Interim Library Hours, 7/29-8/19

The Westminster Law Library will be on reduced interim hours from Sunday, July 29, 2012 - Sunday, August 19, 2012. The library will be open 8am - 8pm daily. Reference assistance during this time will be available Monday - Friday, 9am - 6pm.

Patent Law Research Guide

See our new research guide for an introduction to resources available for patent law research. The guide includes background material on patent law and litigation, links for inventors on obtaining a patent, and law journals, blogs and databases in the field.  There is also a short informational video on the US patent system that was created by the Federal Judicial Center for use in jury trials.

Check out all of our research guides for a topic that interests you! We currently have 60 guides on a variety of topics. Listed below are our Top 10 most popular guides so far in 2012.

1.	Colorado Law Project: Landlord / Tenant Resources by Colorado Law Project @DU - Last Updated Jun 4, 2012 4,951 views this year

2.	Tax Loose-Leaf Services by Sheila Green - Last Updated Apr 19, 2012 1,144 views this year

3.	Reporters and Digests by Sheila Green - Last Updated Apr 19, 2012 933 views this year

4.	Colorado Law Project: Wills, Trusts, and Estate Planning by Colorado Law Project @DU - Last Updated Jun 7, 2012 865 views this year

5.	Colorado Law Project: Structure of Colorado Government by Colorado Law Project @DU - Last Updated Jun 7, 2012 750 views this year

6.	Colorado Statutes by Reference Desk - Last Updated May 31, 2012 645 views this year

7.	Colorado Law Project: Small Claims Resources by Colorado Law Project @DU - Last Updated Jun 7, 2012 623 views this year

8.	DU Bar Success: Resources and Tools by Leah Kilpatric - Last Updated Apr 12, 2012 588 views this year

9.	Colorado Law Project: Child Custody and Parenting Time by Colorado Law Project @DU - Last Updated May 29, 2012 523 views this year

10.	Court Rules and Related Trial Practice Materials (Federal and Colorado) by Sheila Green - Last Updated Apr 29, 2012 477 views this year Written by Patty Wellinger, Reference Services Coordinator

U.N. Wire

For students with an interest in foreign and international issues: have you signed up for UN Wire?

A daily email from UN Wire   is a great complement to the postings found on the Jurist blog. The UN wire is a compilation of articles from various sources such as The New York Times, the BBC, The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, Al-Jezeera, AlertNet/Reuters, The Guardian, and many other sources. If you are short of time, but would like to keep up on world events, this is an excellent way to do it. Some of the categories include: United Nations, Health & Development, Climate and Energy, Peacekeeping and Security, and Environment. The categories vary depending on the news of the day.

While not necessarily a legal website, the UN Wire will help to provide the context in which legal issues are happening.

Written by Joan Policastri, Foreign, Comparative and International Law Librarian

Bridge the Research & Analysis Gap Webinar

2012 BRAG Conference: Bridge the Research and Analysis Gap

 

  Video Replay on July 25th, 2012 - 3 CLE Credits

Program Highlights:

• Advanced techniques for finding and analyzing primary law and secondary sources, including practice materials and forms
• Understanding the relationship between state and federal law 
• An overview of local government in Colorado and how to find municipal codes 
• How to find and navigate free online resources, with demonstrations of key Colorado law materials

Program Description:
This year's BRAG program will demonstrate how to analyze and research a legal issue regarding medical marijuana.  The program will begin with how to analyze a problem to determine which research resources to consult and how to develop and track research steps.  The program will then explore how to research primary and secondary resources to find the authority to answer the legal issue.  The focus will be on Colorado authority but will be applicable to research in other jurisdictions.  The presenters will show how most of this authority can be found using free online resources and discuss cost-effective strategies.

Agenda:

9:00 - 9:30 a.m.

Research Methods and Analysis

This segment presents a hypothetical scenario for the following presentations and explains fact pattern analysis. Demonstrates how to create a research plan and keep track of your research.

Presented by Robert Linz, Esq., William A. Wise Law Library, University of Colorado Law School, Boulder, Colorado

9:30 - 10:00 a.m.

Colorado Practice Materials and Secondary Authority
This segment discusses how to save valuable research time by starting with secondary authority. Presents the different types of key resources, including Colorado practice materials, and how to apply them to your research.

Presented by Alicia Brillon, Esq., William A. Wise Law Library, University of Colorado Law School, Boulder, Colorado

10:00 - 10:45 am

TRACKS - Please select the track you plan to attend:

TRACK 1:

Colorado Statutory and Case Law Research

This program will discuss the value of annotated statutory codes and how to use them to quickly find the most relevant and cited cases. Shows how to save money by searching the free version of the Colorado Revised Statutes, and how to find legislative history documents on the Colorado General Assembly websites. Examines the West Digest System for case law and how to maximize the use of free resources both online and in your local law library.

Presented by Robert Linz, Esq., William A. Wise Law Library, University of Colorado Law School, Boulder, Colorado

TRACK 2:

Free Legal Resources

Learn how to make your research more cost-efficient by using a variety of free online resources, and how to judge the authoritativeness of web resources.

Presented by Susan Nevelow Mart, Esq., William A. Wise Law Library, University of Colorado Law School, Boulder, Colorado

Searching the CCR Online

Learn how to find and use the free online version of the Colorado Code of Regulations and Colorado Register.

Presented by Stacey Bowers, Esq., Westminster Law Library, University of Denver Sturm College of Law, Denver, Colorado

10:45 - 11:00 am

Networking Break 

11:00 - 11:45 am

TRACK 1:

Colorado Administrative Regulations

Learn how to explore regulatory law as part of your research plan. This session examines the relationship between statues and regulations and demonstrates how to use the Code of Colorado Regulations and Colorado Register in your legal research.

