Why blog or blawg?

The most consistent question I'm asked when I talk to people new to blogging is, "Why?" They want to know what's the point? What could you possibly glean from a blog that you couldn't get from the Web in general? The truth is that a blog is another media outlet for communicating without having to get it published by someone else. Blogs offer immediacy so that today's news isn't lost until it can be published by traditional media or when tomorrow's new scandal is revealed.

Through a blog you can offer your opinion of what a news item means; keep track of what's hot in your professional field; or even keep your far-flung family informed of all the events in your life.

For more information, come to my First Thursday seminar on Thursday, February 5, 2004, at 1:30 pm in the Library's Online Training Center.

Enhancements to online map of Library first floor

The Library's first floor map was recently enhanced to provide a visual clue to the location of various materials and areas that patrons are often directed to on the first floor of the Law Library.

Finding Cases

Pierce Law Library offers patrons, who are new to legal research, online help in the form of Research Guides. These guides were created by Vicenc Feliu, a third year law student at Pierce Law.

Although legal research can begin at many different points, sooner or later you'll probably have to find relevant cases. The Finding Cases research aid is a good place to start. You can get a print version by clicking on the link near the top of the page for "printer friendly version."

The online aids for finding cases are LexisNexis and Westlaw. Both require passwords to use, which is great if you're a Pierce Law student because you are issued such passwords, but how can you find cases online without these premium services?

One source for finding cases is LexisNexis Academic Universe, which is a premium service in that you have to be connected to the Pierce Law network to use it, but you do not need a password to use it like the two resources above. Once at the LexisNexis Academic Universe's Basic Legal Research page, select "Get a Case." If you have a citation (more on citations from another of Vicenc Feliu's research guides) you can retrieve the case by citation or alternatively by party names. Although the search feature of LexisNexis Academic Universe is not nearly as powerful as the full featured search engine at LexisNexis legal database, it is, nonetheless, another online source for finding cases.