Category Archives: GSU Law Library

12.17.10
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Winter Break Notices

Here are some things to remember during the break:

  1. The Law Library will close on December 17th at 6pm and will re-open on January 4th at 8am.  Between January 4th through January 7th, the Law Library will be operating from 8am to 6pm.  The Law Library will return to regularly scheduled hours on January 10th.
  2. Upon return, the Law Library will be rolling out its new online booking system.  Students will be able to book rooms online up to 7 days in advance.  Study Rooms can be checked out for 3 hours per person, and groups must consist of two or more people.  Students will still need to pick up the keys from the Circulation Desk.
  3. If you are trying to access something on the campus website and your log-in is not working, you may need to reset your password.  Campus IDs must be reset every 90 days.
  4. Keep your eyes out for the Library Abridged workshop series beginning in January 2011.

From everyone here at the College of Law Library, Happy Holidays! 

 

 

12.15.10
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Relaxing Over Break

Law Library Leisure Collection

Finals are nearing their end. Three weeks of vacation stretch before you in glorious Technicolor. You find yourself thinking, “Gosh, what a perfect time this would be to catch up on the first seven seasons of Law & Order. If only I had access to them!”

Oh, but you do. The law library’s leisure collection not only has all the “ripped from the headlines” stories you might want, but it offers more TV shows like The West Wing as well as Legally Blonde, 12 Angry Men, Breaker Morant and other movies.

If you’re thinking more about curling up with a good book and some eggnog, we’ve got you covered too. Cozy mystery fans can work their way through Lilian Jackson Braun’s The Cat Who series. Maybe A Christmas Carol has put you in the mood for some Dickens. And there’s always John Grisham’s legal thrillers too.

The leisure collection offers a lot of selection. Whether you’re wanting a light mystery or a legal classic, swing by the 130s study rooms to check out some great holiday break choices.

12.06.10
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Study Aids Available!

Studying for finals? Can’t figure out U.C.C. 2-207? The Law Library is here to help! To help you succeed on your exams we have:

Substantial previews of some study aids, such as the Examples & Explanations series, are available through Google Books. The library’s new catalog, GIL-Find@GSU, provides links to the available previews.  (Hat tip to USF’s Zief Law Library & John Marshall Law School’s Biro Law Library!)

12.02.10
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The Royal Engagement

The media has been buzzing over the past 2 weeks about the engagement of Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton:  Where will the wedding be?  Who will design the dress?  Does the Queen approve?

What makes this wedding all the more special is the fact that Prince William is the second heir to the throne after his father Prince Charles of Wales.  Therefore, many see him as the future King and Catherine Middleton as the future Queen.

How can Americans put this in perspective?  The thought of a royal wedding seems foreign these days to most Americans.  Even though most of the world’s superpowers have turned to a democratic form of government, including the United Kingdom, the British still hold a special place in their heart for the monarchy.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a constitutional monarchy.  Therefore, while they function as a democracy, similar to the one we have here in the United States, the monarchy is still recognized as the head of state (the Prime Minister is recognized as the head of government).  However, the monarchy has little influence or power over the Parliament.  Instead, the monarchy performs ceremonial functions and acts a representative of the United Kingdom.

Even with our differences though, the United States and the United Kingdom are very similar.  The United States common law legal system is based on English common law.  Furthermore, although a royal wedding might seem dated to the American public, many of our celebrity weddings are covered with as much pomp and circumstance as a royal wedding.

One cannot dispute though that this wedding will be different than any other one we have seen before.  Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding happened before the onset of Facebook, Twitter, and Wikis.  Furthermore, it is hard to think of many American celebrity weddings that can boast a guest list that is rumored to include President Barack Obama, Sir Elton John, and David Beckham.  My advice is to tune in to the wedding at Westminster Abbey on April 29th, 2011 to see what all of the fuss is about.

Interested in learning more about the British Monarchy?  Go to the following link.

Looking for books on the English Legal System?

11.29.10
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Fighting For Superman

image: flickr user b-tal

Warner Bros. recently announced that Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) is going to direct a new film version of Superman. The casting rumors have begun, and the studio wants to start filming in June 2011, it’s reported. But it’s only been four years since Superman Returns was generally panned. What’s the big rush?

The flurry of activity is due to ongoing litigation between Warner Bros. (which owns DC Comics) and the heirs of Superman creators Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel. Shuster and Siegel sold the Superman rights in 1938 for $130.  They’ve been trying to get them back ever since. Although the exact parties have changed over the years (with Shuster’s and Siegel’s heirs eventually on one side and various iterations of Warner Bros. and DC on the other), the question of who-owns-what is still not settled.

In 2008, the United States District Court for the Central District of California ruled that Siegel’s heirs are entitled to partial copyright of Superman’s character (542 F.Supp.2d 1098), but left several other issues unsettled.  Shuster’s heirs have also stepped into the fray and after several hiccups, the parties are set to begin discovery. The new Superman film is one way Warner Bros. is trying to minimize economic losses, whatever the outcome of the suit may be.

