States and other federal courts.
A Taxing Blog
http://taxpolicy.blogspot.com:
Billed as a "tax policy blog for tax profs, policy wonks, and other shameless tax nerds." Created by Columbia Law School Professor Victor Fleischer and Santa Clara University School of Law Professor Jeffrey H. Kahn.
The Volokh Conspiracy
http://volokh.blogspot.com: The weblog of UCLA Law School Professor Eugene Volokh and friends.
(Compiled and edited by Michael Jimenez, jimenez@law.harvard.edu.)
May 27: Search Engine Update
Google (http://www.google.com) with its clean, easy-to-use interface now dominates the highly competitive search engine market with upwards of 250 million searches run per day. Despite the additional coverage, different search result ranking and unique search features offered by its competitors, Google has quickly become the only search engine used by many researchers. In addition to exploring alternative search engines, researchers should consider taking advantage of the advanced features offered by most search engines such as Boolean searching, advanced search templates and search commands.
Search engine reviews, tips and feature charts:
Search Engine Showdown
http://www.searchengineshowdown.com
SearchEngineWatch.com
http://searchenginewatch.com
Leading Google alternatives:
AlltheWeb (FAST)
http://www.alltheweb.com: AlltheWeb offers separate tabs for searching the web, news sources, pictures,
video, audio and ftp files. Each tab has its own advanced search template.
The "convert:" search command allows you to convert between
measurements. For instance, use the command "convert:200 lbs"
to convert from pounds to kilograms.
AltaVista
http://www.altavista.com: AltaVista is the only search engine offering truncation (*), proximity
searching (near) and case sensitivity. AltaVista offers rudimentary translation
of English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese,
Korean and Russian.
HotBot (Inktomi)
http://www.hotbot.com: HotBot offers a unique multi-interface search. Search using the FAST,
Google, Inktomi and Teoma search engines.
Teoma
http://www.teoma.com: Teoma offers limited Boolean searching but an excellent advanced search
template. The refine feature offers suggestions on narrowing your search
to specific topics.
(Compiled and edited by Michael Jimenez, jimenez@law.harvard.edu.)
June 9: Identity Theft
The 1990s gave rise to a new kind of crime called identity theft. Identity theft occurs when someone appropriates another person's personal information to take on that individual’s identity. According to the National Identity Theft Resource Center, an estimated 700,000 U.S. consumers became victims of identity theft during 2002. The following list includes Web sites about identity theft as well as state and federal initiatives to combat the crime.
Identity Theft
http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft:
The U.S. government's central Web site for information about identity theft provides state and federal legislation, examples of cases and scams, the new ID theft affidavit, a downloadable complaint form, and a brief video about identity theft.
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
http://www.privacyrights.org/index.htm:
Provides fact sheets with practical tips on safeguarding personal privacy as well as speeches and testimony from legislative hearings about the issue. Offers information about Internet privacy, identity theft, telemarketing, junk mail, medical records, and workplace privacy.
Identity Theft Resource Center
http://www.idtheftcenter.org/:
Provides links to current laws, scams and consumer alerts, information for law enforcement officials, and a reference library (including links to speeches, articles and testimony, fact sheets and contact information for the credit reporting agencies).
Identity Theft and Identity Fraud
http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html:
Provides links to several cases involving identity theft as well as a link to the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998. Gives links to government and non-governmental sites pertaining to identity theft as well as a checklist for people who believe they have fallen victim to this crime.
(Compiled and edited by Elizabeth Lambert, elambert@law.harvard.edu.)
June 23: “Do Not Call” Registries
The Federal Trade Commission amended the Telemarketing Sales Rule to provide consumers with a choice about the number of telemarketing calls they receive. Starting in July 2003, consumers will be able to register their telephone numbers on the national “do not call” registry. Subsequently, telemarketers will be required to access the registry and “scrub” their call lists clean of the registered numbers. Many states, such as Massachusetts, have already initiated such registries, and the federal law is designed to work with them. The following list includes Web sites about federal and state “do not call” registries and links to legislative documents relating to the new federal initiative.
Federal Trade Commission - The "Do Not Call" Registry
http://www.ftc.gov/donotcall:
The U.S. government's central Web site for information about the federal “do not call” registry. Provides a calendar of implementation, a link to the online registration, fact sheets for consumers and businesses, and a warning about “do not call” registry scams.
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce
http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/news/01292003_773.htm:
Provides information about the federal “do not call” initiative and links to the associated bills, witness statement, and hearing.
Mass Office of Consumer Affairs – “Do Not Call” Program
https://www.madonotcall.govconnect.com/Welcome.asp:
Massachusetts’s central Web site for information about the Massachusetts “do not call” program (in effect since January 1, 2003). Provides online registration, consumer and solicitor information, information about filing a complaint, and links to the state and federal laws, as well as the accompanying state regulations implemented by the Office of Consumer Affairs.
