Announcements •

Improve Your Presentation Skills with Our New Presentation Tools LibGuide

By: Carli Spina - April 1st, 2013  
Filed under: Announcements, Cool, Faculty Channel, Libraries, Student Channel

Whether you are creating a presentation for an assignment, to teach a class or to speak at a conference, it can be difficult to design slides that will keep your audience engaged. As with so many things, a lot of this comes down to finding the right tool for the job, but frequently people fall back on the same basic techniques for every presentation. If you’re interested in trying a new tool, learning a new technique or improving your skills with your go-to presentation tool, our new Presentation Tools guide has resources for you!

In the guide, you’ll learn about PowerPoint alternatives, find apps that allow you to present from (or even create slides on) your tablet, or find the latest tools for sharing your slides with your audience. The guide even includes resources for finding Creative Commons-licensed content to include in your presentation and tips on how to make your presentation more dynamic, engaging and fun! To learn more about any of the tools included in the guide, click on it in the word cloud below.

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Love Animals? Check out our new research guide on Animal Law!

By: tsaintam - March 25th, 2013  
Filed under: Announcements, E-Resources, Legal Research & Research Skills, Student Channel 2 Comments

 

Tookie - currently available for adoption through the ARL of Boston, and being fostered by Terri Saint-Amour, ARL Volunteer and Law Librarian

Tookie is available for adoption through the Animal Rescue League of Boston. He is being fostered by Terri Saint-Amour.

Just take a look at the sweet, adorable face to the left and fall in love. That’s what Terri Saint-Amour, law librarian at Harvard Law Library has done, by agreeing to foster him on behalf of the Animal Rescue League of Boston.  Being an avid animal lover and a volunteer with the Animal Rescue League, she decided to put together a legal research guide on Animal Law. Included in the guide are links to state and national organizations dedicated to advancing the law as it pertains to animals, as well as state and federal laws, international agreements, GAO reports and more! There are even a few cute videos in case you are a law student reading this post, and need some stress relief.

By the way, in case you have also fallen in love with the gorgeous cat known as Tookie, here’s more information about him, written by another volunteer from the Animal Rescue League.  If you ask any of her fellow reference colleagues, they’ll tell you how happy she is to talk about him, or any of the other animals she works with on a weekly basis. For more information on adopting an animal from the Animal Rescue League, please see their website, and Like them on Facebook! They have additional locations in Dedham, MA, and Brewster, MA.

 

 

 

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New Exhibit: Long Road to Equality

By: Margaret Peachy - March 25th, 2013  
Filed under: Announcements, Cool, Faculty Channel, Harvard Law School Library News, Historical & Special Collections, Student Channel 4 Comments

The opening case of the exhibit, which displays the beginnings of HLS's community involvement in the fight for gay marriage.

In 1983, HLS student Evan Wolfson authored a prescient third year paper titled “Samesex Marriage and Morality: The Human Rights Vision of the Constitution.” Thirty years and countless examinations of the constitution later, two cases regarding gay marriage, Hollingsworth v. Perry (challenging California’s Proposition 8 ) and United States v. Windsor (challenging the Defense of Marriage Act) are being argued in front of the Supreme Court on March 26 and 27, 2013. Wolfson led a wave of Harvard Law School students and faculty members who fought for or participated in the discussion about gay marriage.
Today nine states have legalized same-sex marriage, with Massachusetts leading the way with the 2003 Goodridge decision, which led to much public and intra-Harvard thought and debate, memorialized in The Record and the Harvard Law School Bulletin. And the fight – with HLS involvement – continues.  At the Supreme Court’s request, Professor Vicki Jackson submitted amicus briefs on the jurisdictional and standing issues in Windsor, while other Harvard Law School faculty and scholars have contributed to many of the briefs on the merits of both cases.   While the Supreme Court deliberates, other members of the Harvard Law School community continue to theorize, advocate and shape the freedom to marry both here in the United States and overseas.

Come visit the Caspersen Room in the HLS Library to view “Long Road to Equality” – an exhibit documenting the involvement of HLS students, faculty and alumni in the long road to marriage equality. Curated by HLS Library staff members Mindy Kent and Margaret Peachy, the exhibit will be on view through July 2013. The Caspersen Room is open daily 9 to 5 (closed for special events).

The Long Road to Equality: 30 years of advocacy, scholarship, and debate at HLS.

