From time to time law students have expressed interest in a short refresher course in legal research to help them prepare for clerkships or new jobs. We are planning to offer such a course this spring on an experimental basis. It will be offered April 10, 11, 12, and 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. Sessions will be held in classroom I. Each session will address a discrete topic, so that students may choose to participate in only those sessions that interest them. Classes will cover book research only. Specialized on-line research classes are offered periodically throughout the year. The first hour of each class will be a discussion of theory and sources; the second hour will be practical application with one-on-one assistance by librarians. Class participation is limited to 30 students. Sign-up sheets are at the Circulation Desk. Topics to be covered are:
Federal Legislative History Monday, April 10 Federal Administrative Law (excluding tax) Tuesday, April 11 Federal Tax Law Wednesday, April 12 Short Cuts: how to increase your efficiency Thursday, April 13
The course carries no academic credit. On the other hand, it costs nothing, it won't affect your GPA, and it doesn't have a final exam. We hope you will find it eases some of your anxieties about going out to practice your profession.
Many of you have asked us to have more basic Internet classes since the Bar and the Brief are behind us. Soooo, we're going to do it again! In the classes we'll cover basic e-mail via CONTAC, Gopher, Usenet, Listservs and the ever-popular World Wide Web. As before, you must have a CONTAC account to attend classes. You can obtain a CONTAC account by filling out a form at the Circulation Desk. It usually takes about a week for your account to be activated so please plan accordingly. Sign-up for classes in the Law Library Computer Lab. Class size is limited to 10 students.
Classes will be offered at the following times:
Thursday, March 16 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 21 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 22 2:30 p.m.
The inquiry usually goes something like this, "I haven't received anything in my student mailbox saying I have a CONTAC account." The answer is you won't receive any notification in your mailbox. If you turn in a CONTAC form your account will definitely be activated with 7 - 10 days. You can pick up instruction sheets for accessing your account at the Reference Desk or on the wall in the Computer Lab. Instruction sheets are available for accessing CONTAC from the Law Library Computer Lab or from home via modem. If for some reason your account doesn't seem to be activated, check with either Darcy Harris at the Circulation Desk or Carol Watson in the Law Library Annex.
Another common dilemma. I forgot my password. It happens to all us. We have so many passwords and number to keep up with . . . Lexis passwords, Westlaw passwords, Social Security Numbers, Telephone Numbers, E-mail passwords, etc. If you forget your CONTAC password, inform someone at the Circulation Desk during the 8:00 to 5:00 workday. We'll have University Computing reset your password to the original password U258PRF. You can then change your password to something unique. If you need help changing or establishing your password, don't hesitate to ask.
Mary Louise Gilman, the editor of the National Shorthand Reporter has collected many of the more hilarious courtroom bloopers in two books - Humor in the Court (1977) and More Humor in the Court (1994). From Ms. Gilman's two volumes, here are some of my favorite transquips, all recorded by America's keepers of the word:
Q. Doctor, did you say he was shot in the woods?
A. No, I said he was shot in the lumbar region.
Q. Are you married?
A. No, I'm divorced
Q. And what did your husband do before you divorced him?
A. A lot of things I didn't know about.
Q. Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead people?
A. All my autopsies have been performed on dead people.
Q. Mrs. Jones, is your appearance this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
A. No. This is how I dress when I go to work.
Q. And lastly, Gary, all your responses must be oral. O.K.? What school do you go to?
A. Oral
Q. How old are you?
A. Oral
Q. Do you drink when you're on duty?
A. I don't drink when I'm on duty, unless I come on duty drunk.
Q. ...any suggestions as to what prevented this from being a murder trial instead of an attempted murder trial?
A. The victim lived.
Q. Were you acquainted with the deceased?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Before or after he died?
Q. What is your name?
A. Ernestine McDowell
Q. And what is your marital status?
A. Fair.
A new Lexis command - .gu - takes you into the GUIDE library without interrupting your research session. Hyptertext links in the Guide library help you move through product descriptions. For example the GUIDE library includes the following: