Features and Columns — April, 2013

IM a Librarian: Establishing a Virtual Reference Service with Little Cost or Technical Skill

Bonnie Shucha explores the pros and cons of real-time communication, explains how real-time communication works in a library setting, and introduces two free, easy-to-use applications for virtual reference. — Published August 27, 2007

Search at the Foundation of the Enterprise

John Alber reviews and details the successful application of a Probabilistic Latent Semantic Indexing system to effectively and comprehensively search a law firm's continually expanding electronic document repository. — Published August 27, 2007

Technology and the Generation Gap

Genevieve Zook's forthright, insightful and timely commentary addresses the challenges of balancing the push for gadgets and applications with the concepts of direct customer contact and value added services. — Published August 27, 2007

E-Discovery Update: Understanding the Consequences of an Unsuccessful Meet and Confer Session

Conrad J. Jacoby discusses how the exchange of discoverable documents and information, including preservation and production of electronically stored information, is becoming increasingly important subsequent to the Taser case. — Published August 27, 2007

A Review of TechnoLawyer's Free BlawgWorld 2007 ebook

Brett Burney reviews this innovative new ebook, comprising a wide range of blog postings ranging from legal news, legal marketing, law technology, and law practice management, along with hyperlinks to each respective blog. Also included is the TechnoLawyer Problem/Solution Guide a vendor sponsored, topic-targeted Q&A. — Published August 27, 2007

The Government Domain: Back to School for Constitution Day 2007

For librarians and educators planning programs for Constitution Day, Peggy Garvin's column links to a variety of web resources for online versions of the United States Constitution and related teaching materials. — Published August 27, 2007

Law and Technology Podcasts

Roger V. Skalbeck highlights a selected group of useful podcasts covering topics such as technology policy, law, and web development. — Published August 27, 2007

FOIA Annual Reports: A Diagnostic Tool for Identifying FOIA Administrative Problems

Michael Ravnitzky focuses on how FOIA Annual Reports issued by federal agencies can assist researchers in the process of formulating requests and obtaining requested documents. — Published August 27, 2007

CongressLine by Gallerywatch.com: Votes and Whips

Paul Jenks explains voting, a finely orchestrated legislative process that is full of arcane and ancient precedents and many mechanisms to get around the rules. — Published August 27, 2007

LLRX Book Review by Heather A. Phillips

Heather A. Phillips joins LLRX with a regular book review column. This month's titles are Evolution, Intelligent Design and a School Board in Dover, PA and The Supreme Court and the Religion Clauses. — Published August 27, 2007

Burney's Legal Tech Reviews: The Kingston Data Traveler Reader and New Jabra Bluetooth Headset

Brett Burney's practical recommendations for price conscious gadget aficionados never disappoint, and this month is no exception. A nifty new thumbdrive and memory stick combo and a Bluetooth headset that is comfortable for day-long use will no doubt be on your must have list. — Published August 27, 2007

Commentary: The Protect America Act and Legislation Related to the Domestic Surveillance Program

Beth Wellington's commentary examines the rapid introduction and passage of the Protect America Act, and the impact of related legislation on civil liberties in America. — Published August 27, 2007

July, 2007

Documents, Leaks and the Boundaries of Expression: Government Whistleblowing in an Over-Classified Age

Susan Nevelow Mart's comprehensive guide documents what protections you have from retaliation if you blow the whistle on fraud, waste, deception, or other violations of the law will depend on who your employer is, what has been uncovered, and what kind of documents are involved. — Published July 27, 2007

Librarians as Change Agents: How You Can Help Influence Public Policy in the 110th Congress

Mary Alice Baish, Associate Washington Affairs Representative, American Association of Law Libraries, discusses how the leadership changes in both the House and the Senate provide opportunities for national library associations and allied organizations to make inroads on issues important to our communities. She offers a view from inside the beltway on the profession's legislative agenda. — Published July 27, 2007

Scanning and OCR with Acrobat 8

Rick Borstein explains and provides examples of the process by which a stack of paper can easily be turned into a searchable PDF with Adobe Acrobat 8.0 and optical character recognition - OCR. — Published July 27, 2007