852 RARE: Gentlemen in the Countryside

By: Mary Person - March 22nd, 2013  
Filed under: Announcements, Cool, Faculty Channel, Harvard Law School Library News, Historical & Special Collections, History, Student Channel 1 Comment

Spring is in the air, and even if that air is cold at times, the thought of warm weather activities, and perhaps a weekend in the country, is appealing. With that in mind, we offer a glimpse at a small but thorough and entertaining treatise by English writer Giles Jacob (1686-1744).

Jacob is best known for his popular writing on legal topics, titles such as The accomplish’d conveyancer; The compleat parish-officer; Every man his own lawyer; and A new law-dictionary. These and other works were published in multiple editions, many well after his death. But he also wrote poetry (Human happiness: a poem), parody (The rape of the smock), and a guide to country living (The country gentleman’s vade mecum).

Title page of The Compleat Sportsman.

The compleat sportsman was published in London in 1718 and intended for “all Gentlemen who spend any part of their Time in the Country”. In a fulsome dedication to the baronet Sir Charles Keymis (sometimes spelled Kemeys) Jacob extols the virtues of “rural pleasures” and the beauty and richness of Keymis’ estate, Keven Mabley in county Glamorgan, Wales.

The Vale you are situated in, is, perhaps, equally fine to any in England, adorn’d with beautiful Prospects, and the most ornamental Woods and Coppices, which afford an uncommon Plenty of all Sorts of Game: Neither are you distant from pleasing Rivers and gliding Streams, plenteously stor’d with all Kinds of Fish, besides numerous Fish-Ponds and murmuring Brooks, entirely encompassing your Mansion-House.

Last page of the Jacob's dedication and start of the preface.

Jacob confidently notes in the preface

“I doubt not but the Reader will do me the Justice to confess, that this Book is the most compleatest on the Subject …” and hopes that it “will be received by all Gentlemen who spend any Part of their Time in the Country, with the Candour natural in Country Gentlemen.”

Decorative tail-piece at the end of the preface.

In his three part treatise, Jacob explains techniques for hunting a wide range of game, from quails to rabbits (including several pages of advice on dog breeding, feeding, and training); discusses the creation and maintenance of deer parks; and gives detailed guidance on fishing for over a dozen categories of fish and eels.

For example, on trout angling he writes (p.122):

If you fish with the Worm, make Choice of a Dew or Lob-worm, or a Brandling or Gilt-tail Worm, which is esteemed best for small Trouts, and the Lob-worm the most approved for the large Fish.  … Brandling-worms are usually found in an old decayed Dunghill … but the best of them you generally find in Heaps of Tanner’s-Bark; and large yellow Cadis-worms are very good Baits for the trout in a still Water. … The old Trout is very fearful, commonly lies close all Day (except in May, the Fly Season,) and does not stir out of his Hole until Night, when he feeds very boldly near the Top of the Water …

Jacob’s penchant for precise terminology reveals itself in a section (p. 55-59) on “Hunter’s Terms, &c.” which even includes a list of popular  names for hunting hounds, and illuminating passages such as this one:

When Beasts lodge, a Hart is said to harbor; A Buck lodgeth; A roe beddeth; a Hare formeth; a Coney sitteth, a Fox kennelleth; a Marten treeth; a Badger eartheth; an Otter watcheth. When they dislodge, the Hart is said to be unharbour’d, the Buck rouz’d, the Hare started, the Coney bolted, the Fox unkennell’d, the Marten treed, the Badger dug, and the Otter vented.

Sprinkled generously throughout his text are numerous references and excerpts from  relevant British laws and statutes, handy templates for warrants and licenses, and (p. 90-113) “A Concise Abridgement of the Forest-Laws”.

The enthusiasm and detail with which he approaches his subject suggests that when not busy writing primers on the law, Giles Jacob—the son of a maltster—thoroughly enjoyed (or dreamed of enjoying) the pursuits of a country gentleman.

Bluebook Drop-in Sessions

By: Meg Kribble - March 7th, 2013  
Filed under: Announcements

bluebook

Got questions about the Bluebook? We’ve got answers! The Library is holding Bluebook Drop-in Sessions twice weekly now through May 10. Just come in and ask your questions—no appointment required!

