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Databases A to Z

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Did you know that the Law Library has much more to offer than just Lexis, Westlaw and Bloomberg Law?  In fact, the Law Library has compiled a list of over 180 databases that students, faculty and staff may find relevant while conducting legal research.  This list can be accessed here.  The list can be sorted by subject, database type and/or vendor.  A keyword search of the database can also be conducted.

Perhaps you need information on a nonlegal topic.  As a Penn State-Dickinson Law student, faculty or staff member, you have access to hundreds of additional databases on a wide array of topics through Penn State University Libraries.  The Penn State University Libraries’ Databases A-Z list can be accessed here.

Feeling overwhelmed by the vast number of databases available through the University Libraries?  Descriptions of the databases can be viewed by clicking on “show all descriptions.”  You can also conduct a search by title or keyword within the description of the databases, or sort the databases by subject.  Once you select “databases by subject,” a list of subjects appears on the left side of the screen which you can use to further filter your results.

Need additional help?  Consult a Law Librarian.

govinfo

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Govinfo, a service of the United States Government Publishing Office (GPO), provides free public access to official publications from the federal government, including the Federal Register, the Code of Federal Regulations, Congressional bills, Congressional hearings and reports, and Presidential documents, just to name a few.  Govinfo officially replaced FDsys in December 2018.

As illustrated by the below screenshot, there are multiple ways to search and/or browse government documents from the govinfo site.  A complete list of what is available on govinfo, including links with instructions on how to access it, can be found here.


Help, in the form of video tutorials and handouts, are available here.  The video tutorials average from one minute to seven minutes in length.

Current tutorials include:

Introduction to govinfo
What’s Available
Introduction to Browsing
Introduction to Basic Search
Introduction to Advanced Search
Introduction to Citation Search
Working with Search Results
Finding Related Documents

Current handouts include:

govinfo Overview
govinfo Information Sheet
govinfo Related Documents Quick Reference Guide
govinfo Basic Search Operators
govinfo Searching the Congressional Record

For additional help, consult a Law Librarian.

February is American Heart Month

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When we think of the month of February, we normally envision hearts – romantic, platonic, familial – of the Cupid variety that surround Saint Valentine’s Day.  Another focal point this February (and every year) is American Heart Month, which spotlights the major impact that cardiovascular health has on Americans’ lives.  American Heart Month is designated to raise awareness about heart conditions and urge Americans to lower their risk for developing heart disease.

The statistics1 are staggering:

  • Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Every year, 1 in 4 deaths are caused by heart disease;
  • Heart attacks are a major category of heart disease – someone in the United States has a heart attack every 40 seconds;
  • Nearly 1 in 3 adults in the United States has high blood cholesterol, a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke;
  • High rates of obesity and high blood pressure among younger people (ages 35-64) are putting them at risk for heart disease earlier in life; and,
  • Half of all Americans have at least one of the top three risk factors for heart disease (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking).

To find out more, below is a sampling of health resources available through the Law Library and online:

DATABASES:

CCH Cheetah
CCH Cheetah includes full-text primary sources of law with commentary, a variety of CCH and Aspen legal publications, smart charts, practical tools, news, webinars, white papers, and blogs. Practice areas covered include corporate & securities, labor & employment, intellectual property, healthcare, human resources, intellectual property and tax. CCH Health and Human Resources Research Network was replaced by CCH Cheetah at the end of 2018 (all content in this database is in CCH Cheetah).

Bloomberg Law
Bloomberg Law’s extensive network of health care information includes real-time coverage of federal and state legislative and regulatory developments, as well as key court decisions and enforcement actions, and industry trends. Bloomberg Law’s Health Law & Business News is relied on by legal, compliance, and industry professionals alike, alerting them of developments in courts, Congress, agencies, industry, and related organizations.

ONLINE:

Healthfinder.gov

Heart Health : Conversation Starters
February : American Heart Month

American Heart Association

Health Topics
Consumer Healthcare

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Heart Disease
American Heart Month 2019 : Let’s Talk About Cholesterol

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

#OurHearts are Healthier Together
Heart-Healthy Lifestyle Changes

1 Sources: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health; Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Westlaw Edge

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If you have logged into your Westlaw account lately, you have probably noticed that Westlaw has a new look.  On January 1, 2019, all student Westlaw accounts were upgraded to Westlaw Edge.  (Faculty and staff accounts were upgraded in November).  Here is a quick summary of what you should know about the upgrade.

