Category: Library Resources

Spring Training on Lexis, Westlaw, and Bloomberg Law

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Representatives from Bloomberg Law, Westlaw, and LexisNexis are offering training sessions for W&L Law students in the upcoming weeks. All 1Ls, 2Ls, and 3Ls are welcome to attend any of the sessions listed below.

Lexis sessions will be in-person at the Law School (lunch served), while Bloomberg Law and Westlaw sessions will be held via Zoom. Each is scheduled for 30 minutes. Multiple identical sessions may be offered on each topic; sessions with the same title at different times will cover the same information.

We in the Law Library urge you to take every opportunity to learn about these valuable research platforms and tools. Please contact us at LawRef@wlu.edu with any questions or concerns.

Bloomberg Law Trainings (on Zoom; email Warda Khan for links):

  • BLaw Basics Refresher – Tue. 3/1, 1:00–1:30pm
  • BLaw Basics Refresher – Wed. 3/2, 12:00–12:30pm
  • Advanced Resources – Tue. 3/15, 1:00–1:30pm
  • Advanced Resources – Wed. 3/16, 12:00–12:30pm
  • Advanced Resources – Tue. 3/22, 12:30–1:00pm
  • Advanced Resources – Wed. 3/23, 12:00–12:30pm

LexisNexis Trainings:

  • Judicial Analytics & Court Info – Fri. 2/4, 12:00-12:30pm; Classroom F
  • Administrative Law & Legislative Info – Fri. 2/11, 12:00-12:30pm; Classroom F
  • Shepard’s Citator & Ravel – Fri. 2/18, 12:00-12:30pm; Classroom F
  • Brief Analysis & Lexis for Microsoft Office – Fri. 3/11, 12:00-12:30pm; Classroom F

Westlaw Live Webinars (Sign-up/Zoom Links):

  • Thu. 2/10, 12:00 & 3:00pm – KeyCite for Cases
  • Wed. 2/16, 1:00 & 5:00pm – KeyCite for Statutes
  • Wed. 2/23, 11:00am & 2:00pm – Key Numbers
  • Wed. 3/2, 1:00 & 4:00pm – Briefs
  • Thu. 3/10, 12:00 & 3:00pm – Quick Check
  • Thu. 3/17, 12:30 & 3:30pm – Create a Table of Authorities
  • Wed. 3/23, 1:00 & 3:00pm – Prepare to Practice
  • Thu. 3/31, 12:00 & 3:00pm – Practical Law
  • Thu. 4/7, 12:00pm – Prepare to Practice

New at W&L Law: LexisNexis Digital Library Study Aids

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Just in time for your fall exam prep! The W&L Law Library is pleased to announce school-wide access to LexisNexis Digital Library Study Aids.

This new ebook collection offers easy online access to over 100 study guides published by LexisNexis. Our subscription includes popular and trusted study-aid titles, including the Understanding series, Questions & Answers series, and Skills & Values series. The OverDrive ebook platform allows you to create custom tags and annotations to help organize your studies. You may also print ebook content or download for offline use.

Study aids for many fall semester subjects are available, including:

To access the Digital Library homepage, go to https://lexisdl.com/library/wlu (log in with your WLU credentials when prompted). For guidance on using the Digital Library, view this short YouTube video from LexisNexis.

If you have questions about using or finding any of the Library’s resources, please contact us at lawref@wlu.edu and a librarian will respond to you promptly.

Fall Training on Lexis, Westlaw, and Bloomberg Law

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Representatives from Bloomberg Law, Westlaw, and LexisNexis are offering training sessions for W&L Law students in the upcoming weeks. All 1Ls, 2Ls, and 3Ls are welcome to attend any of the sessions listed below.

Lexis sessions will be in-person at the Law School (lunch served), while Bloomberg Law and Westlaw sessions will be held via Zoom. Each is scheduled for 30 minutes. Multiple identical sessions may be offered on each topic; sessions with the same title at different times will cover the same information.

We in the Law Library urge you to take every opportunity to learn about these valuable research platforms and tools. Please contact us at LawRef@wlu.edu with any questions or concerns.

