It's Gonna Be OK

Have you ever felt like the world was out to get you?  I mean, some days, it’s not worth even getting out of bed.  The other day I had a young lady come into the library who had just lost her job, her husband was threatening to leave, kids were sick, house payment due, in-laws on her back, credit shot all to heck and to top it off she finds she is getting sued for not paying on a credit card.  She was beyond the point of wanting to just scream at the top of her lungs. 

Good thing she was able to make it to the law library before she popped.  Quick as a wink, I guided her over to California Forms of Pleading and Practice (Lexis), showed her how to work the index (A-Z), and helped her find the chapter on  Contracts (specifically, how to respond to a complaint for breach of contract and common counts (because she was being sued for not paying on a credit card).  In no time at all, she was working her way to a more zen frame of mind and a resolution of at least one of her problems.

Maybe you have similar problems.  Maybe your neighbor’s dog tore your favorite pair of pants (while you were still wearing them).  Maybe your kid is being bullied at school or maybe your boss is just being a royal pain in the tuckus.  Whatever the reason(s), just know that the good folks at your local county law library are always there to help you solve (or resolve) your most pressing legal research problems.

Dinner Time!

When "most" people think of dinner, they see stuff they can eat with their mouth, tongue, teeth, taste buds.  The problem with "most" people is that they don't realize that there is more to consumption than filling the belly.  You can consume knowledge (i.e. food for the mind); you can work out and your body consumes energy; you can soak up the sun on the wind swept sands of the beach; you can even drink in the love of a significant other.

Yesterday I received the latest edition of the September/October edition of the American Association of Law Librarian (AALL) Spectrum in all of it's radiant glory.  The AALL Spectrum is the trade periodical for law Librarians the world over.  Generally it is a magazine written by Librarians for Librarians.  

The one piece that really got my attention was the article Is it Cheaper Online: tracking a library e-conversion by LaJean Humphries.  See, years ago (back when online materials were just getting started), the publishers came to universities and government law libraries and said that if they converted to online, the cost of print resources would go down.  That never happened and, in fact, the cost of print resources have risen with the cost of online stuff making this article that much more interesting what with the increased demand for online resources such as e-books.  Ms. Humphries details her conversion efforts from print to online.  While I personally prefer print over online resources, Ms. Humphires notes that:

electronic books share the ability to hyperlink, allowing users to instantly pull up linked cases, statutes, etc., where in the past the user would have gotten up, gone to the library bookshelf, found the case reporter or statute volume, looked up the case or statute, and read it. This added time efficiency at least partially compensates for the increased costs.

So, while the actual cost of online resources may be more than the print, apparently, the ease of access helps to off-set the increased budget demands.  Huh, something to think about.

Other helpful articles of note include:

• Hand in Hand with IBM Watson: how will augmented intelligence transform the way we work by Jean P. O'Grady (p. 18)
• Eruption, not Disruption: free tech for law librarians by Avery Le (p. 22)
• Courting IT: collaboration between IT and the law library by Kevin Coakly-Welch and Carol Ottolenghi (p. 26)

So, if you happen to have a few minutes, why not take a look-see at the new and improved AALL Spectrum.  Who knows, maybe between the online gaming and surfing the Internet, you might find time to increase the grey matter between your ears.

It's about Staying Sharp

For over two years now, I've been religiously building this blog.  I started it because I kept getting emails and phone calls from people all around the country (and even one from a lady in England) about how to do law and legal things in the great state of California (the England lady was following up on a past divorce case).

As awesome as I am in things law and legal research, I have to admit that one way I stay on top of my game is by checking out other legal blogs.  Take for instance Oregon Legal Research.  This blog is written by the county law Librarians in the state of Oregon and covers all topics law and legal things as they relate to Oregon legal stuff.  While I really like a particular article about a legal research blog written on December 10, 2014 by Laura Orr, I particularly like the Training and Advocacy Resources for Law Librarians section which lays out resources that should be included in most any Oregon county law library (turns out many of those resources are also found at my California county law library).

Another blog I like is the Bose Law and Technology Blog.  While it is written by a law firm, they don't go all preachy and push you to hire them.  Rather, they push everyone on how to be a better legal writer.  The article: Legal Research in your Pocket: Free Non-Subscription Services was particularly helpful to me because I am always looking for free legal related resources I can share with the people who use my library.

Other blogs that get me going in the morning are:

• Bizarre Questions & What Library School Never Taught You (covers things you should have been taught in law school, but weren't)
• Briefly Writing (all about writing appellate court briefs)
• Real Lawyers Have Blogs (great articles about how law clashes with real life)
• Swiss Army Librarian (regaling readers with stories of life in the reference trenches)
• Step by Step Gourmet (identifying great recipes and easy ways to cook)

OK, this last one isn't so much about law or libraries but man wasn't meant to live by bread (or law) alone.  Anyway, the point to all this is that I use many tools to stay on my game and it's great to know that I'm not the only one out there fighting the good fight spreading the good word of law and legal things to the plebes.  Kudos, everyone!