It’s that time of the year again.  No, not the time when McDonald’s brings back the McRib Sandwich, although word on the street is that it will be back by the end of 2012.  It’s Law Library Week!

Law Library Week (Oct. 1st – Oct 5th) is that special time of year when students celebrate the awesomeness that is the Law Library, and the Law Library provides students with all those wonderful things that make them happy:  free coffee, candy, cookies, and last but not least, prizes.

This year, we have several events on tap that should make it a memorable week:

• Facebook Trivia Contest:  Everyday this week we will post one trivia question on the Facebook page.  The first person to bring their answer to the reference desk will receive some exclusive, never been seen before GSU Law Library swag.  If you want to be apart of the contest, add us on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/georgiastatelawlibrary
• Movie Viewing Parties: Every afternoon at 3:30 p.m. we will be playing a movie on the projection screen in the Law Library Conference Room.  The order of the movies are as follows:  Monday – The Firm, Tuesday – To Kill a Mockingbird, Wednesday – The Princess Bride, Thursday – Chicago, and Friday – A Few Good Men.
• Free Coffee and Cookies:  On Wednesday, Oct. 3rd  we will be providing free coffee and cookies throughout the day in the Law Library Conference Room.
• Free Candy:  Stop by the Reference Desk for your sugar fix throughout the week.
• Daily Blog Posts:  Check out the Law Library Blog, The Blackacre Times, throughout the week for daily blog posts on library related topics.

Enjoy all the festivities!

By Kristin Poland

Several years after Congress began investigating the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in baseball and the Mitchell Report’s withering condemnation of the culture of Major League Baseball that allowed for their widespread use, some players continue to risk their careers in order to attempt to gain an advantage over their fellow players.  Recent PED scandals have implicated some of the biggest names in the game, including last year’s National League MVP, Ryan Braun, and former Atlanta Brave and 2012 All-Star MVP Melky Cabrera, and former Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon.  Braun contested the test results and eventually succeeded in overturning his suspension prior to the beginning of the season based on a chain of custody issue surrounding the urine sample.  Cabrera, on the other hand, quickly admitted to taking a substance that he should not have, and accepted a fifty-game suspension from the league.  Likewise, Colon accepted his suspension and issued an apology statement through the Players’ Association.

The current Major League Baseball Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, agreed to by the league and the MLB Players’ Association, governs testing for prohibited substances among players and also outlines punishments for positive tests.  These guidelines were first adopted in 2006, in response to Congress’ investigation.  A first positive test results in an automatic fifty-game suspension, while a second earns a player a suspension for one hundred games.  A player who has a third positive test will be banned from Major League Baseball for life.

If you are interested in learning more about PEDs and Major League Baseball, the Law Library has a number of resources for you.  A copy of the Mitchell Report can be found through the GPO, or a quick search in GIL Express.  Additionally, a large number of law review and other scholarly articles have been written on the topic, and, among other databases, are available through HeinOnline.

Got something to say?  Tell us!  If you didn’t know, the Law Library has a online suggestion box where you can leave us comments or suggestions.

You might be asking yourself what sort of comments are appropriate.  We are willing to hear anything you would like to say.   We will also accept any suggestions you have for new resources.  Here are a few sample comments:

• The chairs in the library are too high.
• Can we add Ally McBeal to our DVD Collection?
• You should make a research guide on Roman Law.
• The people at the Reference Desk are too awesome!

So how can you get to the suggestion box?  The suggestion box is located under the About Us section of the Law Library’s Hompage.  You can also locate it by going to the direct link for the page.

As of November 1, 2012, the Georgia State Archives will no longer be open to the general public.  The closure of the archives is a result of a $732,626 budget cut to the Secretary of State’s office budget.  However, this does not mean that the State of Georgia will no longer have a state archives.  Some employees will be retained to take care of critical documents. (Source: Georgia Archives Closing Due to Budget Cuts)

The state archives closure is significant not just for Georgia, but also the United States.  Secretary of State Brian Kemp released a statement on Thursday, September 13, 2012, which acknowledged that “Georgia will be the only state in the country that will not have a central location in which the public can visit to research and review the historical records of their government and state.”   The public will still be able to have some limited access, but that will be by appointment only and will depend on the schedules of the remaining employees.

