Law Librarian Blogs Tie for "Best Legal Blog Category"

It's terrific to see attorneys recognize the value of law librarians. You can witness it first-hand at Dennis Kennedy's blog. Law Librarian Blogs tied with Non-US Legal Blogs and Solo Lawyer Blogs for "Best Legal Blog Category" in his 2007 Blawggies. More importantly, Kennedy says, "I have to be one of the biggest fans of law librarian blogs there is. I learn so much from these blogs and they get named for this award every year."

I'm also thrilled to see that Stark County Law Library Blog was named "Best Legal Blog Digest." I agree!

Law School Musical

WTOP has an article about University of Maryland law school student, Owen Jarvis, who made a video called Law School Musical. Here's the article. Here's the video on YouTube.

Auld Lang Syne Karaoke

It's hard to want to write about legal and law library stuff this time of year. So, let's turn to the obvious alternative. Karaoke.

I checked out 4 online Auld Lang Syne karaoke tracks, but I think the one below is the best. One had a lot of bizarrely translated words, another had a ball that was never bouncing on the right word, and the third had to be downloaded to your PC.

So, if your New Year's Eve party has a lull, here's the Auld Lang Syne Karaoke you want (though it does appear to be missing an "auld" in the first stanza). If you'd rather print it out, here are the lyrics (with linked multi-language translations).

Learn to Draft, Change, & Challenge a Legal Will

Charles W. Bryant at HowStuffWorks has written How Wills Work. Bryant says the article will teach you "how to draft, change and challenge a legal will." He also provides examples of Famous and Outrageous Wills. Bryant's sources are listed at the bottom of this page.

Find & Share Public Records Databases on the Web

PublicRecordsWire is an open access system for adding and sharing free and fee-based online public records databases. You can add information linking to databases, conduct searches, browse tags and categories, and check out what's new and popular.

The site is currently in Beta and seems a little bit buggy. It also has an RSS feed button, but does not appear to have any feed at this time. Hopefully that will improve shortly.

The site is useful for finding public records databases on the Internet. It looks like a good site to watch.

Streaming Audio & Video from Times Square

Maybe that title should say, "Screaming Audio...." Anyway, if you want to watch NYC usher in the New Year, you can do so online from multiple camera angles at earthcam.com. Here's what it looks like now (the calm before the storm). You have 16 camera angles from which to choose.

I wish I'd known about this when I was there a few weeks ago. I would have waved.

UPDATE: Make that 15 camera angles - where's Cam 8?

e-Discovery Links

I'm not sure how I missed it, but Robert Ambrogi has a nice two-part article on e-discovery at Law.com's Legal Technology site. The first part has links to sites where you can learn about and keep up with e-discovery issues. The second part has links to blogs and vendor sites. 'Looks good!

Computers In Libraries '08 Advance Program

The Computers In Libraries (CIL) 2008 Advance Program is now available. Thanks to Steven Cohen (who will be speaking there again) at Library Stuff for mentioning that.

Donating Without Spending: Click-and-Give

You don't always have to give your own money to help others. There are many Internet sponsors who will donate for you. All you have to do is click. You can "click-and-give" to several causes through the following sites:

• CharityUSA
• Care2's Click2Donate

Another popular click-and-give site is FreeRice. In this case, you need to answer (it's easy and fun), then "click-and-give." If you have 5 minutes, you have a lot to give. Let the clicking begin!

2007 Version of U.S. Federal Court Rules Online

I keep waiting for the House Judiciary Committee to post the official copies of the new rules, but that has not yet happened. In the meantime, you can access an HTML version of the:

• Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
• Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure
• Federal Rules of Evidence
• Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure

on Cornell's Legal Information Institute site. There were no changes to the Federal Rules of Evidence. That is why they still have the effective date of December 1, 2006 instead of December 1, 2007.

2008 Statistical Abstract Now Available Online

The 2008 online edition of the Statistical Abstract of the United States is now available at the U.S. Census Bureau site. You can access the pages in Excel spreadsheet format or in PDF format (my preference).

The Statistical Abstract provides great stats on just about every topic you can imagine. It is also excellent for obtaining a source for even more information on any of those topics. The source of the statistics is listed at the bottom of each page (usually with a URL), so you can access the publication online or contact the agency/author for more.

Batteries? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Batteries!

That is to say, we don't need them in the trash.... Stephen Stine at ABA Site-tation reminds us to follow the advice that's been posted at the ABA Technology Resource Center about recycling batteries. The page suggests,

"A law firm or law library could potentially increase their foot traffic and visibility and earn green PR points by being listed as a local battery recycling drop-off center—perhaps other local businesses and institutions could pitch in to cover the expense."

I think that's a fantastic idea!

I'm feeling rather guilty now. OK, I am guilty. Now I'm going to look for a Big Green Box. I'm going now. Right now. I'm gone.

