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Laura J. Ax-Fultz Receives AALL Law Library Journal Article Of The Year Award

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June 2, 2016 — The American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) named Laura J. Ax-Fultz, assistant law librarian, The H. Laddie Montague Jr. Law Library at Penn State’s Dickinson Law, recipient of the Law Library Journal Article of the Year Award. This award honors outstanding achievement in researching and writing an article published in Law Library Journal for the preceding volume year.

Laura-Ax-Fultz-sAx-Fultz wrote “Igniting the Conversation: Embracing Legal Literacy as the Heart of the Profession,” 107 Law Library Journal 421 (2015) to inspire law librarians to form a cohesive professional identity. She spent several months perfecting the angle of the article followed by two months of writing.

“Some people believe, incorrectly, that librarians only exist to be caretakers of books,” noted Ax-Fultz. “In an increasingly digital environment, librarians are assumed to be irrelevant. This argument is, of course, wrong. Just as law faculty do more than teach, law librarians do more than manage collections. No matter what daily tasks law librarians undertake, the end result is an improvement in the legal literacy of the constituent community.”

Ax-Fultz believes that relying on legal literacy as the common thread for all librarians creates a unified professional identity that is not tied to the law library collection. Having a strong professional identity also allows law librarians to adapt and evolve in creative and strategic ways in their professional environments.

“I hope that law librarians are inspired to talk about their professional identity, that non-librarians gain insight about what law librarians actually do, and that other professionals consider the meaning and impact of their own professional identity,” said Ax-Fultz.

Ax-Fultz has been a law librarian with Dickinson Law since December 2014. Prior to joining the Law Library, she held law librarian positions at Penn State Law, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Wilmington, DE, and began her law librarian career at Dickinson Law in 2005.

“The most rewarding aspect of my work is in teaching students how to conduct legal research and develop skills that will become a vital part of their professional success,” shared Ax-Fultz.

The AALL Awards Program recognizes the achievements of law librarians for their service to the profession and contribution to legal literature and materials. View previous winners of the Article of the Year Award, and learn more about the AALL.

The Law Library is a three-floor, state-of-the-art research facility that provides a range of services designed to support Dickinson Law curriculum, promote the advancement of legal scholarship, and fulfill the informational needs of its users. Take a virtual tour of the Law Library.

World Refugee Day 2016

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World Refugee Day, June 20th each year, is an international day of observance dedicated to raising awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world. On December 4, 2000, the United Nations General Assembly in Resolution 55/76 declared that, beginning in 2001, June 20th would be celebrated as World Refugee Day. Each year, United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and countless civic groups around the world host World Refugee Day events in order to draw the public’s attention to the millions of refugees and internationally-displaced persons worldwide who have been forced to flee their homes due to war, conflict and persecution. The annual commemoration is marked by a variety of events in more than 100 countries, involving government officials, humanitarian aid workers, celebrities, civilians, and the refugees themselves. This year’s theme is the hashtag #WithRefugees.

The Montague Law Library collection includes books such as these which discuss refugees and human rights:

humanrightsHuman rights protection for refugees, asylum-seekers, and internally displaced persons : a guide to international mechanisms and procedures / Joan Fitzpatrick, editor.
Call no. K3230.R45H865 2002

This volume provides a detailed and concrete analysis of how human rights complaints mechanisms can be accessed by refugees, asylum-seekers, and internally displaced persons. The guide offers a thorough explanation of the United Nations human rights treaty bodies, with a focus upon the four committees authorized to receive communications from individuals.

 

rightnottobedisplacedThe right not to be displaced in international law / Michèle Morel.
Call no. KZ6530.M68 2014

This book explores the role of international human rights law in protecting people against involuntary displacement. It does so with reference to the idea of a ‘human right not to be displaced’ and examines its existence, desirability, content, and enforcement.

 

perf6.000x9.000.inddMaking people illegal : what globalization means for migration and law / Catherine Dauvergne.
Call no. K3274.D38 2008

This book examines the relationship between illegal migration and globalization. Under the pressures of globalizing forces, migration law is transformed into the last bastion of sovereignty. This explains the worldwide crackdown on extra-legal migration and informs the shape this crackdown is taking. It also means that migration law reflects key facets of globalization and addresses the central debates of globalization theory.

 
lawofrefugestatusThe law of refugee status / James C. Hathaway and Michelle Foster.
Call no. KZ6530.H38 2014

The authors provide robust responses to the most difficult questions of refugee status in a clear and direct way. The result is a comprehensive and truly global analysis of the central question in asylum law: who is a refugee?

Virtual Tour

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VT_LawLibrary001Our doors are open, virtually!

If you can’t visit us in person, please take a virtual tour of the H. Laddie Montague, Jr. Law Library to see our collections, study space, and the rest of Dickinson Law’s beautiful facility.  Enjoy!

http://tinyurl.com/z8npzv8

 

Summer Access to Lexis, Bloomberg Law, Westlaw

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Dickinson_Law_LibraryInformation on summer access to Lexis, Bloomberg Law, and Westlaw for members of the Classes of 2017 & 2018:

LEXIS has no restrictions on use over the summer, and you do not have to do anything to extend your password.

BLOOMBERG LAW has no restrictions on use over the summer, and you do not have to do anything to extend your password.

