Library Open Regular Hours Today

The library will resume normal operating hours today, 31 January. The grounds staff at OCU has worked hard to clear the streets and sidewalks, but use caution as there is still ice around.

Please call the circulation desk if you have any questions about operating hours. 405.208.5393.

Library Closing Due to Weather

The OCU Law Library will be closed Saturday, January 30th, due to the snow fall Oklahoma City has been experiencing.

At this point our Sunday, January 31st, hours remain 1pm-12am, but this may change and is dependent on the state of the weather and the roads.

Stay safe out there!

Image credit: http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1271660880062928585Dzniav

LexisNexis and Westlaw Will Reorganize Sites

According to this New York Times article, both Lexis and Westlaw are planning changes to appeal to younger users and compete with the many free sources of legal information.

Thanks to Legal Research Plus.

Morgan Papers Are Digitized

Edmund Morgan, professor at Harvard Law School, chaired the committee that created the Uniform Code of Military Justice. His papers have now been digitized and offer a rare glimpse into the committee's work on this groundbreaking document.

Thanks to Et Seq.

Corruption in Afghanistan

The United Nations (U.N.) recently released a report detailing the problem of corruption in Afghanistan. As a reminder, U.S. President Obama announced a troop surge in Afghanistan and has outlined several objectives for the region.

Thanks to Gov Docs Guy.

December 2009 -- Acquisition List

A list of the OCU Law Library's acquisitions during the month of December is now available on our website. See what new books are available for you!


http://www.okcu.edu/law/lawlib/library_geninfo.php#MonthlyAcquisition

Legal Outsourcing

While focusing on law firms in Great Britain, this article presents the new reality of outsourcing legal work to India.

Thanks to beSpacific.

Clio

For busy attorneys who do not want to bother with new software, the online practice management suite Clio has arrived. For a mere $49 per month, attorneys can get a monthly subscription which includes time management, billing, document management, and task lists. You can also try the product gratis for thirty days.

Thanks to Emily Z. Brown.

Playing With the Pros

If you have ever fantasized about being on the U.S. Supreme Court, you can still sign up for FantasySCOTUS.net. According the site's founder, you can sign up and participate in the Court's decisions. At the end of the term you will receive a score based on your predictions.

Thanks to the University of Baltimore Law Library blog.

Citation Finder

Legal Information Institute (LII) announced its new Citation Finder feature. First, you must download it to your linkbar. Once you have installed it, you can highlight text on a Web page and Citation Finder will scan it for citations.

Thanks to Barco 2.0.

No Longer Their Golden Ticket

In No Longer Their Golden Ticket, the NYTimes examines the current state of legal hiring at large law firms across the country. According to the author, lawyers at large firms are facing tough and uncertain times in the current economy.

GPO's Migration to FDsys

The Government Printing Office (GPO) is slowly but surely migrating its content from GPOAccess to FDsys, its new information portal. Among the collections currently available on FDsys are the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Congressional Documents, and Statutes at Large.

Thanks to beSpacific.

Distracted Driving

Based on recent estimates from the National Safety Council (NSC), people using cell phones while driving have caused 1.6 million crashes. To combat this issue, the Department of Transportation (DOT) and individuals have partnered to create FocusDriven. The DOT has also launched distraction.gov which offers news and research about the issue.

Thanks to the Gov Docs Guy.

Civil Commitment for Sex Offenders

This article examines the debate over whether or not sex offenders can be civilly committed even after they have completed their criminal sentences. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case of U.S. v. Comstock No. 08–1224 on 1/12/10 which deals with the constitutionality of civil commitment.

Thanks to Emily Z. Brown.

Law School Survey of Student Engagement

The 2009 results from the Law School Survey of Student Engagement are in and as usual, they provide insights about law students' interests and aspirations. Notable among the results are students' perceptions about the feedback (or lack thereof) they receive from professors.

Thanks to Out of the Jungle.

31 Places to Go in 2010

Do you need ideas for your next travel adventure? The New York Times has posted a list of 31 places to see in 2010. In first place this year is Sri Lanka.

New Federal Rules Took Effect 12/1/09

If you have not heard already, new federal rules went into effect on 12/1/09. The changes in the rules affect the Federal Rules of Appellate, Bankruptcy, Civil, and Criminal Procedure as well as the Federal Rules of Evidence.

Thanks to KCLL Klues.

Federal Judiciary Year-End Report

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts released his 2009 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary on 12/31/09. While short, it contains statistics and some analysis.

Thanks to Law Librarian Blog.

Wikipedia In Court

The authors of this article about citing to Wikipedia in court documents offer insights and their own recommendations on citing to Wikipedia. As the authors state, the legal community is still divided on the risks & benefits in relying upon Wikipedia.

Thanks to Barco 2.0.

Proposed New Guidelines For Tax Preparers

The IRS has proposed new guidelines for tax preparers. If the guidelines are adopted, the IRS would increase its oversight of tax preparers.

Thanks to beSpacific.

Do You Procrastinate?

Did you find yourself scrambling to accomplish everything at the end of last semester? Here are some resources you may find useful when trying to overcome procrastination.

1. Suite 101 has some common sense ideas for students.

2. iParenting tries to help you get to the bottom of your procrastination.

3. Psychology Today provides a self-test that will let you analyze your behavior.

Happy New Year!

Happy 2010! Hopefully the new year will bring peace, health, and prosperity.

If you make New Year's resolutions, here are some sites to look at:
-USA.gov
-AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) This one is designed for kids.
-University of Maryland Medical Center
-WebMD

Good luck on your road to success.