Spinelli's

Check out a fun new database available on the library home page called Spinelli's Law Librarian's Reference Shelf, a resource consisting of more than 100 legal dictionaries, legal bibliographies, serials and more. Search for information by author, title, serials, most cited, legal dictionaries, scholarly articles, or just scroll through the options alphabetically by title. In spite of its title, the site can be useful for students, faculty, staff, and library birds – defined as “one who spends most of his time loafing in a library” in Criminal slang: the vernacular of the underworld lingo, as found on Spinelli’s.
Some of the available references include:
• Dictionary of Intellectual Property , 1954
• Dictionary of Law, consisting of Judicial Definitions and Explanations of Words, Phrases, and Maxims, and an Exposition of the Principles of Law, 1996
• Dictionary of Legal Quotations; or, Selected Dicta of English Chancellors and Judges from the Earliest Periods to the Present Time, 1904
• English Dictionary: Explaining the Difficult Terms That Are Used in Divinity, Husbandry, Physick, Phylosophy, Law, Navigation, Mathematicks, and Other Arts and Sciences, 1676
• Guide to Minnesota State Documents and Selected Law-Related Materials, 1986
• Judicial Dictionary of Words and Phrases Judicially Interpreted , 1890
• Landmark Indian Law Cases , 2002
• Law in Shakespeare, 1883
• Law-Dictionary and Glossary, Interpreting Such Difficult and Obsure Words and Terms, as Are Found Either in Our Common or Statute, Ancient or Modern, Laws (3d ed.) , 1717
• Quote It II: A Dictionary of Memorable Legal Quotations , 1989
• Vocabulum; or, the Rogue's Lexicon, 1859

…and many more. Either access the database from home, or, come into the “Knowledge box: a school” (from Criminal Slang) and take a look. From the library’s homepage http://lawlibrary.hamline.edu/ click on A to Z list of databases, click on the letter L and then click on “Spinelli’s” Law Librarians Reference shelf to access the sites.

Something for Your Resume: LRSS now underway!

LRSS (Legal Research Skills Series) is a free optional program of supplementary instruction in research skills for Hamline law students who have completed their second semester of Legal Research and Writing or enrolled in the LLM program. The program is one way for students to provide evidence of enhanced research proficiency to potential employers.

Emphasizing student choice, the customizable training is organized into a set of brief, self-contained modules. So far in the Fall 2011 term, we have offered modules on administrative law research and health law research. The next module covers federal legislative history.

If you pass a total of nine modules, you receive a document indicating that you have completed the program and are recognized as having practice-ready skills in the area of legal research. The nine modules must include at least four general modules, at least one jurisdictional module, and at least one specialized module. The only required module is Commercial Databases: Beyond Lexis and Westlaw, Part I.

Even if you do not intend to complete assignments toward the research credential, you are welcome to attend the lectures or demonstrations that interest you, as space permits. So check it out!

Writing a research paper or article?

Are you coming to grips with your law journal article or scholarly research paper? In addition to stopping by the reference desk for assistance, you may wish to check out the general guidance in The 13 Steps of Successful Academic Legal Research. From the abstract:

The content of this essay is the result of more than ten years of trial and error. It was envisioned as a tool for personal guidance when drafting papers. If the recommendations included in this essay are correctly implemented, they will help law students and researchers write a law paper of publishable quality. This essay will walk you through a complete research project. The essay follows a four part division: Teamwork, Basics, 13 Steps, and Submission. That division provides clarity, solves problems, and guarantees success in the endeavors. The content focuses on research pursued in U.S. law schools or research units, although it may be applied to other jurisdictions.

Parise, Agustín (2010) "The 13 Steps of Successful Academic Legal Research," International Journal of Legal Information: Vol. 38: Iss.1, Article 4. Free full text here.

Thank you Professor Morrison!

Professor Morrison recently donated a very nice assortment of books, legal and non-legal, to the law library. The students, faculty and staff will soon benefit by seeing many of the non-legal books in the library's "Popular Reading Collection" located on the shelves just behind the stairway to the third floor. Thank you Professor Morrison for your generosity!

Lights! Camera! Action!

Did you know that the Hamline Law Library has a great collection of legally themed movies available to check out?

See the collection at http://lawlibrary.hamline.edu/movies

But what if after a hard day of class and studying you need an escape from the law? Hamline has you covered!

The Hamline Bush Library has an extensive collection of movies and television series.

The Bush Library collection is located on the main floor next to the circulation desk.

Who needs Netflix when you have an evening's worth of entertainment just a check out away?