The archives was used mostly by individuals and state officials looking to conduct genealogy and historical research. (Source: Georgia to Cut Off Public Access to State Archives)

There is a chance that the archives could re-open, but it will depend on funds from future legislative sessions.

Image of Robben Island by mr_mayer.

September 12 was the 35th anniversary of the death of Steve Biko, an anti-apartheid activist and leader in the South African black consciousness movement, who died in police custody on September 12, 1977. (If you’re a fan of Peter Gabriel, you may know of him through the song “Biko“; if you’re a Denzel Washington fan, you may about Steve Biko from the movie about his life, Cry Freedom.) Biko’s death was a watershed moment in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa.

Biko was also one of over 1,600 people who were “banned” in South Africa. A banning order severely restricted the person’s movements and associations with others. Banning orders could restrict someone to a specific district or city, and sometimes placed the person banned under house arrest. Helen Joseph, a prominent white member of the anti-apartheid movement, was restricted to her home for years. She was not allowed to receive visitors on the weekends or at night, and was also restricted to speaking with one person at a time. Banning orders often prevented people from visiting family and attending events like weddings and funerals.

More information on banning orders is available in books in the Law Library such as Apartheid: A Documentary Study of Modern South Africa and online resources such as South African Apartheid Legislation, available through HeinOnline. A list of many of the persons banned, along with details about the banning orders, is also available from South African History Online.

Image by flickr user lorenjavier

Over the weekend, several sites reported that actor Bruce Willis was planning to sue Apple for the right to pass on his digital music collection after his death. Thanks in part to his wife’s Tweet debunking that rumor, everybody has since realized that story was false.

It may not be too surprising that a story like this would spread quickly (Hello. Bruce Willis is awesome.), but perhaps what has caught people off guard was the sudden realization that nobody “owns” their digital music. If you purchase music through iTunes, you are granted a license for it, not ownership.

In law school, you often hear about the reactionary nature of laws. Copyright laws don’t address questions like ownership of digital music or movies because no one knew it was going to be an issue before. Seeing questions like this raised in the public press may mean we see more legal attention given to digital content in future.

In the meantime, makes you think twice about dumping all those CDs you have cluttering up the house, doesn’t it?

It’s that time of the year again.  No, not your first three day weekend in law school.  Football season is upon us (and when I say football, I mean American football).   For those of you who are looking to unwind after your first couple of weeks in law school, there are some great games on tap in Atlanta this weekend.

TONIGHT, August 30th, your Georgia State Panthers will open up the regular season at the Georgia Dome against South Carolina State.  If you are hanging around school late, definitely head down to the Dome. Kick-off is at 7:30 pm and students get in free with their PantherID.

Friday, August 31st, the North Carolina State Wolfpack (GO PACK!!!) will be taking on the Tennessee Volunteers in the Dome at 7:30 p.m.  This will be the first of two ACC vs. SEC match-ups this weekend.

Saturday, September 1st, the Clemson Tigers will be taking on the Auburn Tigers in the Dome at 7:00 p.m.  This will be the second of two ACC vs. SEC match-ups.

For those of you who saw this post and thought I was talking about proper football aka soccer,  I’ve got just what you need.  Drawings for the UEFA Champions League Group Stages were today, and there are some interesting match-ups in store for us football fans this fall.  The group stages will run from September 18th and 19th through December 4th and 5th.  The groups have been drawn as follows:

• Group A: Porto, Dynamo Kiev, Paris St Germain, Dinamo Zagreb
• Group B: Arsenal, Schalke, Olympiakos, Montpellier
• Group C: AC Milan, Zenit St Petersburg, Anderlecht, