Law Library News: Recent Updates

Law Library News - Now New & Improved

Here at the Law Library, we're always looking for ways we can improve our resources, spaces, and services. Whether you're new to the law school or a long-time member of our community, here are a few ways the Law Library hopes to make your experience "new and improved" this fall semester:

• This page: now Law Library updates are available in blog format, so you can scroll through updates sequentially, more easily search for past entries, and subscribe for emails when news updates are available. You can still view our archived Law Library News from past semesters, though they will not be transferred to the new format.
• New rolling whiteboards: Stationed around the Law Library and in the North Wing, these A-frame boards can be joined for a larger workspace and include built-in storage.
• New study pods: These comfortable seating options provide a cozy nook for working on homework or preparing for exams. You can find two in the South Wing and one near study room 290-A.
• New rolling seats and tables in the North Wing: Comfortable and easy to reorganize, these seating areas provide options for an individual to spread out all their materials or for groups of any size to create a collaborative space.
• And of course, we have both new books and newly updated or expanded online resources ready for you to check out. Ask a librarian or browse our Current Collection for new information in your areas of interest!

New and Improved Databases

Our vendors add new titles and content to our subscribed database all the time, but these ones are either completely new or have added several new and useful resources you may want to browse:

Air and Space Law Library {Hein} This link opens in a new window

Covers the multitude of ways humans interact with and explore the earthly skies and distant reaches of outer space. Topics covered include the role of aviation in an interconnected global economy to its function as a means of travel, airline deregulation, passenger screening protocols, administrative bodies and more; to the advances in and impact of space exploration in day-to-day technologies, from the 20th century's race to the moon, space shuttle disasters, proliferation of satellites, and the increasing numbers of commercial entities and their stakes in outer space.

U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-Date {Hein} This link opens in a new window

The United States Congressional Serial Set, commonly referred to as the Serial Set, is considered an essential publication for unveiling American history. Spanning more than two centuries and with more than 17,000 bound volumes, the records in this series include House and Senate Documents, as well as House and Senate Reports, and much more. The reports are usually from congressional committees dealing with proposed legislation and issues under investigation. The documents include all other papers ordered printed by the House or Senate. Documents cover a wide variety of topics, including reports of executive departments and independent organizations, reports of special investigations made for Congress, and annual reports of non-governmental organizations. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, executive-branch materials were also published in the Serial Set.

VitalLaw {Wolters Kluwer} [Access limited to College of Law] This link opens in a new window

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VitalLaw provides access to in-depth knowledge and expertise from Wolters Kluwer attorney-specialists and experts including deep, rich, analytical content and explanations; curated primary source (laws, regulations, and cases) with history lines and notes; a variety of CCH and Aspen Publishers titles; and practical tools, news, webinars, white papers, and blogs. Current legal practice areas include: antitrust and competition law, advertising law, banking and consumer finance law, bankruptcy law, cybersecurity and privacy law, elder and estates law, employee benefits, energy and environment, family law, government contracts, health law, health reform, human resources, intellectual property law, labor and employment law, life sciences, litigation law, payroll and entitlements, pension, practice of law, products liability and insurance law, property and construction law, securities and corporate law, tax law, telecommunications, and transportation law.

Voting Rights & Election Law {Hein} This link opens in a new window

New

This collection is devoted to the electoral process: how elections are conducted, the strategy and controversies of political campaigns, how votes are counted, and who is allowed to vote. It contains content on historical and more recent elections, as well as elections conducted both in the United States and from around the world.

Selected New Books

Advanced Introduction to Legal Research Methods by Ernst H. Ballin

Call Number: K85 .H57 2020

ISBN: 9781788977166

Publication Date: 2020-10-16

In this carefully drafted work, Ernst Hirsch Ballin uncovers the foundations of legal research methods, an area of legal scholarship distinctly lacking in standardisation. Offering a critical overview of the theories underlying methodological research, as well as the methods themselves, the book explores how such methods differ along critical, empirical, and fundamental lines, and how, by building on these approaches, legal research may contribute to well-considered developments in the law. Such explorative research, the author argues, is crucial in overcoming crises and restoring trust in the law. Key features include: an exploration of the common object of legal research: law in the sense of legal rules, decisions, principles and values special emphasis on the legal-grammatical category of personhood and on constitutional foundations a consideration of law as a normative language intended to guide behaviour a consideration of the theoretical underpinnings of legal research methods. This Advanced Introduction will greatly benefit legal scholars who seek to understand the object and methods of their work, as well as law and philosophy students looking to grasp the theoretical and methodological foundations of law and legal development.