Where: 5th floor library conference room (Areeda 524–enter through the library)

When: Mondays 12:00-1:00pm and Fridays 3:00-4:00pm

First come, first served. Prefer a one-on-one appointment? Request a research appointment.

Register for Summer Success!

By: Carli Spina - March 5th, 2013  
Filed under: Announcements, Business and Corporate Law Research, Harvard Law School Library News, Legal Research & Research Skills, Student Channel
Photo by marcomagrini

Photo by marcomagrini. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Our annual Summer Success program will be held from 3pm to 5pm on Thursday, April 4th.

Find out how to hit the ground running as you begin your summer or permanent job. Whether you are entering the public or private sector, employers are operating with fewer resources than ever with a constant eye on results. This program will help you prepare for the types of assignments you will receive as you begin to apply what you have learned in law school to your new job.

Select up to two sessions offering practical tips on efficient legal research strategies in a variety of areas as well as concrete strategies for success on the job, including how to tackle a new assignment, interact with supervisors, obtain constructive feedback, and gain the most from your job opportunity.

For registration and other information, visit: http://hlssummersuccess.weebly.com/

Cosponsored by the HLS Library and the Program on the Legal Profession. Kindle door prizes provided by LexisNexis and Bloomberg Law. Please contact George Taoultsides, gtaoultsides@law.harvard.edu, with questions.

Corporate Governance Research

By: Lisa Junghahn - February 27th, 2013  
Filed under: Announcements 1 Comment

The 2013 proxy season is here!

This is the time when US public companies hold annual shareholder meetings.  These meetings give shareholders the opportunity to push corporate boards and managers to action (or at least disclosure).

This season, shareholders are pursuing governance issues like:

  • executive compensation
  • political campaign contributions
  • climate impact (frackers beware)

Here are some useful resources for learning more about corporate governance!

Practice Guides

Principles of Corporate Governance: Analysis & Recommendations (West)

Corporate Governance: Law & Practice (Lexis)

Corporate Governance (cross-country comparative) (HUID)

Corporate Governance Report (daily updates on industry) (Bloomberg-BNA)

Law Firm Memos

Memos are a great resource for learning about SEC regulations and legal practices. For an efficient search, use Knowledge Mosaic.

Blogs

HLS Forum on Corporate Governance & Financial Regulation

Davis Polk Briefing: Governance

Databases

SharkRepellent
Company charters, bylaws & shareholder rights plans

MergerMetrics
Analysis on merger deals, including on poison pills

Data Sources

Corporate Library
Corporate governance, board and compensation information

Execucomp
Tracks executive compensation in S&P 1000 firms

Further Research Guidance

Ask Questions
http://asklib.law.harvard.edu/

HLS Research Consult
http://www.law.harvard.edu/library/services/research-appointment.html

Surveillance Cams at Harvard

By: Lisa Junghahn - February 24th, 2013  
Filed under: Announcements

Did you know there is a webcam filming activity in the plaza by the Harvard Science Center adjacent to HLS.  Check out the weather and who is walking by.

Upon learning of this webcam, which I recognize is probably just for fun, I wanted to find out about other cameras at Harvard or in Cambridge.  So I went to the Crimson archives and searched for surveillance camera.

I learned that in 2009 Cambridge citizens voted against the use of Homeland Security surveillance cameras citing civil liberty concerns related to the federal government.

I also learned that as of 2006 Harvard was home to about 200 security cameras across the various schools; camera locations are not disclosed.

Wanting to know more about legal challenges to such cameras, I went to Google Scholar for Harvard and searched “surveillance camera” + “university” + “fourth amendment”

I found a few interesting articles, including one with this clear explanation:

The Supreme Court has concluded that people lack a reasonable expectation of privacy in being observed in public. In 1983, in United States v. Knotts, the Court held that people lack a reasonable expectation of privacy when the government tracks their movements outside their home. Similarly, in 1986, in California v. Ciraolo, the Court held that while in public, people lack a reasonable expectation of privacy from visual observation from above.

Daniel J. Solove, Fourth Amendment Pragmatism, 51 B.C. L. Rev. 1511, 1525-26 (2010).

852 RARE: Men, Baking, and Women’s Rights

By: Lesley Schoenfeld - February 22nd, 2013  
Filed under: Announcements, Cool, Faculty Channel, Historical & Special Collections, History, Student Channel

Intent on finding something love- or Valentine’s-themed to feature in this month’s 852 RARE, I stumbled upon the wonderful picture featured below.