Online U.S. Congressional Hearings, 1970-1998

The University of Michigan Documents Center mentions that Rutgers School of Law provides free access to over 7000 online, full-text congressional hearings spanning 1970-1998. However a quick browse shows some for 1937 and 1999. I also see Committee Prints (including legislative histories - Hmmm - I think I need to spend more time there).

You can browse or search the collection. While the site is a little slow and the search could use some tweaking, anything that provides access to more hearings (not to mention prints and legislative histories) is definitely a good thing!

Check Flight Status with Google

Nick Weininger at the Official Google Blog announced yesterday that you can now track your flights using Google. Just enter the airline and flight number and your Google results will tell you whether it's on schedule or delayed. 'Pretty convenient!

Charity e-Cards

Scott Vine at Informationoverlord has posted a list of some charity e-cards. Yes, I think I coerced him into it, but he seems to find some really excellent cards and I have not had the same luck.

If you know of some others, post them in Scott's comments (OK, I think I'm doing it again...) and maybe we can have a nice, long list of charity e-cards!

BBC's New Web 2.0 (Beta) Home Page

CyberJournalist.net points out that the BBC is working on a new home page with lots of cool Web 2.0 customization features. You can check out the BBC's new beta page here.

Elf Yourself

OfficeMax's ElfYourself.com is the most fun I've had with photos in a long time. You simply upload your 4 pictures, adjust the scale, and mouse the photo into position. Then sit back and enjoy the show.

Internet Generators

Simon Fodden over at SLAW has links to some pretty fun Internet generators. My favorite is the one he used for his Friday Fillip post.

If you, too, are a big fan of Internet generators, you should check out The Generator Blog. Here's the feed: http://generatorblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Take Out Your Pencils Class, We're Having a Quiz

Doesn't that title just give you the willies? The good news is, we're not having a quiz ... Wayne Schiess is - and actually, he's giving 20 legal writing quizzes. As of this post, he's already given 4. You'll be happy to know he's also providing answers. Phew!

Google Book, Patent, & Scholar Search Box Gadgets

You can now add Google Book Search, Google Patent Search, and Google Scholar Search boxes to your iGoogle page. You can read more about it at Inside Google Book Search.

White Paper on Removing Personal Information from Online Public Records

BRB's Public Records Blog points out that the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) and the National Electronic Commerce Coordinating Council (eC3) have published a 35 page white paper entitled, Privacy, Public Access & Policymaking in State Redaction Practices: Dealing with Sensitive Data in an Era of Open & Accessible Public Records (PDF). The document is intended to assist public officials in developing policies for removing sensitive information from online public documents.

USAspending.gov

FederalSpending.gov has been re-launched as USAspending.gov with the hope of providing easier access to to government contract, grant, and other award data.

U.S. State Lemon Law Summaries

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has state Lemon Law Summaries for each state and the District of Columbia. You can select any state from the drop-down menu. The BBB has additional lemon law information here.

Canadian Law Blogs List

Steve Matthews has updated his Canadian Law Blogs list and moved it to its very own domain at lawblogs.ca. Be sure to check out the Legal Research & Law Library Blogs category.

U.S. Federal Government Agencies Closed on 12/24

Today, President Bush signed an Executive Order issuing the "Closing of Executive Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government on Monday, December 24, 2007." The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued this memorandum excusing federal employees from duty on that day.

Simple Weather

Simple Weather. 'Nuff said.

UN System-Wide Application of Ethics

UN Secretary-General's Bulletin ST/SGB/2007/11 (English version) was issued on November 30, 2007 and was entered into force on December 1st. According to UN Pulse:

"The document provides information about the common features of the Ethics offices, including the principles, the relation of the head of the Ethics Office to its parent body, and the terms of reference. It also establishes an Ethics Committee, composed of the heads of all the Ethics Offices within the UN and the separately administered organs and programmes."

The Bulletin establishing the Ethics Office is ST/SGB/2005/22 (English).

Screencast: Using PACER's U.S. Party/Case Index

The Virtual Chase has a screencast demonstrating (in 7.5 minutes) how to use PACER's U.S. Party/Case Index.

Project Gutenberg Advent Calendar

Project Gutenberg's Advent Calendar allows you to click on each of the days leading up to Christmas. Inside is an online Christmas book to read to the kiddies each night. There is also a Christmas Bookshelf where you can choose your own stories.

Martindale.com Enhancements

ResourceShelf reports that martindale.com has some new Web 2.0 enhancements. I haven't used martindale.com in a while and there certainly are a lot of changes since I last searched it.

If you register to use the Martindale Network, you can actually view side-by-side comparisons of firms. The really good news is that registration is free and the "Terms and Conditions" are quite readable.

Even if you don't register, you have access to some cool features like pie charts showing federal litigation activity. You can get charts by practice area, jurisdiction, and role. It's pretty fun to play around with it...but then again, I'm easily entertained.