State Do Not Call Lists
http://www.the-dma.org/government/donotcalllists.shtml:
State “do not call” lists (current through June 2003). Lists all fifty states, links to each state’s “do not call” list registry (if one is available), and provides information about when the registry went or will go into effect.
(Compiled and edited by Elizabeth Lambert, elambert@law.harvard.edu.)
July 7: Summer Reading
There is no shortage of online suggestions for summer reading. There are the following standard sources:
National Public Radio
http://www.npr.org/news/specials/summerbooks2003/index.html:
Not one list but many, including recommendations from NPR personalities and lists of biographies, light reading, and children’s books from All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, and Talk of the Nation.
New York Times Book Review
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/01/books/review/summer-reading-list-fiction.html:
You’ll need to register, but it’s free and well worth the trouble. This list includes books reviewed since the December 2002 Holiday Books list, which is also accessible from this page. Clicking on a book title takes you to a review. There are also links to summer reading lists of books in cooking, gardening and travel.
A new, less traditional approach is searching for books by plot, theme, style, setting, or mood:
AllReaders
http://allreaders.com: Created by Steven Gordon, a Harvard Law graduate and unpublished author, AllReaders provides detailed search templates to help you find a book in the categories of SciFi/Fantasy, Mystery/Thriller, Literature, Romance, Biography, and History.
WhichBook
http://www.whichbook.net/index.jsp:
Whichbook, a UK site, seems to cover only novels in offering “a completely new way of choosing what to read.” By degree the reader can select such characteristics as happy-sad, short-long, conventional-unusual, sex-no sex, or define aspects of character, plot or setting. Whichbook also has an audio book search.
What are bloggers reading?*
All Consuming
http://www.allconsuming.net/
Bookwatch
http://onfocus.com/bookwatch/
All Consuming and Bookwatch monitor newly updated weblogs for links to books at Amazon.com (All Consuming) and at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or Powells (Bookwatch). AllConsuming also has a list of the Top 100 Most Frequently Mentioned Books of 2002 and links to other best books of 2002 lists from more traditional sources such as the
New York Times, Amazon, and Borders.
Is it the book for you? Find a review.
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com: The Web site includes all reviews back to 1996.
New York Times via LexisNexis (NEWS;NYT)
http://www.lexis.com/research/xlink?searchtype=bo&source=news;nyt:
LexisNexis provides the New York Times in full text from June 1, 1980, through current issues; in abstract only from January 1, 1969 - May 31, 1980.
Search suggestion:
section(book) and kennedy w/10 interracial
New York Times, 1851-1999, via ProQuest Historical Newspapers
http://80-hn.umi.com.ezp1.harvard.edu/pqdweb?RQT=306&AdvSearch=1&TS=1057686381:
Book Review Index via Westlaw (BRI)
http://www.westlaw.com/search/default.asp?DB=bri&RS=WLW3.0&VR=2.6
From 1969, Book Review Index provides citations to reviews in over 500 periodicals.
Search suggestions:
au(singer, joseph w!)
ti(“world made new”)
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/: Amazon is very useful for quickly finding descriptive reviews. After finding the book you want to read about, click on the title then See More Product Details to find Editorial Reviews from journals such as
Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, or Amazon.com and Spotlight Reviews by any reader who posts one.
* What’s a blogger? See Legal
Weblogs
(Prepared by Janet Katz, katz@law.harvard.edu.)
July 21: Judicial Selection–News, Information and Analysis on the Web
Alliance for Justice.org
http://www.allianceforjustice.org/judicial/index.html
The Judicial Selection Project of the AFJ, a coalition of nonprofit national advocacy organizations, maintains an archive of judicial selection news stories and is a valuable source of information on current federal judicial vacancies and active federal judges which for the latter includes demographic data, confirmation date and appointing President.
IndependentJudiciary.com, another AFJ
Web site, features pending nomination status reports that include nominee education and employment information and strongly evaluative assessments of nominee records on high profile legal issues.
American Judicature Society. Elmo B. Hunter Citizens Center for Judicial Selection
http://www.ajs.org/selection/index.asp
Established in 1991, the Hunter Center conducts research and disseminates information on a variety of significant judicial selection issues concerning both federal and state courts. Topics of particular interest are demographic diversity as a factor in the merit selection process, reliance on nominating commissions by the U.S. Senate to identify candidates for federal judgeships and the midterm appointment process in states for which competitive elections are the basis for selection of judicial officials. Links to other sites offering federal judiciary information on court vacancies, on the status of current nominations and nomination/confirmation statistics are also provided. In addition, supported by funding from the Open Society Institute the American Judicature Society provides information on the methods of judicial selection and retention of the judges of state appellate courts and trial courts of general jurisdiction for every state. Detailed tabular descriptions of merit selection plans and nominating commission procedures are presented for those states employing “merit selection” of judges. Other state-by-state judicial selection topics covered include selection reform efforts, roles of political parties, lobbyists and professional organizations in judicial selection and current selection controversies.