Advanced Introduction to Empirical Legal Research by Herbert M. Kritzer

Call Number: K85 .K75 2021

ISBN: 9781839101045

Publication Date: 2021-02-19

Herbert Kritzer presents a clear introduction to the history, methods and substance of empirical legal research (ELR). Quantitative methods dominate in empirical legal research, but an important segment of the field draws on qualitative methods, such as semi-structured interviews and observation. In this book both methodologies are explored alongside systematic data analysis. Offering an overview of the broad ELR literature, the institutions of the law, the central actors of the law, and the subjects of the law are each addressed in this highly readable account that will be essential reading for legal researchers. Key features include: Summaries of the history of empirical legal research A clear introduction to methods in empirical legal research Coverage of both quantitative and qualitative methods and research A readable guide to the impact and rationale of different methodologies. This relatively short book provides an invaluable quick introduction for students, scholars, legal professionals and policy professionals.

Integrating Doctrine and Diversity: inclusion and equity in the law school classroom by Nicole P. Dyszlewski (Editor); Raquel J. Gabriel (Editor); Suzanne Harrington-Steppen (Editor); Anna Russell (Editor); Genevieve B. Tung (Editor)

Call Number: KF273 .I58 2021

ISBN: 9781531017019

Publication Date: 2021-04-01

Drawing upon the experience of faculty from across the country, Integrating Doctrine and Diversity is a collection of essays with practical advice, written by faculty for faculty, on specific ways to integrate diversity, equity and inclusion into the law school curriculum. Chapters focus on subjects traditionally taught in the first-year curriculum (Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Legal Writing, Legal Research, Property, Torts) and each chapter will also include a short annotated bibliography curated by a law librarian. With submissions from over 40 scholars, the collection is the first of its kind to offer reflections, advice, and specific instruction on how to integrate issues of diversity and inclusions into first-year doctrinal courses.

Power and Progress: our thousand-year struggle over technology and prosperity by Daron Acemoglu; Simon Johnson

Call Number: T14.5 .A29 2023

ISBN: 9781541702530

Publication Date: 2023-05-16

The bestselling co-author of Why Nations Fail and the bestselling co-author of 13 Bankers deliver a bold reinterpretation of economics and history that will fundamentally change how you see the world   A thousand years of history and contemporary evidence make one thing clear: progress depends on the choices we make about technology. New ways of organizing production and communication can either serve the narrow interests of an elite or become the foundation for widespread prosperity. The wealth generated by technological improvements in agriculture during the European Middle Ages was captured by the nobility and used to build grand cathedrals, while peasants remained on the edge of starvation. The first hundred years of industrialization in England delivered stagnant incomes for working people. And throughout the world today, digital technologies and artificial intelligence undermine jobs and democracy through excessive automation, massive data collection, and intrusive surveillance. It doesn't have to be this way. Power and Progress demonstrates the path of technology was once--and may again--be brought under control. Cutting-edge technological advances can become empowering and democratizing tools, but not if all major decisions remain in the hands of a few hubristic tech leaders. With their bold reinterpretation of economics and history, Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson fundamentally change how we see the world, providing the vision needed to redirect innovation so it again benefits most people.

The Oxford Handbook of Ethics of AI by Markus D. Dubber (Editor); Frank Pasquale (Editor); Sunit Das (Editor)

Call Number: Q334.7 .O84 2020

ISBN: 9780190067397

Publication Date: 2020-07-10

This volume tackles a quickly-evolving field of inquiry, mapping the existing discourse as part of a general attempt to place current developments in historical context; at the same time, breaking new ground in taking on novel subjects and pursuing fresh approaches. The term "A.I." is used to refer to a broad range of phenomena, from machine learning and data mining to artificial general intelligence. The recent advent of more sophisticated AI systems, which function with partial or full autonomy and are capable of tasks which require learning and 'intelligence', presents difficult ethical questions, and has drawn concerns from many quarters about individual and societal welfare, democratic decision-making, moral agency, and the prevention of harm. This work ranges from explorations of normative constraints on specific applications of machine learning algorithms today - in everyday medical practice, for instance - to reflections on the (potential) status of AI as a form of consciousness with attendant rights and duties and, more generally still, on the conceptual terms and frameworks necessarily to understand tasks requiring intelligence, whether "human" or "A.I.