UHLC Nota Bene

Being relatively new to the field of law librarianship, one thing I like to do, whenever I get the chance, is read older (i.e., before I entered the field) articles in journals, both law library-related and just law-related. It can be very rewarding to see how certain issues or positions have developed, or even discover that people 10, 20, or even more years ago were struggling with the same issues and had the same complaints we do today. It can also be very amusing to read older discussions about technology in these journals and compare them with where we are now. Personally, I started with Frank Houdek's wonderful piece " The Essential Law Library Journal " (100 Law Libr. J. 137 (2008)), and I've been working through the articles he lists, with some tangents along the way. One of my tangents led me to " The Final Report of the Task Force on Citation Formats ," which was published at 87 Law Libr. J. 577-633 in 1995. Although the Report itself was very enlig...

News reports of the last few weeks have been primarily focused on two areas: the turmoil in the Middle East (for once, and thankfully, not referring to the ongoing Isreali-Palestinian conflict) and collective bargaining agreements (or CBAs). And the latter is not only referring to the political conflict that is taking place in midwestern American states such as Wisconsin and Ohio, but even sports reports are filled with references to the ongoing negotiations between the National Football League (NFL) and the NFL Player's Association, or fears that the National Basketball Association will suffer a lockout because of a failure to reach agreement on a new CBA. All of these reports got me searching the Internet to see what kind of resources were available so I'd be ready when the inevitable patron comes to the Reference Desk asking about CBAs. My searches led me to a wonderful guide from Cornell University called Labor Unions and the Internet . Designed using the LibGuides platform...

Entertainment law scholars and practitioners as well as fans of pop music in general should check out a new resource from the Center for Empirical Research in the Law at Washington University Law School. The Discography: Legal Encyclopedia of Popular Music contains summaries of over 2,400 court opinions about the music industry, covering almost 200 years, on a wide range of topics “from sampling and fair use, to tax deductions for black leather pants.” Researchers can search for opinions by case name, by artists or parties such as producers and record labels, or by topics like bankruptcy, contracts, or torts. Results can also be limited by jurisdiction and date. In addition, the website features a blog and a legal music news section.

President Obama’s proposed 2012 Budget, unveiled on Monday, has been receiving a great deal of attention in the last couple of days. If you are interested in finding out more about which programs may be cut or emphasized under the plan, the document is available on the Government Printing Office’s website . The Budget contains the Budget Message of the President, information about the President’s priorities, budget overviews organized by agency, and summary tables. The GPO website also provides access to other related documents such as Analytical Perspectives, Historical Tables, and an Appendix containing detailed financial information. Prior Budgets are also available going back to 1996. There is also an interactive breakdown of the budget on the Office of Management and Budget website , which helps to visualize how the spending is allocated.

Our 24/7 access is reserved for the UH Law Center students, faculty, and staff only. Each night when we close the library, everybody needs to exit. Then those who qualified for this privilege can enter again with their COUGARONE CARDS by following this route: 1. Take either the elevator or the stairs across the hallway from 4 BLB, going down. (You will need your CougarOne card to operate the elevator or to go through the basement entrance.) 2. Look for the door with a card reader across the hallway from the office of the Houston Journal of Health Law and Policy or a similar door near the Public Interest Law Organization (PILO). Swipe your CougarOne card to gain entrance. 3. Take the stairs up and you will be in the Library again. To exit the library, please reverse the steps above. Remember that this access is limited to current members of the UHLC community only, so please do not allow anyone without a card to gain access by following you. We are fully aware of the fact that you may ...

Following the University of Houston Emergency Communications' decision, the O’Quinn Law Library is closed between 3:00 p.m., Thursday, February 3rd and 12 p.m., Friday, February 4th, 2011. For any later change please check here . Althought there is no libray service when the Library is closed, UH Law Center students with their CougarOne cards should still be able to enter the library via the Student Organizations area.

Since 1926 the United States Code has comprised of 50 titles compiling and codifying the general and permanent federal law, but with the enactment of Public Law 111-314 on December 18, 2010 a new title 51, National and Commercial Space Programs , has been added. In addition the U.S. House of Representatives Office of Law Revision Counsel has produced draft texts to expand the U.S. Code further and add titles 52-55 and to reorganize some existing titles.