The most obvious change is that the welcome screen, after you log in, is now blue.

In addition, Westlaw has added four important features to Westlaw Edge.

  • KeyCite Overruling Risk: A new symbol in KeyCite warns that the case you are looking at may be “at risk” of being overruled because it relied on other law that has been treated negatively.
  • Statutes Compare: Compare different versions of statutes to see how a statute has evolved over time.
  • WestSearch Plus: This upgrade to Westlaw’s search engine uses AI technology to anticipate your research needs before you do by suggesting search queries as you type and providing you with “answers” and supporting law in response to specific legal questions.
  • Litigation Analytics: Need I say more?

The new features in Westlaw Edge are great and I encourage you to check them out.  However, I would be remiss if I didn’t caution you to perform your own analysis of whatever you find in Westlaw, or anywhere else for that matter.

Additional information regarding the changes to Westlaw, including training materials and videos, can be found on the blue welcome screen after you log into Westlaw Edge, or through the Thomson Reuters’ website.  Still have questions?  Visit the Westlaw table in the Commons, or ask a Law Librarian.

Locations of the Law Library’s Collection

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What do those locations for books and other materials signify in our Law Library when searching the CAT? Where is the “Penna. Collection” on the 2nd floor? The Law Library has distinct locations for similar material types and formats where you can find resources for your research.

A brief note about searching in the CAT: when using the browse (begins with) choice in searching the CAT for a specific title or author (type in the last name first), write down the call number and location for the materials to help you easily find the materials within the Law Library. The entry will also tell you if it is checked out and consequently it will NOT be on the shelf. When that is the case, you can place a hold on that book by using the “I want it” button in the entry in the CAT.

One location you may notice is book, reference. These are treatises but are shelved in 1st floor – reference of the library and have a 2 hour circulation period. The Reference collection consists of titles most frequently consulted and includes study aids, directories, dictionaries, and indices.

Course reserve materials are searched under the course reserves tab in the CAT. The entry will indicate the item is on Reserve and has a 2 hour loan period. Print reserves, like reference items, are located on the 1st floor at the Circulation Desk. They are available for check out when the desk is staffed.

The Law Library’s main treatise collection, which covers multiple subjects for research, is located on the lower level of the library. These books are shelved on the movable stacks. To retrieve a book in the movable stacks, select the correct aisle by checking the range of call numbers on stack end signs. You move the book stacks on the lower level by pressing the flashing red arrow and then press the grey arrow. You can find the book by using the call number you recorded and compare it with the spine labels on the books.  The books are arranged on the shelf sections from left to right and top to bottom for each section.

Law journals and law reviews are located on the second floor and are arranged alphabetically by the journal title. The location is periodicals and that includes paper issues as well as bound volumes.

If you do not find the specific volume, it may be found online. One database to check would be HeinOnline.  You can go through the CAT for e-journals or the Law Library’s website.

Also on the 2nd floor are federal resources, U.S. Statutes, state statutes and our Pennsylvania collection. The Pennsylvania collection includes print House and Senate journals, Pennsylvania bulletin, and Pennsylvania statutes and treatises specific to our state. Remember to write down the call number to find a treatise.

As always, please ask for assistance at the Circulation Desk or from a Reference Law Librarian in locating materials or placing a hold on a title that may be checked out.  Law Library floor maps designating these collections by location are coming soon!

The Supreme Court Reconvenes

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October 1st marked the first day of oral arguments at the United States Supreme Court for the October 2018 Term. Information about the oral arguments, including the availability of transcripts and audio of the arguments, can be found on the court’s website. Slip opinions, the first version of the Court’s opinions, are posted within minutes of the issuance of the opinion, remain on the website for the entire Term, and are published in the United States Reports. Electronic copies of the opinions from US Reports can be found either on the Supreme Court’s website (1991-2012) or on the website for the Law Library of Congress (1791-2004).

Print Resources:

United States Supreme Court Slip Opinions, 2nd Floor – Reporters

Official Reports of the Supreme Court (Preliminary Print), 2nd Floor – Reporters

United States Reports, 2nd Floor – Reporters

The Supreme Court’s Style Guide, KF250.U55 2016

Databases:

ProQuest Supreme Court Insight
Supreme Court Insight is a complete online collection of full opinions from Supreme Court argued cases, including per decision, dockets, oral arguments, joint appendices and amicus briefs. Content associated with each case is compiled and organized to facilitate understanding of the judicial process and is also retrievable on a document by document basis.