Presented by Robert Linz, Esq., William A. Wise Law Library, University of Colorado Law School, Boulder, Colorado

Local Government Research

This segment will explore the nature and source of local government ordinances and how to find them free online. Explores various other research uses for information found on local government websites.

Presented by Alan Pannell, Esq., William A. Wise Law Library, University of Colorado Law School, Boulder, Colorado

 TRACK 2:

Casemaker Demonstration

This segment will demonstrate how to take advantage of Casemaker, an alternative to LexisNexis and Westlaw that is available free to members of the State Bar of Colorado.

Presented by Madeline Cohen, Esq., U.S. Courts Library for the Tenth Circuit, Denver, Colorado

Google Scholar Searching

Get an in-depth demonstration of how to use Google Scholar to find case law and law review articles, and how this free resource can help you expand your research.

Presented by Alicia Brillon, Esq., William A. Wise Law Library, University of Colorado Law School, Boulder, Colorado

11:45 am - 12:00 pm

Closing Session  - Colorado Law Library Services

This session summarizes how the various research components fit together and how to utilize local library resources and law librarians to successfully complete your research assignments.  

Presented by Alan Pannell, Esq., William A. Wise Law Library, University of Colorado Law School, Boulder, Colorado

12:00 p.m. Adjourn

 

Faculty:

Stacey BowersOutreach & Instructional Services Coordinator, Adjunct Faculty, and Interim Assistant Library Director
Westminster Law Library
University of Denver Sturm College of Law

Denver, Colorado

Alicia Brillon

Reference Librarian
William A. Wise Law Library
University of Colorado Law School

Boulder, Colorado

Madeline CohenCircuit Library Director

U.S. Courts Library for the Tenth Circuit

Denver, Colorado

Robert Linz

Associate Director and Head of Public Services
William A. Wise Law Library
University of Colorado Law School

Boulder, Colorado

Susan Nevelow Mart

Director of the Law Library and Associate Professor
William A. Wise Law Library
University of Colorado Law School

Boulder, Colorado

Alan Pannell

Head of Reference
William A. Wise Law Library
University of Colorado Law School
Boulder, Colorado

 Video Replays: July 25, 2012:

 

Death Penalty Worldwide Database

New from Northwestern University, and in partnership with the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, comes a database with current information relating to the application of death penalty laws from around the world. This database is intended to supplement the Hands Off Cain database, and the reports by Amnesty International. The new database focuses on providing detailed information on the application of death penalty law and practice.

As with use of any new database, a quick review of the FAQ will tell the user  what kind of information can be found, and what will not be found (cases and news feeds), as well as information on how to search the database, the currentness of the information, and a short discussion of the “viewpoint” presented on capital punishment . The database itself can be searched in a variety of ways: by Country, Region, or Method of Execution. One may also search by topic under the heading “International Legal Issues” where one finds issues such as: Access to Courts, Arbitrariness and the Death Penalty, Death Row Conditions, Foreign Nationals, Innocence and Wrongful Convictions, Mental Illness, Moratoria, and Women. Finally the Resources section provides link to Death Penalty Organizations, articles and books, further electronic research, and Guidelines for International Legal Research.

The Country search provides a wealth of information including  the methods of execution, the status of the laws, a discussion of and citations to the relevant laws, as well as a general profile of the country.

The homepage provides an interesting “Country of the Day” feature. On June 20, 2012, the country was Iran and the following was seen: 

Iraq

Death Penalty Law Status

Retentionist

Method(s) of Execution

Hanging

Shooting

Year of Last Known Execution

2011

Learn More

There is also a blog on the homepage.

For those who would like to use the library’s print collection, you can search using the term “death penalty,” but don’t forget to also use the term “capital punishment.” The library has an extensive selection of books on this important topic, as well as providing direct online access to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Written by Joan Policastri, Foreign, Comparative & International Law Librarian

New Database on Torture

As part of the commemoration of the Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment’s 25^th anniversary, the American Civil Liberties Union has launched a new database of over 100,000 documents from the Bush era, and forward, relating to “rendition, detention, and interrogation policies and practices.”  The Torture Database can be searched in a number of ways. One can search by the Year (2001 – 2012), by the Authoring Agency (Executive Branch, Department of Defenses, Department of Justice, etc.), by the name of officials mentioned (Colin L. Powell, JoAnn J. Dolan, etc.), by the name of the detainee mentioned (Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Jose Padilla, etc.), by the method of torture used, and the type of document (email, interview, memo, etc.) There is also a free search box into which you can enter search terms of your choice (water boarding, etc.) A detailed explanation of the search methods available can be found here. The materials were obtained largely through Freedom of Information Requests (FOIAs).

Some library materials that may be of interest to those interested in the subject include these reports from Human Rights Watch:

• Getting away with torture : the Bush Administration and mistreatment of detainees, K3239 .H85 G v.23

• We can torture, kill, or keep you for years" : enforced disappearances by Pakistan security forces, K3239 .H85 C v.23 pt.2;

• Torture redux : the revival of physical coercion during interrogations in Bahrain, K3239 .H85 E v.22 pt.1; and, Ignoring executions and torture : impunity for Bangladesh's security forces, K3239 .H85 C v.21 v.21 pt.2 .

And, for those interested in learning more about the Convention Against Torture, this Commentary, written by the former UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Manfred Nowak, will be of interest: The United Nations Convention against Torture : a commentary. And a search in the Westminster Law Library catalog on the Subject, Torture (International Law) will take one to 23 items on the general subject.

Written by Joan Policastri, Foreign, Comparative  and International Law Librarian