Superman isn’t the only comic book character to make an appearance in copyright jurisprudence. For example: Snyder’s previous film, Watchmen (based on a graphic novel of the same name), was subject to a fierce lawsuit (630 F.Supp.2d 1140) prior to its release in theatres. And Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane went to court (360 F.3d 644) over characters created for the Spawn series. The judge in that case described one Spawn character as “a kind of malevolent Superman figure, although actually rather weak and stupid” and appended the opinion with cover art and other images of the characters in question. These cases themselves now appear in treatises, ALR annotations and law review articles on copyright law.

The University Library has a large collection of comic books and graphic novels available for check out, including Watchmen, works by Neil Gaiman and Superman titles.

11.22.10
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Thanksgiving Pardons

Nixon was one of many presidents to receive a Thanksgiving turkey (image: National Archives)

George Washington issued the first presidential proclamation on Thanksgiving when he declared Nov. 26, 1789 to be a day of “national thanksgiving” in which a new country was invited to acknowledge their “opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness”.

Since that first proclamation, Americans have made Thanksgiving one of our most celebrated holidays. Presidents even get in the act by granting a chosen turkey a presidential pardon. Most people think that presidents have been pardoning Thanksgiving turkeys since the 1940s. But while there is ample proof of presidents receiving turkeys, it wasn’t until George H.W. Bush pardoned one in 1989 that the tradition was formalized. (In fact, there is some suspicion Truman and his family ate the turkeys they received.) However the tradition got started, it will continue again this year when President Obama pardons a turkey on Wednesday, Nov. 24. The newly-pardoned turkey will then bring the Thanksgiving tradition full circle by moving to Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home.

11.15.10
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Court-Watching Made Easy

We’re a little over 1 month into the Supreme Court’s 2010 term, and there have already been some interesting arguments touching on, among other things, the sale of video games to minors and the Westboro Baptist Church. You can follow the developments at the Court on the news, but there are also some great websites that track what’s going on, from grant of certiorari to decision.

SCOTUSblog, one of the best sources for Court news, keeps track of the most interesting recent petitions for certiorari and recently granted petitions. To prepare for oral argument, you can check the Legal Information Institute’s oral argument previews, and SCOTUSblog’s collection of briefs and other case documents. And, of course, after the argument you can check out the audio on the Supreme Court’s website and at the Oyez Project; starting with the 2010 term, transcripts and audio will be posted on Friday of every argument week. When the opinion is finally handed down, you can follow the happenings live at SCOTUSblog, get the syllabus sent automatically to your email account from the LII, see a visual representation of the votes from Oyez, and download the full slip opinion from the Supreme Court.

If that’s not enough, you can play some Oyez Baseball and find out where your favorite former Justice is buried. Or you could use all of this information to dominate your own FantasySCOTUS league!

11.10.10
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Telephone Room Reservation

Starting Nov. 22nd, law students will be able to reserve study rooms at the College of Law Library by phone.  Students should call the Circulation Desk at 404-413-9100 to reserve a room.  Students may also continue to reserve a study room in person at the Circulation Desk.  Phone reservations will last through the exam period only.

Students can reserve a study room up to a week in advance.  In addition, students are allowed to check out a study room for 3hrs per person.

For more information on study space at the College of Law Library, go to the Study Space page on the Law Library Website.

11.08.10
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New Food Policy

by flickr user _sk

Think back to your first week of law school. Do you remember the tour you had of the library? Yes? Good. And remember how you were told bringing food into the library was forbidden? It was sad, wasn’t it? Now think of all the times since then you’ve snuck food into the library inside your backpack and furtively gobbled a granola bar while reading your Con Law textbook. Good news! You don’t have to sneak it in anymore.

The law library recently changed its food policy. We realized a complete food ban can be difficult to follow. You can now freely eat items such as granola bars, carrot sticks, cookies and other snack/finger foods in the library. Does this mean it’s pizza party time in the study rooms though? Sorry. Smelly, greasy foods are still out, as well as other foods which might disrupt your fellow library users. You can read more about the new policy — and see some examples of acceptable and unacceptable foods — on the library’s new website.

The librarians and staff hope you enjoy your new-found freedom from food-related guilt. Don’t hesitate to let us know of any spills or messes you may need help with. A quick clean up will help us in continuing to allow food and drinks (in the acceptable containers, of course) in the library.

11.03.10
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Chat with a Librarian

The College of Law Library debuted its new chat reference service with the debut of the new College of Law website.  We’re hoping that our library users–students, faculty, staff, public–will use the chat service. 

You can access the service by visiting the library home page–use the Ask Ref! box to begin the conversation.  Our chat reference service is available during regular reference hours.  We’re logged in, ready to help, Monday through Thursday from 9-9, Friday from 9-5, and weekends from 10-6. 

We look forward to chatting with you soon!