Latest & Greatest – The Copyright Librarian: A Practical Handbook

By Linda Frederiksen

Published by Chandos Publishing

Z 649 .L53 F74 2016

Suppose a patron or professor or lawyer wants to photocopy an entire chapter of a multi-volume treatise. Can he? Is such copying considered fair use? Perhaps. Ask the copyright librarian; she will know. Ask the copyright librarian? Huh? Who's that? Look at it this way: you know what copyright is (well at least theoretically) and you know what a librarian is. Putting the two together results in a copyright librarian or a copyright specialist or as the author terms it, an information professional who educates others about the “ethical use and best practices surrounding copyrighted materials.”

In her book, The Copyright Librarian: A Practical Handbook, Linda Frederiksen points out that as the intermediary between the creators of information and the users of that information, librarians should be well-versed in copyright laws as to know and understand when an infringement of a creator’s copyright has occurred or to provide guidance when faced with a copyright dilemma. Considering the confusing, complex, and often ambiguous, nature of copyright laws, the task is far from simple and incredibly daunting. The Copyright Librarian is not a book for those seeking an explanation of the law of copyright but rather is intended for librarians and information professionals who are interested in becoming a specialist in the field of copyright, thereby enabling them to respond to questions about copyright and how it affects the use of information. The author describes how copyright is necessarily intertwined in library functions, from acquisitions and collection development to cataloging and circulation. She further explains how a librarian interested in copyright can acquire the necessary knowledge to become a specialist through professional development, continuing education, and current awareness and delineates what a copyright librarian ought to know.

If this a field that you would like to explore further, come to the Harris County Law Library and have a look at The Copyright Librarian: A Practical Handbook. Perhaps you can get in on the ground floor of this emerging specialization.

Registration Open for Legal Tech Institute CLE

Register today for our upcoming Legal Tech Institute training session! On Thursday, April 27, 12pm - 1pm, our Westlaw representative will lead a training session on family law resources available for free on the Law Library's Westlaw computers. Texas attorneys can earn 1.0 hour CLE credit and all who are interested in learning more about free access to Westlaw at the Law Library are welcome to attend.

For more information and to register, visit the Legal Tech Institute Course Catalog.

Visiting the U.S. Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit Library System - Houston Satellite

March is Federal Practice Resource Month at the Harris County Law Library. Throughout the month we are featuring some of the federal practice legal materials found in our collection. We are also calling attention to a select few online resources, including the Federal Practice Manual for Legal Aid Attorneys.  Law Library staff are always available at the reference desk to help in using any of these materials.

Another helpful resource is the satellite branch of the United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit Library System, located right here in Houston at 515 Rusk.  This Satellite Library, open to the public, is a valuable resource for researching federal legal issues and it's well-worth a visit for those working in federal law.

You can learn about the Satellite Library's services and guidelines using the Visitors' Guide to the U.S. Courts Library in Houston, Texas.  Many of the sources available in the Harris County Law Library collection are also available at the Fifth Circuit Library, but the staff's knowledge and expertise regarding the federal judiciary may add even more value to your research. Federal law is their specialty, and they are happy to help you access the resources you need. The Houston Satellite is also a United States Federal Depository Library, where government publications, including a selection of official sources of our nation's primary legal documents, are housed.

Rare Find: Signed copy of Wigmore's Panorama of the World's Legal Systems

The Harris County Law Library has been collecting legal publications for more than 100 years and our historical collection is home to many rare and unique works. Once in a while, we find something so singular that we have to share our find. Earlier this month, a library staff member opened a book cover and discovered the signature of one of the most recognizable names in legal bibliography - John Henry Wigmore.

Wigmore was a well-respected law librarian, professor of law, and dean of Northwestern School of Law in the early 20th century who is remembered as one of the legal community's most respected scholars for his work Wigmore on Evidence. Even today, the preeminent treatise on evidence - The New Wigmore - drops the subject in its title in favor of the original author whose name is synonymous with the topic. Find more on this extraordinary scholar in the Fall 2013 issue of LH&RB on the American Association of Law Libraries website.

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The signed book is a 1936 copy of Panorama of the World's Legal Systems. The work first appeared as a 3-volume set that provided a unique comparison of various legal systems, complete with photographs, illustrations, and maps. In 1936, West publishing released the library edition to make the content more widely available. As the "intent was to popularize the study of comparative law," making the format more accessible helped Wigmore's ideas about foreign legal systems travel well beyond academia. The Law Library's copy found its way onto the shelves of a local practicing attorney who represented Texas oil companies in the early 20th century and was donated along with other volumes at the end of his practice.

Latest & Greatest: Litigation with the Federal Government

By Gregory C. Sisk

Published by West Academic Publishing

KF 9065 .L472 2016

It is relatively common knowledge in the legal community that the Federal Government is a party to every federal criminal case. Yet few are aware that the Government is a party in nearly 20 percent of all civil cases filed in the federal courts. In these matters come the special rules surrounding sovereign immunity and the waiver of that immunity. In his book, Litigation with the Federal Government, author Gregory C. Sisk seeks to explain the concept of sovereign immunity and provide a summary of the various statutory waivers of sovereign immunity, both specific and general. He discusses, in some detail, the requirements needed to bring suit under the Federal Torts Claim Act and both the standards for and exceptions to liability under the statute. Other statutes include Suits in Admiralty Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Social Security Act, to name a few. Sisk also devotes some discussion to claims against federal officers and employees, including those seeking money damages and those looking to compel the officer or employee to perform a specific duty. The author also addresses the notion of equitable estoppel in the instance when the Federal Government is bound by the unauthorized representations by its employees. Lastly, the author discusses the Federal Government’s power to sue as a plaintiff.

Note that this book is part of the Hornbook Series, a set of one-volume treatises designed as study aids that simplify a legal topic by providing a summary or overview of the topic. They are good resources for those who want to understand more about a legal subject without having to sort through complex cases as well as for those who are representing themselves.