Guide to Short Form Open Access Legal Publications

According to Ken Strutin, short form open access legal publications provide a forum for a wide range of scholarly and timely exchanges on new developments and issues. They embrace the best of print and online traditions by adhering to the publishing standards of law reviews while taking advantage of the public square of the Internet — Published July 27, 2007

Elder Resources on the Internet

Marcus P. Zillman's annotated guide is a selective listing of elder and senior resources and sites on the Internet. — Published July 27, 2007

Gay/Lesbian Law Pathfinder

Laws affecting gays and lesbians in the U.S. have changed slowly, and these laws cross disciplines, as in any Civil Rights movement. This guide by Mark Plotkin includes selected resources, by topic, that are available in print, on the Internet, and via online databases. — Published July 27, 2007

The Government Domain: 'Insanely Useful' Legislative Sites

Peggy Garvin looks at the expanding range of free legislative research resources available on the web, with a particular focus on sites whose stated goal is to enhance transparency and accountability, sponsored by the private, nonprofit, DC-based Sunlight Foundation. — Published July 27, 2007

Reference from Coast to Coast: Jury Instructions Update

Margi Heinen and Jan Bissett have revised and updated their guide to publicly available electronic versions of state jury instructions. — Published July 27, 2007

Burney's Legal Tech Reviews: Gadgets for Legal Pros A Keyboard to Show Off to your Friends and Safely Jogging with Music

Brett Burney recommends a slick new wireless keyboard with a lithium-ion rechargeable battery and glowy orange function buttons. For jogging safety with the added benefit of listening enjoyment, Brett says JogPhones are worth a look. — Published July 27, 2007

CongressLine by GalleryWatch.com: The Congressional College – Caucuses and Boards

Paul Jenks describes the many informal groups, clubs, commissions and boards that comprise the exclusive members-only world of the Hill. — Published July 27, 2007

FOIA Facts: Understanding FBI Records

Scott A. Hodes recommends that to secure a successful outcome it is important to make FOIA requests not only to FBI Headquarters, but to FBI Field Offices. — Published July 27, 2007

E-Discovery Update - Discovery of Ephemeral Digital Information

Conrad J. Jacoby evaluates the ramifications of the recent decision, Columbia Pictures Indus. v. Bunnell et al., and describes how digital information must henceforth be analyzed when creating an inventory of potentially relevant and discoverable information. — Published July 27, 2007

Commentary: The Showdown on Coal-to-Liquid Technology

Beth Wellington provides an overview of coal-to-liquid (CTL) technology and whether it is a viable new energy source. Beth documents the debate over this issue which includes voices from academia, trade associations, lobbyists and members of Congress, who have introduced a plethora of related legislation. — Published July 27, 2007

June, 2007

Shanghai Express: Donating and Shipping Law Books Overseas

Kara Phillips was recently a visiting scholar at Shanghai Jiaotong University (SJTU) Law School in China. This article describes the project she undertook to collect and ship 300 English-language law books to the SJTU Law Library, as well as her experience as a law librarian in China. — Published June 25, 2007

Better Connections with Clients

Wells H. Anderson provides practical examples of solutions to improve phone calls with clients using remote access and online meeting services, recommending what to look for and why these services are so effective. — Published June 25, 2007

60 Gadgets in 60 Minutes

Barbara Fullerton, Brian Neale and Holly Pinto's presentation includes gadgets to use on the job, while telecommuting, traveling, and for presentations and training. The gadget gurus also highlight the latest and greatest in digital video, cell phones, and a selection of practical and fun gizmos. — Published June 25, 2007

An Overview of Selected Legal Digital Libraries

George Butterfield and Kristyn Helge review ten major legal digital research portals, assessing, comparing and contrasting their major characteristics and providing guidance on using each one. — Published June 25, 2007

CongressLine by GalleryWatch.com - Parties and Partisanship

Paul Jenks comments on the role of party organization, power and politics in Congress. — Published June 25, 2007