JudicialSelection.org
http://www.judicialselection.org
Maintained by the Free Congress Foundation, this site is a news and commentary clearinghouse devoted to national and local media coverage of current developments in the area of judicial selection. A “They Said It” speaker and topic drop menu enables retrieval of quotes from individual commentators and media or other organizational sources on a range of judicial selection issues. Also provided are various current and retrospective tables and charts of federal court vacancies, nominations, confirmations and judicial appointments by sitting President.
National Center for State Courts
http://www.ncsconline.org
Useful information available through the NCSC Web site is presented in the form of short bibliographic essay “responses” to FAQ’s about state judicial selection and retention. The relevant sections of publications cited as sources for the responses are given and generally, when the publications are government documents, online full text or chart and table links are provided as well. A separate “Publications” link affords online full text access to NCSC’s own materials on judicial selection and retention and also frequently to the sources they cite. To reach the “FAQ’s” and “Publications” click “Court Information by Topic” on the NCSC home page and select the “Judges and Parajudicial Officers” folder.
(Compiled and edited by Terry Swanlund, swanlund@law.harvard.edu.)
August 4: Jewish Law
A new site, http://atomicsoftware.com/word, searches keywords or phrases in English translations of four major religious texts,
"the Islamic Qur’an, the Jewish Tanakh, the Christian New Testament, and eleven Hindu
Upanishads," singly or together. Does it go without saying that a translation may be considered an interpretation? Word’s founder and the Internet
Web sites listed below stress their use of public domain editions.
Jewish Law Sources
TaNaKh is an acronym of Torah (Five Books of Moses), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings),
also known as the Old Testament.
http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0.htm:
"A Hebrew-English Bible According to the Masoretic Text and the JPS 1917
Edition" displays large font voweled Hebrew opposite the Jewish Publication Society English translation.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud
"…A quiet place in cyberspace devoted to religious tolerance and
scholarship" includes versions in transliteration without vowels, transliteration with vowels, Hebrew Unicode without vowels, and English translation.
Talmud
http://www.mechon-mamre.org/b/l/l0.htm and
http://www.mechon-mamre.org/b/r/r0.htm
Hebrew texts of the Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud. Search the site with a Hebrew keyboard at
http://www.mechon-mamre.org/searchgh.htm.
http://www.snunit.k12.il/kodesh/.index.html:
Hebrew texts of the Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud from Snunit, founded at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/talmud.htm:
English translation by Rodkinson, approximately one third of the Babylonian Talmud,
" an abridgement for modern readers," sections dealing with festivals and jurisprudence.
Eliezer Segal’s Image Maps and Interactive Pages
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/InterAct.html:
Illustrates and explains in English the elements of standard printed pages from principal Jewish law texts. For example,
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/TalmudMap/Maimonides.html is a text page from Maimonides (1135-1204) Mishneh Torah, a codified restatement of the oral law.
The Responsa Project, Bar-Ilan University
Law School : Microform Room BM 522 .A1 R47x 1999
CD-ROM version 8 (1999), HOLLIS number 8561815
Widener : Harvard Depository JCDROM 463 [Consult Judaica Division]
CD-ROM version 10 (2002), HOLLIS number 8989905
http://www.biu.ac.il/ICJI/Responsa/books.htm
Provides an overview of the Jewish law literature in its cumulative contents list of the Responsa Project’s version 11 (2003).
Jewish Law: Examining Halacha, Jewish Issues and Secular Law
http://www.jlaw.com: Since 1997, the
site includes a summary of cases, statutes, and policy issues at the intersection of Jewish and American law;
it also compiles Halacha-compliant legal forms. One July 2003 Commentary/Opinion posting:
"Professional Confidentiality in Jewish Law."
(Compiled by Naomi Ronen, ronen@law.harvard.edu.)
August 18: Canon Law
HOLLIS e-resource Religion Index from the American Theological Library Association (ATLA) indexes journal articles, essays, books, and book reviews in the field of religion, from 1949 to date, covering many religions and many theological points of view. Access from outside the Library requires a Harvard ID and PIN. Go to http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.eresource:religind.
The subjects assigned are close to the Library of Congress Subject Headings of the HOLLIS Catalog, so search canon law in SUbject (or islamic law rather than sharia or jewish law rather than mishpat ivri in SUbject). Try searching charles donahue or frank vogel or hanina ben menahem in AUthor.