John Stuart Mill Society Men's Bake Sale, 1977 By George Simian

So what do men, baking, and women’s rights have to do with each other? In the 1970s, at the Harvard Law School, it seems quite a bit.

Published in the summer 1977 edition of the Harvard Law School Bulletin, this picture features David H. Fink ’77 at the third annual John Stuart Mill Society’s Men’s Bake Sale. The Bulletin reported that $509 was raised and donated to the National E.R.A. This is a fitting title for a group of men advocating for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and the idea of a men’s bake sale to benefit women’s rights is brilliant! The previous year the Bulletin reported that baked goods had been provided by a number of male professors including Steiner, Sacks, Tribe, and Nesson.

John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) was a British philosopher, economist, and moral and political theorist. Among his writings is the 1869 publication The Subjection of Women, which defended gender equality and the rights of women.

First introduced in 1923, and then rewritten in 1943, it wasn’t until 1972 that both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives passed the ERA. Congress placed a seven year deadline on the state ratification process. By 1975, the process had slowed considerably with only a single new state ratifying the amendment, leaving the 27th amendment four states shy of the 38 states needed. The fight to pass the ERA lives on and on March 6, 2013, Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) will reintroduce the traditional ERA ratification bills in the 113th Congress.

We don’t have much information on the John Stuart Mill Society, so for those involved with the society and willing to share their story, we would love to learn more! Please enjoy this image; a fitting end to the month of love and a great start for March and women’s history.

Sign Up for Spring Research Classes

By: George Taoultsides - February 16th, 2013  
Filed under: Announcements

**Updated February 22: We have just added a new session on Finding a Paper Topic and a location for Powerful, Professional Presentations

The Harvard Law School librarians will be offering several research classes on various topics from February to April. These classes are a great way to get started on a writing project or just develop your legal research skills for work on a journal, in a clinic, at a clerkship or at any new job. Signup information for all classes is available here: http://libcal.law.harvard.edu/researchtraining

HBS Style Company & Industry Research
What’s up with Dodd-Frank!?
Bankruptcy-Reorganization-Insolvency Research
Top 5 Tips for Subciting Sanity
Finding a Paper Topic
LinkedIn Lab
Finding and Mining SEC docs (EDGAR filings) for Transactional Work
Beyond Legal Research
Finding Court Records & Briefs
Massachusetts Legal Research
Beyond Googling – Other Strategies for Researching People
Criminal Justice Research
Introduction to Federal Legislative History Research
PowerPoint Alternatives
Introduction to ADR Research
Mobile Apps for Law, Research & Fun
Powerful, Professional Presentations

 

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HBS Style Company & Industry Research

Wednesday, February 20 from 5:30 to 6:00
Location: WCC 4057
Come learn how to conduct company and industry research, including resources for PE and VC deals.
Contact: Lisa Junghahn, ljunghahn@law.harvard.edu

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What’s up with Dodd-Frank!?

Friday, February 22 from 2:00 pm to 2:30 pm
Location: WCC 4057
Dodd-Frank is an 800-page piece of Wall Street reform legislation that aims to: (1) increase stability, (2) improve transparency and (3) empower regulators. These policy goals address causes of the 2008 financial crisis, such as under capitalization, insufficient transparency in the markets, and lax regulatory oversight. Come learn about where the rule-making is and tips for researching all things Dodd-Frank.

Contact: Lisa Junghahn, ljunghahn@law.harvard.edu

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Bankruptcy-Reorganization-Insolvency Research
Wednesday, February 27 from 5:30 to 6:00
Location: WCC 4057
This is a quickie primer on best resources and research strategies for those interested in bankruptcy law and practice.
Contact: Lisa Junghahn, ljunghahn@law.harvard.edu

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Top 5 Tips for Subciting Sanity

Monday, March 4 from 12:00 to 12:15

Tuesday, March 5 from 4:00 to 4:15

Location: WCC 3008 for both

Come learn some basic tips that will make subciting less stressful.

Contact: Meg Kribble, mkribble@law.harvard.edu

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Finding a Paper Topic

Tuesday, March 5 from 4:30 to 5:00

Location: WCC 3008

Looking for a topic for your paper? Join the librarians for a quick review of useful resources and some tips for making the process as painless as possible.

This class is co-sponsored by the Law, Science, & Technology Program of Study.