CQ Supreme Court Collection
CQ Supreme Court Collection contains summaries and analysis of more than four thousand major decisions, historical and contemporary, including all cases in which the Burger and Rehnquist Courts (October 1969 to the present) issued a written opinion. Includes links to the full text of the cases. The collection can be searched by topic, justice, and case name. Includes tools to research justices’ voting records and opinion alignments.

HeinOnline: U.S. Supreme Court Library
Complete coverage of the official U.S. Reports bound volumes as well as preliminary prints, slip opinions, and books and periodicals related to the U.S. Supreme Court are included in this library.

HeinOnline: History of Supreme Court Nominations
This library features the complete print series Supreme Court of the U.S. Hearings and Reports on Successful and Unsuccessful Nominations of Supreme Court Justices by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Browse by Justice option allows you to see relevant works related to that Justice, including links to articles, a bibliography of other works, and links to Scholarly Articles.

Constitution Day 2018

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About Constitution Day

On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention met for the last time to sign the document they had created.  September 17 is recognized in the United States as Constitution Day, its purpose to commemorate the signing of the supreme law of the land and to honor the privileges and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship for both native-born and naturalized citizens. In celebrating this national day, public schools and governmental offices are encouraged to provide educational programs which promote a better understanding of the Constitution.

The Law Library will again distribute free pocket-sized copies of the U.S. Constitution, courtesy of the Federal Depository Library Program (while supplies last).  They are available at the circulation desk display area.  Stop by to pick up one!

Law Library Print Resources

Databases

  • CQ Electronic Library
    Resources now include The U.S. Constitution A-Z, The Supreme Court Collection, Encyclopedia of the First Amendment, and more.
  • Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation (CONAN)
    The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation, popularly known as the Constitution Annotated, encompasses the U.S. Constitution and analysis and interpretation of the U.S. Constitution with in-text annotations of cases decided by the Supreme Court of the United States. GPO provides access to Constitution Annotated editions and supplements from 1992 forward. The volume has been published as a bound edition every ten years, with cumulative updates issued in the intervening years biannually as inserts that address new constitutional case law, primarily from U.S. Supreme Court decisions. The analysis is provided by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) at the Library of Congress.
  • Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution
    Over 60,000 documents trace the debate over the ratification of the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. This scholarly edition includes retains the significant editorial contributions of the original print series as well as the ability to search and browse by keyword, name, date, and state.

Online Resources

  • Constitution Day
    The Constitution Day website celebrates the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, and provides information on events, the Founding Fathers, the full text of the Constitution and Amendments, and offers gift items for purchase.
  • The American Founding
    Resources from TeachingAmericanHistory.org covering the Constitutional Convention, Federalists/Anti-Federalists, Ratification of the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
  • Charters of Freedom – Constitution of the United States
    Online exhibit from the National Archives.
  • United States Senate
    This annotated version of the Constitution provides the original text (left-hand column) with commentary about the meaning of the original text and how it has changed since 1789 (right-hand column).
  • CQ Press in Context – Constitution Day
    This website provides a lesson plan and material from a variety of electronic CQ Press sources to help instructors and students observe Constitution Day. CQ Press resources include primary sources, pro/con debates on important constitutional issues, encyclopedia articles on the Constitution, expert commentary and analysis by CQ writers, and more. In addition, this site provides links to additional free sources available on the Web and links to CQ Press books and online collections related to the Constitution.
  • Legal Information Institute – Constitutional Law
    As the Constitution is the foundation of the United States, constitutional law deals with some of the fundamental relationships within our society. This includes relationships among the states, the states and the federal government, the three branches (executive, legislative, judicial) of the federal government, and the rights of the individual in relation to both federal and state government.
  • Law Library of Congress
    Current legal topics.
  • The Founders’ Constitution
    In this unique anthology, Philip B. Kurland and Ralph Lerner draw on the writings of a wide array of people engaged in the problem of making popular government safe, steady, and accountable. The documents included range from the early seventeenth century to the 1830s, from the reflections of philosophers to popular pamphlets, from public debates in ratifying conventions to the private correspondence of the leading political actors of the day.
  • National Constitution Center
    The National Constitution Center is the first and only nonprofit, nonpartisan institution devoted to the most powerful vision of freedom ever expressed: the U.S. Constitution.
  • The Annenberg Classroom – Teaching the Constitution

There’s An App!