There are links from Religion Index entries to page images in over fifty of the journals indexed. For more electronic journal titles to which Harvard Libraries subscribe, please check “the basic list of e-journals” at http://lib.harvard.edu/e-resources/type/electronic_journals/index.html and the “EJ2: Supplementary List of E-Journals” at http://sfx.hul.harvard.edu:82/sfx_local-e-collection/e-journals-2.html.
Canon Law Sources
Bible.
Biblia Sacra Vulgata.
The Gutenberg Bible at http://www.gutenbergdigital.de,
is an amazing digitization of the Göttingen copy, with supplementary materials including
“Passages from the Bible: A selection of well-known Bible texts from the Bible compared to the original
Hebrew and Greek text and Translations” and the “Model Book for painting manuscripts which was used to illuminate the Göttingen Bible.”
Die Bibel, nach der Übersetzung Martin Luthers http://www.intratext.com/X/DEU0019.HTM or http://www.hti.umich.edu/l/luther contains New Testament (1522) and Old Testament (1534) from Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft 1984 publication.
and
The Bible in English (Lion) (990-1970).
http://nr.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.eresource:bibleeng. A HOLLIS e-resource of twenty different versions from the tenth through twentieth centuries.
Decretum Gratiani (Kirchenrechtssamlung).
http://mdz.bib-bvb.de/digbib/gratian
This is a collection of texts by twelfth-century Benedictine monk Gratian and is in Latin only. Digitized Emil Friedberg edition (1879-1881), cf.,
Law Library holdings Rare CANON 203R E79 and Mic CANON 905.01 CAN66 1987 no. 184.
Catholic Church. Codex Juris Canonici.
The Latin Codex Iuris Canonici 1983 at http://www.intratext.com/X/LAT0010.HTM
is the Latin text of the 1983 Code of Canon Law. As with all the intratext.com titles listed here,
it contains “the hypertextualized text together with wordlists and concordances.”
The English translation is available at http://www.intratext.com/X/ENG0017.HTM. “The IntraText Digital Library Project does not process or publish text, images or any kind of material that is offensive to the human dignity.”
Patrologia Latina Database.
http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-e:hul.eresource:patrolat
Another HOLLIS e-resource, this electronic version of Jacques-Paul Migne’s
Patrologiae Cursus Completus (1844-1855)
covers “works of the Church Fathers” to the early thirteenth century.
(Compiled by Naomi Ronen, ronen@law.harvard.edu.)
September 2: Islamic Law Primary Sources
The Qur’an
The Qur’an is the sacred text of Islam revealed to the Prophet
Muhammad in the seventh century.
http://quran.al-islam.com/Targama/dispTargam.asp?nType=1&nSeg=0&l=eng&nSora=1&nAya=1&t=eng
Arabic text with facing English translation, choice of translations to
five other languages, and recitations by al-Husari and al-Hudhaifi.
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran
Transliterated Arabic and three English translations by Yusuf Ali, M.M.
Pichthall, and M.H. Shakir.
http://www.hti.umich.edu/k/koran
Fully indexed English translation by M.H. Shakir at the University of
Michigan’s Humanities Text Initiative.
Manuscripts
http://faculty.washington.edu/wheelerb/quran/quran_index.html
A collection of digital Qur’anic manuscript pages gathered by Brannon
Wheeler at the University of Washington.
http://www.bl.uk/collections/treasures/news.html
Sultan Baybars’ Qur’an, a fourteenth century Cairene manuscript
at the British Library. With page turning, enlarged manuscript details,
and commentary; requires Macromedia Shockwave.
Hadith
The Hadith are the reported words and acts of the Prophet Muhammad.
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari
A translation of Sahih Bukhari.
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muslim
A translation of Sahih Muslim.
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muwatta
A translation of Malik’s Muwatta.
(Compiled by Naomi Ronen, ronen@law.harvard.edu.)
September 15: U.S. Federal Administrative Agencies
Locating information about and decisions and other actions of U.S. federal agencies.
U.S. Government Manual
(http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/)
Official handbook of the U.S. federal government. Provides comprehensive
information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive
branches. Also includes information on quasi-official agencies, international
organizations in which the United States participates, and boards, commissions,
and committees.
U.S. Federal
Government Agency List
(http://www.lib.lsu.edu/govdocs/federal/list)
Provides annotated links to federal agency web pages. Organized alphabetically
by agency name. Prepared and maintained by the LSU Libraries.
Federal Administrative
Decisions & Other Actions
(http://www.law.virginia.edu/admindec)
Provides comprehensive and exhaustive linking to administrative decisions,
etc. posted by agencies to their web pages including links to agency
electronic FOIA reading rooms. Organized by agency name and by subject.
Prepared and maintained by the University of Virginia School of Law Morris
Law Library.