Bloomberg Law Trainings (on Zoom; email Vrenda Cain for links):

  • Secondary Sources – Tue. 9/14, 2:00-2:30pm
  • Secondary Sources – Fri. 9/17, 2:00-2:30pm
  • Statutory Research – Tue. 9/21, 2:00-2:30pm
  • Statutory Research – Fri. 9/24, 2:00-2:30pm
  • Case Law Research – Tue. 9/28, 2:00-2:30pm
  • Case Law Research – Fri. 10/1, 1:00-1:30pm
  • Citator Tools (BCite) – Tue. 10/12, 2:00-2:30pm
  • Citator Tools (BCite) – Thu. 10/14, 3:00-3:30pm
  • Memo and Brief Research – Wed. 10/20, 4:00-4:30pm
  • Memo and Brief Research – Tue. 10/26, 2:00-2:30pm

LexisNexis Trainings:

  • Secondary Sources & Search Techniques – Tue. 9/21, 12:30-1:00pm; Classroom D
  • Secondary Sources & Search Techniques – Thu. 9/23, 12:30-1:00pm; Classroom B
  • Statutes & Judicial Opinions – Tue. 9/21, 12:30-1:00pm; Classroom D
  • Statutes & Judicial Opinions – Thu. 9/23, 12:30-1:00pm; Classroom B
  • Shepard’s Citator & Research for Memo Writing – Thu. 10/21, 12:30-1:00 and 2:00-2:30; Classroom B)

Westlaw Trainings:

  • Start in a Secondary Source: Thursday, September 16, 4pm EST – RSVP/Zoom Link
  • The Power of Key Numbers: Monday, Sept 20, 12pm EST – RSVP/Zoom Link
  • The Power of Key Numbers: Tuesday, Sept 21, 8pm EST – RSVP/Zoom Link
  • Getting Started with Westlaw: Monday, September 27, 12pm EST – RSVP/Zoom Link
  • Getting Started with Westlaw: Tuesday, September 28, 8pm EST – RSVP/Zoom Link
  • Secondary Sources: Monday, October 4, 12pm EST – RSVP/Zoom Link
  • Secondary Sources: Tuesday, October 5, 8pm EST – RSVP/Zoom Link
  • Is My Case Good Law? KeyCite: Wednesday, October 13, 12:30pm EST – RSVP/Zoom Link
  • Is My Case Good Law? KeyCite: Thursday, October 14, 12pm EST – RSVP/Zoom Link
  • Expanding Your Research with Key Numbers: Tuesday, October 19, 12:30pm EST – RSVP/Zoom Link
  • Expanding Your Research with Key Numbers: Wednesday, October 20, 12pm EST – RSVP/Zoom Link
  • Practical Law: Tuesday, October 26, 12:30pm EST – RSVP/Zoom Link
  • Practical Law: Wednesday, October 27, 12pm EST – RSVP/Zoom Link

Summer Access to Research Platforms & Databases, 2021

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Westlaw, Lexis, and Bloomberg Law provide access of varying duration and scope during the summer to current law students and after graduation for alumni. Other online resources provided by the W&L Law Library also remain available.

Reminder: Always check with your supervisor before using your academic database accounts on work projects this summer. Although it may be permissible by the vendor’s rules, your employer may prefer that you use other resources.

  • Bloomberg Law
    Law students enjoy full and uninterrupted use of their BLaw accounts during the summer, without restrictions from the vendor. Account and log-in required. Graduating students automatically retain full access to their academic Bloomberg Law account for up to 6 months after graduation.
  • LexisNexis
    Law students enjoy full and uninterrupted use of their Lexis accounts during the summer, without restrictions from the vendor. Account and log-in required. Graduating students automatically retain full access to their academic Lexis account for up to 6 months after graduation. Graduates going into non-profit work may apply for LexisNexis ASPIRE access which lasts 12 months beyond graduation; details at http://lexisnexis.com/grad-access.
  • Westlaw
    Law students continue to have full access to their Westlaw accounts during the summer, however use is permitted only for non-profit purposes such as summer classes, law school research assistant/journal/clinic work, or unpaid public interest work. Account and log-in required. Graduating students may retain full access to their academic Westlaw account for up to 6 months after graduation (up to 60 hours of use per month) through the Grad Elite program; register at https://lawschool.westlaw.com/authentication/gradelite.
  • Other Databases via W&L Law Library
    The range of additional databases available to W&L students for legal research can be found on the Law Library’s Databases and Online Resources page. Frequently used resources include HeinOnline, ProQuest, Law360, and Law.com. W&L log-in and password are required off campus. Students graduating in May will lose remote access to these resources by August, however the Law Library can provide research assistance for alumni by email at LawRef@wlu.edu. Alumni may also access a selection of research databases through the University Library; see https://library.wlu.edu/services/#alum.

New Washington and Lee Law Journal Rankings Now Online

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W&L Law Journal Rankings Homepage

The 2020 Washington and Lee Law Journal Rankings are now available at go.wlu.edu/lawjournals.

Maintained by the W&L Law Library, the Rankings are a world-recognized resource for identifying and comparing law journals by subject, country of publication, or rank across several categories relevant to scholars and publishers.

Data for 2020 includes the top 400 U.S.-published law journals and the top 100 law journals published outside the United States, based on citation counts and publication statistics for a 2016-2020 survey period.

New Rankings are released annually based on data up through the preceding calendar year. Historical data from the 1996-2003 to 2015-2019 survey periods remains accessible on the site for reference and comparison.

For more information about W&L Law Journal Rankings, please visit the the How to Use and Methodology pages of the site. Questions and comments are welcome at LawJournalRankings@wlu.edu.

Spring into Summer Success with Legal Research Certification

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Legal Resesarch Certification

Exams may in the rear-view, but your summer job is still ahead!

All W&L Law students are invited to spring into a successful summer with the Law Library’s Legal Research Certification program, now open on Canvas.

You’ll learn real-world legal research tips and tools at your own pace (and at your own place!) and get prepared for your summer experience. Get information helpful for research projects in private practice, judicial internships, government agencies, in-house legal departments, and more.

Choose your own course of short instructional videos on topics, including legal practice materials, news and current awareness, legislative and agency materials, and useful tips from Bloomberg Law, LexisNexis, and Westlaw.

At the end, you’ll receive a Legal Research Certificate from the W&L Law Library that you can add to your resume and demonstrate your mastery of important research skills and resources that lawyers use every day.

Importantly, there is no time or date limit for completing the program this spring or summer—start and finish whenever is most convenient for you.

Visit go.wlu.edu/summersuccess and get started with Legal Research Certification today!

 

What a Year!

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The W&L Law Library wishes all students the best on final exams!

Special congratulations to our graduating 3Ls for completing their law school journey, but also to everyone for making it through an unprecedented and uniquely challenging year. Thanks for your patience, positive attitude, and long-term focus through it all.

To show our support and appreciation, the Law Library is happy to sponsor several exam breaks this week in the Law School:

  • Monday, April 19, 12:00 noon: Trail Mix & Granola Bars (Brick Lobby)
  • Tuesday, April 20, 12:00 noon: Mac & Cheese Cups & Noodle Soups (Brick Lobby or Patio)
  • Wednesday, April 21, 2:00pm: Zumba w/Jenny Davidson at the Pavilion

And of course, in between exams, stop by the Law Library anytime for a quiet place to study, escape, or find a helpful resource. (1Ls, remember our Beyond the Text: Study Guides for First-Year Classes LibGuide for print and online materials.)

Good luck and have a great summer!

Recommended Reading on Remarkable “Lives in the Law”

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Biographies: Lives in the Law
A new display at W&L Law Library – Biographies: Lives in the Law

Dig into the fascinating, inspirational, and oftentimes dramatic lives of legal leaders through the biographies we’ve selected for a new display at the W&L Law Library.

Speaking of, don’t forget our W&L Law Community Read discussion of Pauli Murray: A Personal and Political Life on Wednesday, March 24: Visit bit.ly/LawReadZoom to register, and bit.ly/LawReadEbook to access the free eBook online (valid W&L login required).

All titles are linked below to WorldCat.org, where you can find them at a library near you. The list is alphabetical by author’s last name.

Online Resources for Researching Black History

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Black Freedom Struggle in the United States: A Selection of Primary Sources (ProQuest)
Black Freedom Struggle in the United States: A Selection of Primary Sources from ProQuest

In 1976—nearly 400 years after the first arrival of enslaved Africans to what would become America—President Ford delivered a message to the country, officially recognizing February as Black History Month.

Today, the history of Black people and the African American experience in the United States is a large and growing focus of scholarship and study at all levels, with intersections into many disciplines and professions including law, politics, sociology, anthropology, journalism, literature, and visual and performing arts, to name just a few.

W&L community members have access to many online resources that help researchers access and navigate the universe of information on the centuries of Black history in America. Several are highlighted below.

For additional materials and information, see the W&L Libraries’ guide on Race, Racism, and Anti-Racism Resources: Black America.

Please note that some of these resources may require log-in with valid W&L credentials. For help with access or use, please email LawRef@wlu.edu and a librarian will be glad to assist you.

Black Studies Center

Black Studies Center is a fully cross-searchable gateway to Black Studies including scholarly essays, recent periodicals, historical newspaper articles, reference books, and much more. The following resources are included:

  • Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience
  • International Index to Black Periodicals
  • The Chicago Defender
  • Black Literature Index
  • ProQuest Dissertations for Black Studies
  • ProQuest Black Newspapers
  • Black Abolitionist Papers
  • HistoryMaker oral history videos

Oxford African American Studies Center

Oxford African American Studies Center contains over 7,500 articles from Oxford University Press publications, some of which are not yet available in printed form, as well as primary source materials, maps, images, and more. In some cases, the entire contents of a publication might be included, such as the brand-new Encyclopedia of African American History, 1619 to 1895 and the forthcoming African American National Biography and Encyclopedia of African American Art and Architecture.

Black Freedom Struggle in the United States: A Selection of Primary Sources

This open-access website from ProQuest provides a selection of primary source documents useful for a wide range of students, teachers, and independent scholars. It contains approximately 1,600 documents focused on six different phases of Black Freedom:

  • Slavery and the Abolitionist Movement (1790-1860)
  • The Civil War and the Reconstruction Era (1861-1877)
  • Jim Crow Era from 1878 to the Great Depression (1878-1932)
  • The New Deal and World War II (1933-1945)
  • The Civil Rights and Black Power Movements (1946-1975)
  • The Contemporary Era (1976-2000)

The documents represent a selection of primary sources available in ProQuest databases, including American Periodicals, Black Abolitionist Papers, ProQuest History Vault, ProQuest Congressional, Supreme Court Insight and Alexander Street’s Black Thought and Culture.

Copyright No More: 2021 Public Domain Works

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Happy New Year!

Each year, January 1 is recognized as Public Domain Day and Copyright Law Day to raise awareness of the intellectual property rights of both authors and the public that enjoys their works. It also marks the day when thousands of U.S. copyrights expire.

The Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-298, 112 Stat. 2827) amended the Copyright Act of 1976 to set the duration of copyright protection for any work at 95 years, after which the work will enter the public domain and may be used freely by anyone to entertain, enlighten, or earn revenue.

As of January 1, 2021, copyrights for all works published in 1925 and before have ended. Other works that have shifted into the public domain are those published before 1964 whose registration was not renewed in their 28th year of protection.

Some Background on U.S. Copyright Law

For copyright protections to apply in the first place, a work must be original and in a fixed, tangible form – for example, a written story, a play, a painting, a sculpture, or a recording or composition of music. (See 17 U.S.C. § 102, and Title 17 – Copyrights of the U.S. Code more generally.) Individual states also have copyright laws, but they are only applicable in narrow areas not preempted by federal copyright law, often relating to criminal infringement and piracy. (See the U.S. Copyright Office compilation of state copyright laws.)

Some works are “born” in the public domain, without copyright protections from their creation onwards. Important examples are all laws published by the U.S. federal government, including statutes, regulations, and judicial decisions. State laws vary as to whether and to what degree works by their governments are copyrightable or in the public domain; Harvard University Library provides a good resource for these state guidelines.

Copyrights Expiring in January 2021

A helpful guide to works whose registered U.S. copyrights have expired (1870 to 1925) has been compiled by the University of Pennsylvania Libraries, using digitized Catalog of Copyright Entries from the Library of Congress. Some of the notable works joining the public domain in 2021 are also highlighted in a new display at the W&L Law Library (pictured above), including:

Visual Arts

Books

Music

Film