  • U.S. Constitution: Analysis and Interpretation
    The U.S. Constitution: Analysis and Interpretation app is a mobile version of the Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation, a comprehensive analytical legal treatise prepared by attorneys of the Congressional Research Service at the direction of the United States Senate and issued as Senate Document No. 112-9. The app is presented by the Library of Congress using data provided by the Government Printing Office.

Just for Fun

  • Constitutional Crossword Puzzles
    Eight puzzles of 4 different knowledge levels – 2 basic, 2 intermediate, 2 advanced, and 2 expert – to test your skills as a puzzler and knowledge of the U.S. Constitution.
  • Constitutional Word Finds
    Five word finds to search for all things Constitutional.

National Farm Animals Day 2018

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Observed annually on April 10th, National Farm Animals Day was created as a day to raise awareness about the plight of slaughtered animals and to find a home for the abandoned and abused farm animals. Use #NationalFarmAnimalsDay to post on social media. The day was created in 2005 by animal rescuer, vegetarian and celebrity pet lifestyle expert, Colleen Paige.

The Montague Law Library currently has these resources on the 2018 National Farm Animals Day theme:

Print:

The encyclopedia of historic and endangered livestock and poultry breeds / Janet Vorwald Dohner
Call no.: SF105.275.U65 D65 2001
The need to preserve farm animal diversity is increasingly urgent, says the author of this definitive book on endangered breeds of livestock and poultry. Farmyard animals may hold critical keys for our survival, Jan Dohner warns, and with each extinction, genetic traits of potentially vital importance to our agricultural future or to medical progress are forever lost.

The little book of cowboy law / Cecil C. Kuhne III
Call no.: KF1730.K84 2012
This collection is a captivating look at the subset of American jurisprudence that illustrates the unique character of cowboy culture. But even with the freedom and relative lawlessness we associate with them, the cowboy — like the rest of society — was never far from the courthouse, and the book you have before you contains some fascinating legal disputes that have made their way to the bench.

Animals confined for human benefit : a legal research guide / by Stefanie S. Pearlman & Melissa M. Serfass
Call no.: KF240.L44 v.59
Animals are confined for many reasons: to create food for human consumption, to study in research facilities, and to use for entertainment. Federal and state laws exist in an attempt to strike a balance between the welfare of these confined animals and the human benefit derived from their use. This growing body of law is the subject of this legal research guide. This title covers farm animals, laboratory animals, and exhibition and entertainment animals. Animals used for exhibition and human entertainment is a broad topic that includes zoos, rodeos, circuses, animal fighting, and canned hunting. (Traditional hunting is covered in this guide, as the animals are not confined.) This guide will assist researchers by providing the statutes, regulations, cases, and secondary resources needed to begin their research in this new and exciting area of law.

A Guidebook on community participation in addressing disputes over intensive livestock operations / by John C. Becker [and others]
Call no.: HT393.P4 G84 2001
The guidebook outlines a series of participation processes that communities can select when conflicts over the siting of intensive livestock operations arise. The process described offers communities a way to address some of the difficult problems they face with intensive livestock operations.

Databases:

Animal Health and Production Compendium
Contains information on livestock and poultry breeds, diseases, pathogens, foodborne contaminants and food animal products. As well as over 135,000 bibliographic records updated weekly and over 13,000 Library and full text journal and conference articles.

CAB Abstracts (agriculture, nutrition and global health)
CAB Abstracts via CAB Direct covers all areas of agriculture including animal production and welfare (equine, dairy, cattle, poultry), horticulture, (fruits, nuts, vegetables ornamentals, flowers) crop science (grains, forages) and plant protection, applied economics and rural studies, animal nutrition, entomology, aquaculture and veterinary science, food science and nutrition, forestry and the management and conservation of natural resources, leisure and tourism, microbiology, parasitology, mycology, nematology, bacteriology and virology, biotechnology, and plant pathology and postharvest factors.

National Agricultural Library Digital Repository (NALDR)
The National Agricultural Library Digital Repository(NALDR) provides access to historic publications of the Department of Agriculture either digitized by NAL or through NAL’s partnerships with other institutions.

Honoring Women’s History Month

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Since 1987, when Congress declared the month of March Women’s History Month, there have been events drawing awareness to notable accomplishments by women. The guiding force trailblazing the way is the National Women’s History Project (NWHP), which was founded in 1980 in Santa Rosa, California as a grassroots organization to focus attention on the contributions of women. NWHP provides information and training nationally in educating teachers and organizations about women’s historical achievements.

A vital resource available to the Dickinson Law community is featured in honor of Women’s History Month. Since 2014, HeinOnline has provided an extensive collection, Women and the Law.  Subtitled Peggy, the database is an archive of contemporary and historical works devoted to the advancement women’s roles in society and the law for the past 200 years. In a touching preface from Hein’s company president, Kevin Marmion dedicated this specialized database to two women, Ilene N. Hein and Margaret (Peggy) Marmion, who were instrumental and supportive of the company’s success as an invaluable resource for researchers.

This online resource offers more than 685,000 pages of current and historical books, periodicals and biographies pertinent to women’s participation in society and the law. It provides an efficient and constructive platform for users to explore topics such as Women & Education, Famous Women – Biography, Legal Rights & Suffrage, Abortion, Scholarly Articles, Periodicals, and more.  If the subject Feminism and Legal Theory Project is chosen, the researcher may browse articles and books by author, title subject and date. If the inception of the Women’s Suffrage Movement is the topic you are researching, this page provides comprehensive resources for research. The Hein materials are available to read online, download as a pdf, or email.

To access HeinOnline and its databases, please go to the Law Library’s website, or the Law Databases A-Z.

 

Black History Month: Firsts In Their Field

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February is Black History Month. In honor of this occasion, the Law Library has published a blog each week highlighting resources that focus on African American leaders in their law-related fields: Civil Rights Activists; Justices & Judges; Government Officials; and, Firsts in Their Field.

This last entry of the series, Firsts in Their Field, explores resources that celebrate the accomplishments of African Americans who pioneered success in their career field.  The featured databases from government websites such as the Library of Congress and the National Archives provide excellent historical materials and documentation of the African American experience. The list of Firsts that follows highlights notable pioneers in the fields of law, government, and librarianship.

Featured Databases:

African American History Month: Selected Exhibits and Collections
Hosted by the Library of Congress, and in partnership with the National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, this site provides links to exhibits and collections on topics such as civil rights, slavery and emancipation, culture, education, and more.  Collections included are The Abraham Lincoln Papers; The Civil Rights History Project; The Papers of Rosa Parks; Slaves and the Courts, 1740-1860; and the William A. Gladstone Afro-American Military Collection.


The holdings of the National Archives at Atlanta include a wealth of records related to the long struggle for Civil Rights as it played out in the federal government. From Civil War interment reports to court cases enforcing the 15th Amendment in 1871 to the records of the establishment of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday in the 1980s and 1990s, these unique and diverse holdings span more than a century of American history.

African American Research
Also from the National Archives, this site provides a wealth of material documenting the African American experience, and highlights these resources online, in programs, and through traditional and social media.  Resources include featured blogs, images, exhibits, videos, and collections.

African American Firsts in Their Field:

Macon B. Allen Admitted to the Bar 1845
Hiram Revels U.S. Senator, Mississippi 1870-1871
Edward Christopher (E.C.) Williams Professional librarian 1892-1929
Clarence Muse To matriculate at The Dickinson School of Law 1908
William Henry Hastie Federal Judge 1937-1939
Constance Baker Motley Female Federal Judge 1966-2005
Thurgood Marshall U.S. Supreme Court Justice 1967-1991
Shirley Chisholm Female in Congress, U.S. Representative, New York 1969-1983
Female and African American to seek the nomination for U.S. President from one of the two major political parties 1972
Andrew Young U.S. Representative to the UN 1977-1979
L. Douglas Wilder U.S. Governor (elected), Virginia 1990-1994
Carol Mosely Braun Female U.S. Senator, Illinois 1992-1998
Colin Powell Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 1989-1993
U.S. Secretary of State 2001-2004
Condoleeza Rice Female U.S. Secretary of State 2005-2009
Barack Obama Major party nominee for U.S. President 2008
U.S. President 2009-2016
Loretta E. Lynch Female U.S. Attorney General 2015-2017
Carla Hayden Female and African American Librarian of Congress 2016-

Sources: BlackPast.org, Black History Month 2014: 101 African American Firsts ; loc.gov, Library of Congress Magazine ; infoplease.com, Famous Firsts by African Americans