Office
of the Federal Register (NARA)
(http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/about/regulations_and_notices.html)
GPO Access
(http://www.gpoaccess.gov)
The Office of the Federal Register, in partnership with the U.S. Government
Printing Office (GPO), provides online access to the Federal Register,
the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), the United States Government Manual,
the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents and the Public Papers
of the Presidents. Most publications may be browsed as well as searched
and are available in text and PDF scanned image formats.
(Compiled by Michael Jimenez, jimenez@law.harvard.edu)
September 29: Disasters: Preparedness and Response
"If the thunder don’t get you the lightning will"*
U. S. Government Sites
From the Federal Citizen Information Center’s A Citizen Guide to Disaster Preparedness to the Department of Education’s Emergency Preparedness Plans for Schools our government has a wealth of online information about preparation for and coping with disasters, natural and those caused by human beings.
Ready.gov
(http://www.ready.gov)
From the Department of Homeland Security, Ready.gov presents a three-step plan for preparing for terrorist attacks: Make a kit of emergency supplies; make a plan for what you will do in an emergency; and be informed about what might happen, covering topics such as biological threat, explosions, and nuclear blast. There are useful links to other sites: U.S. government , non-profit organizations, and state agencies.
Department of Health and Human Services
(http://www.hhs.gov/disasters/index.shtml)
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides an index to topics on Disasters and Emergencies, such as Biological, Chemical and Radiological Weapons, Natural Disasters/Extreme Weather, and Mental Health and Traumatic Events. Links connect to materials housed on sites including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Medlineplus, and Healthfinder.gov.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response
(http://www.bt.cdc.gov)
Emergency preparedness topics include Hurricanes (How to Store Food Safely; Dealing with Wild and Domestic Animals); Plague; Radiation Emergencies; Sarin Nerve Gas.
FEMA’s Virtual Library and Electronic Reading Room
(http://www.fema.gov/library/)
American Red Cross Disaster Services
(http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_500_,00.html)
Topics include preparing for terrorism, floods, animal safety, making a personal workplace disaster supplies kit, services.
Global
ProVention Consortium
(http://www.proventionconsortium.org)
A World Bank organization, the ProVention Consortium is a "global coalition of governments international organizations, academic institutions, the private sector and civil society organizations dedicated to increasing the safety of vulnerable communities and to reducing the impact of disasters in developing countries." The site features materials on using disaster risk management to mitigate the impact of potential catastrophes, including grant opportunities, a good toolkit for risk assessment, and other resources.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
(http://www.ifrc.org/publicat/index.asp)
A summary of the World Disasters Report 2003 is available on this site, examining ethical issues resulting from emergencies such as post-conflict situations and natural disasters and analyzing the effect of donations on the aid industry, humanitarian principles and vulnerable people.
Health Library for Disasters
(http://www.helid.desastres.net/cgi-bin/library.exe)
A project of the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization, Health Library for Disasters provides texts on preparedness, mitigation, and response to all kinds of disasters. The page is in English, Spanish, and French.
*The Wheel. Robert Hunter/Jerry Garcia
(Compiled by Janet Katz, katz@law.harvard.edu.)
October 13: Legal Periodicals Coverage by Major Non-legal Databases
Significant indexing and full-text access are provided for legal periodicals and law-related articles by the following Harvard Libraries E-resources. This coverage is an important complement to that offered by the most frequently consulted legal periodicals indexing databases, LegalTrac, Index to Legal Periodicals & Books and the Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals.
Academic
Search Premiere (EBSCOhost)
(http://lib.harvard.edu/e-resources/details/e/ebscoasp.html)
This multi-disciplinary database replaced ProQuest Research Library (UMI) as a Harvard Libraries E-resource in July of 2003. Search options include author, title, source publication, keyword and when applicable, full-text. Indexing covers the complete contents of roughly 300 legal and law-related periodical titles for most of which links to full text are provided. Although typically restricted to very recent years, the PDF file availability provided by Academic Search Premiere is for many titles unique among the alternative E-resources that offer full text coverage. Full text periodical titles and coverage dates appear in the E-resource EJ2: Supplementary List.
Factiva.com
(http://lib.harvard.edu/e-resources/details/f/factivac.html)
Widely known for its coverage of business and financial news and information sources, Factiva also provides access to a significant number of full text legal and law related publications searchable as a group or individually. In addition to recent issues of many law journals, legal newspapers and specialized litigation reporters are particularly noteworthy for their inclusion in this database. The “Legal Publications” group file and the individual titles listed within it can be reached as follows: On the search screen under “Source lookup” click “Factiva Groups”. A “Publications” drop menu will appear. Scroll to “Publications-Types”. “Legal Publications” will then appear in a list under “Select Factiva Group Category”. Click the plus sign to its left to display the individual titles it includes. At present these Factiva holdings are recorded in neither the list of Harvard Libraries E-resources nor the HOLLIS Catalog.