Contact: Meg Kribble, mkribble@law.harvard.edu

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LinkedIn Lab

Harvard Law School Library Computer Lab

March 6, 2013 – 4-5pm

Carli Spina, cspina@law.harvard.edu

This class will give you a hands-on opportunity to get started with LinkedIn with support. I will provide an overview of the service and then help attendees  to create an account and get started setting up their profile. Perfect for beginners who want to start using the site and those who took our previous LinkedIn class and want to refine their profiles.

This class is co-sponsored by the Law, Science, & Technology Program of Study.

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Finding and Mining SEC docs (EDGAR filings) for Transactional Work

Wednesday, March 6 from 5:30 pm to 6:00 pm
Location: WCC 4057

Come learn how to find and mine SEC filings to commit acts of good and evil, whether it’s helping take a company public (S-1) or co-opting M&A agreements.

Contact: Lisa Junghahn, ljunghahn@law.harvard.edu

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Beyond Legal Research

Monday, March 11 from 4:00-4:45pm

Location: WCC 3008

Psychology, education, history, science? Get a refresher on resources and tips for researching in other disciplines.

This class is co-sponsored by the Law, Science, & Technology Program of Study.

Contact: Meg Kribble, mkribble@law.harvard.edu

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Finding Court Records & Briefs
Are you looking for court documents? This class will introduce you to techniques and resources for finding court documents from appellate briefs to trial transcripts.

Date: March 12, 12-12:45, Areeda 524

Melinda Kent, mkent@law.harvard.edu

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Massachusetts Legal Research
Wednesday, March 13, 12:30-1:00pm in Areeda 524 (5th floor library conference room)
Doing work in Massachusetts?  Join the library for a 30-minute review of some useful resources and tips for doing Massachusetts legal research.

Contact: Michelle Pearse, mpearse@law.harvard.edu

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Beyond Googling – Other Strategies for Researching People

Harvard Law School Library, Areeda 524

March 13, 2013 – 4–5pm

Carli Spina, cspina@law.harvard.edu

Are you researching judges you may want to clerk for? Interested in learning about the lawyers who work at your summer job? Trying to find out more information about expert witnesses? This class will go over ways to research judges, lawyers, expert witnesses and more using a variety of tools and databases.

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Criminal Justice Research

Friday, March 15, noon-12:30pm
Location: Areeda 524 (5th floor library conference room)
Interested in Criminal Justice? Attend a short 30-minute training designed to help you find relevant books, articles, videos and other materials.
Contact: Michelle Pearse, mpearse@law.harvard.edu

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Introduction to Federal Legislative History Research

Learn about the best online and print resources that will help you find federal legislative documents and help you compile federal legislative histories.

Location: Areeda 524

Wednesday March 27, 12:00 – 12:30

Contact: George Taoultsides, gtaoultsides@law.harvard.edu

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PowerPoint Alternatives

Harvard Law School Library, Areeda 524

March 28, 2013 – 12-1pm

Carli Spina, cspina@law.harvard.edu

Are you sick of using PowerPoint for presentations? Would you prefer to present from your tablet or directly from a web browser? If so, this class is for you! Come to learn about alternatives to PowerPoint including Haiku Deck, Prezi, Keynote and more!

This class is co-sponsored by the Law, Science, & Technology Program of Study.

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Introduction to ADR Research

Arbitration?  Mediation? Negotiation?  Legal disputes are not only resolved in court.  Join us for a brief introduction to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) concepts and research.Date: Thursday, March 28, 2013

Time: 3:00pm – 4:00pm Location:

Areeda 524

Presenter: Jennifer Allison

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Mobile Apps for Law, Research & Fun

Harvard Law School Library, Areeda 524

April 3, 2013 – 4–5pm

Carli Spina cspina@law.harvard.edu

Come learn about mobile apps that will help you to use your mobile device to research on the go, increase your overall productivity and have fun!

This class is co-sponsored by the Law, Science, & Technology Program of Study.

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Powerful, Professional Presentations
Drawn by modern features of today’s presentation tools, many presentations tend to be designed around what the tool can do rather than the message.  Learn how to prepare and deliver professional presentation slides for the classroom, boardroom and courtroom so the focus is on the content.

Fri Apr 5th. 2 pm

Location: WCC 3012

Contact: Kimberly Hall, khall@law.harvard.edu