WESTLAW requires that you extend your password for the summer to have full access to Westlaw. If you don’t extend your password, you will only have access to Westlaw for 10 hours in June and 10 hours in July.

WESTLAW Summer password extension is available only if a student has a permissible academic use for the password this summer (a summer associate position is not considered a permissible use).  Permissible uses include:

  • Summer classes / study abroad
  • Law review and journal
  • Moot court
  • Research assistant positions
  • Unpaid internships / externships — for which you will receive class credit

Access for the Class of 2016 (May Graduates):

LEXIS provides full access to students graduating in May 2016 for six months through the Lexis Law School Graduate Program. Graduates working for a public interest organization may sign up for the Lexis ASPIRE Program, which permits job-related access to Lexis Advance for the duration of the public interest work.

BLOOMBERG LAW allows access to graduating students for six months after graduation. You do not need to do anything to extend your access.

WESTLAW allows graduating students to extend access while studying for the bar by registering for its Grad Program. Registered May graduates will retain access to Westlaw for a limited number of hours through November. Graduates will also retain access to a number of career-related databases for 18 months following graduation.

Civic and Social Literacy Summit

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The Dickinson Law Library recently hosted and sponsored PA Forward’s Civic and Social Literacy Summit: Facilitating Civic Dialogue and Engagement. The conference brought together librarians and educators focused on finding ways to leverage library resources to build civic engagement and address difficult social problems.

Some might say that there is nothing more boring than civics, but that is because they haven’t heard Jon Price speak. Price brings a historical perspective based on his scholarship in American history and his experience in local goPA Foward Literaciesvernment to remind us of the power that we have to effect change through civic engagement. While noting that media coverage lures us into the politics of the Presidential election, local government probably has more immediate impact on daily life. Not wanting to speculate on election outcomes, Price encouraged us to get out and vote in the primary that may have more impact than in past election years.

During the concurrent afternoon sessions, speakers discussed a broad range of topics such as, Inter-Generational Space and Places, Legal Advice v. Procedural Information, Pennsylvania’s Heroin Epidemic, Domestic Violence, and Voter Engagement. Each of these topics impacts the daily lives of Pennsylvanians in both obvious and unforeseen ways. These passionate speakers helped librarians gain a new perspective on some very difficult issues which prepares them to help those in need find vital information when it is needed most.

PA Forward is the Pennsylvania Library Association’s literacy initiative which is dedicated to improving the quality of life of Pennsylvania’s citizens by advancing knowledge in the key areas of Basic Literacy, Information Literacy, Civic and Social Literacy, Health Literacy, and Financial Literacy. For more information about PA Forward, click here.

Justice Scalia at Dickinson Law

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After United State Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia passed away, unexpectedly, on February 13, 2016, the Dickinson Law Library began setting up a small display of items by and about Justice Scalia. Several students asked why we did this, remarking that he had no connection to Dickinson Law.

Actually, Justice Scalia participated as a lecturer in the Florence Study Abroad program several times, routinely met with Dickinson Law students who visited the Supreme Court, and was a friend of our own distinguished Professor Louis Del Duca.

 

2013 Justice Scalia's Separation of Powers course 600_Page_1

Justice Scalia became famous for his strong, conservative, and vibrant (or argumentative, depending on your perspective) use of language in his opinions and in the courtroom. His legacy on the bench represents only a fraction of his contributions to the legal field. He wrote several books that support his theories of legal argument and legal interpretation including Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges and Reading the Law: The Interpretation of Legal Text, written with renowned legal writer, Bryan G. Garner. He also wrote A Matter of Interpretation: Federal Courts and the Law. In contrast, several books have been written about Justice Scalia including, Scalia: A Court of One by Bruce Allen Murphy, American Original: The Life and Constitution of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, by Joan Biskupic, and Antonin Scalia’s Jurisprudence: Text and Tradition, by Ralph A. Rossum. These are just a few of the many items about Justice Scalia that are available through the law library’s collections and can be requested through the CAT.

When Justice Scalia was interviewed about the publication of his book “about how lawyers should address the court”, the conversation evolved into a comprehensive interview and was aired as a full episode of 60 Mintues. To hear Justice Scalia discuss the constitution in his own words, watch the 2008 interview with Lesley Stahl. Being able to connect the Justice Scalia of the court with his personal side provides fascinating insight into one of the Supreme Court’s most famous justices.

Even after his passing, Justice Scalia is still causing controversy. As the National Law Journal pointed out, in a recent opinion, Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan both cited Justice Scalia and Bryan Garner’s text Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges and Reading the Law: The Interpretation of Legal Text in support of different interpretations of language.

Welcome to our new blog!

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Welcome to Dickinson Law Library’s new blog, Keeping It Brief!

Keeping It Brief! is published by the law librarians and staff at Dickinson Law’s H. Laddie Montague, Jr. Law Library.  Our hope is to keep students, faculty, and staff up to date on the latest news about the library, its collections and services, and how to make the most of their legal research time.  We will be featuring new books, displays and events, and information that is legal in nature: research, education, news, and history.

Please feel free to sign up for notifications to our blog posts by entering your email in the Subscribe box on the side.  Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe by RSS feed to your RSS feed reader.

Here’s to Keeping It Brief!

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