Periodicals Contents Index
(http://lib.harvard.edu/e-resources/details/p/perconti.html)
The Periodicals Contents Index (PCI) is a large and growing retrospective indexing database of the contents of many English and European language humanities and social science journals. In its list of journal titles by broad subject area, it currently includes about 230 journals under the category – law. Coverage dates extend from initial issues until 1990/91. The table of contents pages of individual journals can be browsed chronologically or all journals can be simultaneously keyword or phrase searched by author, journal title or article title. Although not a full text-available database, PCI provides valuable cite checking information not to be found in the retrospectively limited legal periodicals indexes or in the largely U.S.- focused Hein Online Legal Journal Collection.
Philosopher’s
Index
(http://lib.harvard.edu/e-resources/details/p/philoind.html)
Encompassing 30 languages, Philosopher’s Index is the premiere international indexing/abstracting source for articles, treatises and anthologies in philosophy. Coverage ranges from 1940 to the present with quarterly updating. Philosopher’s Index is of interest to legal scholars because the treatment from a philosophical perspective of topics such as law and economics, law and literature, property rights, ethics and natural law to which it provides access is only marginally represented in the legal secondary source literature. Searches can be conducted by word/phrase in a “Words Anywhere”, “free text” field or alternatively in individually indexed fields that include author, reviewer, personal name as subject, journal title and descriptors (subject).
(Compiled by Terry Swanlund, swanlund@law.harvard.edu.)
October 24: U.S. Crime Statistics on the Web
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS)
(http://www.ncjrs.org)
NCJRS is a federally funded resource that organizes, publishes and compiles documents pertaining to criminal and juvenile justice. The NCJRS
Abstracts Database allows you to search the abstracts of over 180,000 sources such as statistics, research findings, and congressional hearing transcripts. The site also allows you to search for full-text publications through the NCJRS
Virtual Library.
Uniform Crime Reports
(http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm)
The Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) Program collects data on known offenses and persons arrested by police departments. Several annual statistical publications, such as Crime in the United States, Hate Crime Statistics, and Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, are produced from the information provided by nearly 17,000 law enforcement agencies across the country. The UCR web site currently provides online access to the three aforementioned publications (some in PDF format) for the years 1995/1996 - 2001.
Bureau of Justice Statistics
(http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/welcome.html)
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is a unit of the U.S. Department of Justice that collects, analyzes, publishes, and disseminates information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government.This site allows you to search for statistics by subject, title, or keyword. The related Federal
Justice Statistics Program database contains data about suspects and defendants processed in the Federal criminal justice system.
Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics
(http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/)
Published annually since 1973, the Sourcebook presents statistical data from public and private agencies, such as law enforcement offices, academic institutions, and public opinion polling firms. The web site provides access to the statistical tables through keyword searches, the table of contents, the table and figure list, or the subject index. The site currently provides the information contained in the 2001 Sourcebook, with changes being made to the site as tables are prepared for the 2002 edition.
Note: this page can be used in conjunction with the January 22, 2001 online update, Criminal Justice Statistics.
(Compiled and edited by Elizabeth Lambert, elambert@law.harvard.edu)
November 10: Legal History Olio
Accessible Archives
(http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.eresource:accarchv)
Includes full text of The Pennsylvania Gazette, 1728-1800, “considered The New York Times of the 18th
century,” and of 19th century African American Newspapers. From the HOLLIS e-resources page
http://lib.harvard.edu/e-resources/index.html, browse by Type Newsmedia for databases with historical files
such as PDF of The New York Times, 1851-1999, and Wall Street Journal, 1890-1985.
The Avalon Project at Yale Law School : Documents
in Law, History and Diplomacy
(http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon.htm)
Menus arranged by century--pre-18th through 21st, and by major Document Collection. Alphabetical lists by
author, subject, title, Common Names. Search the full text of the entire archive or selected
sub-sections. Project adds “value to the text by linking to supporting documents expressly referred to in
the body of the text.”
A Century of Lawmaking For a New Nation : U.S.
Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875
(http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lawhome.html)
One of more than 100 Library of Congress American Memory Historical Collections of primary source material.
Digital images are divided into four categories: Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention,
Journals of Congress, Debates of Congress, and Statutes and Documents. “Using the Collection” at
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwusing.html explains search parameters--whether of full text or of
descriptive materials like indices and page headings.
H-Law List
(http://www.h-net.org/~law)
Sponsored by the American Society for Legal History, “solicits discussion of issues relating to teaching
and research in the history of all legal traditions.” ASLH’s Law and History Review is full text online
from v.17 (1999) at http://www.press.uillinois.edu/journals/lhr.html, from v.14 (1996) on Lexis & Westlaw,
from v.1 (1983) on Hein Online: The Modern Link to Legal History,
http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.eresource:heinlegj.
Federal Judges Biographical Database
(http://www.fjc.gov/newweb/jnetweb.nsf/hisj)
Biographies of federal judges since 1789 from the Federal Judicial Center. In addition to standard
biographical information, many entries include links to citations for “Manuscript sources” and “Oral
History,” e.g., Holmes, Frankfurter. Database also searchable by single or multiple “criteria” such as
nomination date and termination reason.
Jones & Chipman’s Index to Legal
Periodical Literature (1786-1922)
(http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.eresource:poolespl)
Select Jones & Chipman from the dropdown menu labeled Multi-title Periodical Indexes and Links (part of
HOLLIS e-resource Nineteenth Century Masterfile), e.g., author Story, Langdell. Searchable version of An
Index to Legal Periodical Literature, v.1-4, Reference K 33 .I53, predecessor of the Index to Legal
Periodicals (ILP).
Native American Constitution and Law Digitization Project
(http://thorpe.ou.edu)
Coordinated by The University of Oklahoma Law Library and The National Indian Law Library of the Native
American Rights Fund. Includes tribal constitutions and codes, and digital images of Felix S. Cohen’s
Handbook of Federal Indian Law, 1941 (copy is of the G.P.O. 1945, 4th printing).
OASIS
(http://oasis.harvard.edu/law.html)
Harvard Libraries’ Online Archival Search Information System includes finding aids for 114 of the
manuscript collections in the Harvard Law School Library, e.g., Cardozo, Kaufman.
(Compiled by Naomi Ronen, ronen@law.harvard.edu)
November 24: Supreme Court Farrago
Locating information on cases before the U.S. Supreme Court …
U.S. Supreme Court Docket
(http://www.supremecourtus.gov/docket/docket.html)
The U.S. Supreme Court automated docket system provides information on the
status of cases for both the current and prior Terms. New information appears
online the day after it is entered on the physical docket. Search for cases
by Supreme Court docket number, by lower court docket number, by case name
or by keyword.
U.S. Supreme Court Merit Briefs
(http://www.abanet.org/publiced/preview/briefs/home.html)
The U.S. Supreme Court merit briefs database contains briefs filed by the parties
in every case slated for oral argument. Merit briefs may be accessed by argument
date or by case name.
U.S. Supreme Court Argument Transcripts
(http://www.supremecourtus.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts.html)
The U.S. Supreme Court has created a permanent archive of oral argument transcripts.
New transcripts are posted within 10-15 business days after the close of the
argument session. Transcripts are available for cases argued during the October
2000 and subsequent Court Terms.
Oyez Project
(http://www.oyez.org)
The Oyez Project provides access to more than 2,000 hours of U.S. Supreme Court
audio. All audio recorded since 1995 is included. Before 1995, the audio collection
is selective. The Oyez Project aims to create a complete and authoritative
archive of Supreme Court audio covering the entire span from October 1955 through
the most recent release.
On the Docket
(http://journalism.medill.northwestern.edu/docket/)
"
The only news source that covers every single case before the Supreme Court." On
the Docket includes in-depth articles and other information compiled by
graduate students of the Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism
under the
direction of Professor Jack Doppelt.
Cases at a Glance
(http://www.abanet.org/publiced/preview/previewcaseglancehome.html)
Cases at a Glance offers an advance look at the issues raised in every
case slated for oral argument. Cases at a Glance are available for
the October 1999
Term to the present and are prepared by the editors of Supreme Court Preview published
by the ABA Division for Public Education.
FindLaw Supreme
Court Docket
(http://supreme.findlaw.com/supreme_court/docket/index.html)
One-stop shopping for information on cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Information
for each case includes the questions presented, as well as links to briefs,
its Supreme Court docket, related lower court decisions and its coverage in
On the Docket from the Medill School of Journalism.
U.S. Supreme Court News
(http://www.willamette.edu/wucl/wlo/us-supreme/index.htm)
Willamette Law Online provides same-day summaries of certiorari granted, oral arguments, and decisions published by the U.S. Supreme Court. Subscribe to the WLO update service to receive summaries by e-mail.
liibulletin
(http://www.law.cornell.edu/focus/bulletins.html)
Subscribe to the liibulletin, produced by the Legal Information Institute
of Cornell Law School, and receive an e-mail bulletin containing the syllabi
of U.S. Supreme Court decisions within hours of their release.
USSC+ Express
(http://www.usscplus.com/express/)
Subscribe to USSC+ Express and receive an e-mail digest of recently decided
U.S. Supreme Court cases. Each e-mail contains a subject matter designation
for the case, a one paragraph summary of the opinion and a link to the full
text of the opinion.
(Compiled and edited by Michael Jimenez, jimenez@law.harvard.edu)
December 8: Food Law Mélange
For many, the holiday season is a time to enjoy food, family and fun. The following is a select list of online sources pertaining to food law and history.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
(http://www.fda.gov)
The FDA is the administrative agency responsible for protecting the safety
of the country's food supply. The FDA web-site provides an extensive amount
of primary and secondary source information including: the Federal Register
(searchable from March 1998 to present), Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations
(full text searchable), FDA manuals, FDA publications, the text of FDA speeches
(from 1995 to present as well as select older speeches), and more than twenty
FDA online e-newsletters. The FDA site also provides a link to its division
of docket management, which serves as the official repository for the administrative
proceedings and rule-making documents for the FDA.
Center for Food Safety and Applied
Nutrition (CFSAN)
(http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/list.html)
CFSAN is one of six product-based centers that carry out the goals of the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA). Among other things, the CFSAN site provides
a comment board for submitting written comments regarding a proposed FDA regulation.
The site also provides links to National Food Safety Programs (such as the
Product and Import Safety Initiative), Program Areas (such as Food Labeling
and Nutrition), Special Interest Areas (such as Seniors and Women), and a variety
of other sources pertaining to food regulation and nutrition.
Legal Information Institute
(http://www.law.cornell.edu/topics/food_drugs.html)
Provides an overview and history of food and drug law in the United States,
and includes citations to the major laws impacting the industry. Provides links
to federal statutes, regulations, and court decisions pertaining to food regulation,
as well as state statutes and judicial decisions in this field.
Sundry
Goods and Needfull Ordinances: Food & Drink in the Law Library
(http://www.law.harvard.edu/library/collections/special/publications/food/)
A sampling of books, manuscripts and photographs from the Law Library's Special
Collections, covering the period from the thirteenth through the early twentieth
centuries. Contents include: Introduction; Bread, Beer & Ale; Public Consumption
of Alcoholic Beverages; Meat & Fish; Sugar & Spice -- Condiments & Caffeine;
Other Foods; Provisions & Institutional Food; Food & Religious Law;
Banquets; and Illustrations.
(Compiled and edited by Elizabeth Lambert, elambert@law.harvard.edu)
December 22: Finding Information About Other Countries: Part 1, Library of Congress
Library
of Congress Global Gateway
(http://international.loc.gov/intldl/intldlhome.html)
The Library of Congress's Global Gateway provides several points of access
to various kinds of information about the nations of the world, including:
Portals to
the World
(http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/portals.html)
Library of Congress subject specialists present selected links to electronic
resources from around the world. Organized by country or area, the links for
each are classified into a broad range of subject categories, such as: history; government, politics, and law; literature and culture; news and current events;
libraries and archives; business, commerce, and economy; education; geography
and environment; health; media and communications; national security; recreation
and travel; religion and philosophy. The project currently has links to information
about 190 countries, including USA resources in Spanish.
Global Legal Information Network (GLIN)
(http://www.loc.gov/law/glin/)
Guide to Law Online
(http://www.loc.gov/law/guide/index.html)
Only the governments and organizations that are members of the Global Legal
Information Network (GLIN) have access to the full texts of the official laws,
regulations, and other legal sources contributed to the database by their governments
of origin. Non-member site guests, however, have access to summaries and citation
information in English, with text in a second language sometimes available.
Searching is by jurisdiction, subject, date, type of legal instrument, or by
a combination of these elements.
Also on GLIN, the US Law Library of Congress maintains the Guide to Law, an indexed compilation of links to online resources of legal information worldwide. Most of the resources have brief annotations, and all are free. The index has four sections: US, Nations, International and Multinational, and Subjects. The largest section is Nations, which offers links to the online constitution; executive, legislative, and judicial branch materials; legal guides; and general resources for over 200 countries.
Federal Research Division Country
Studies
(http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/)
This website contains the on-line versions of books previously published in
the Country Studies/Area Handbook Series sponsored by the U.S. Department of
the Army between 1988 and 1998. About 101 countries and regions are covered.
Each study offers a comprehensive "description and analysis of the historical
setting and the social, economic, political, and national security systems
and institutions of countries throughout the world and examines the interrelationships
of those systems and the ways they are shaped by cultural factors." The
site cautions the user to be aware of the currency of the information by checking the "Research Completed" date at the beginning
of each study or the "Data as of" date at the end of each section
of text. The site retains studies of some countries that no longer exist in
the form studied, such as East Germany and the Soviet Union, for their historical value to researchers.
The focus of the Country Studies/Area Handbook Series was on lesser-known areas
of the world, including potential sites of armed forces activity, making the
site an especially good source of uncommon knowledge, but also limiting its
inclusiveness.
Centers
for International Research
(http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/int-gateway.html)
In addition to describing their collections and services, the home pages for
each Area Studies Reading Room provide links to information about the countries
in the area, information on doing country research, and such useful resources
as Transliteration Tables for African and Middle Eastern Languages.
(Compiled and edited by Janet Katz, katz@law.harvard.edu)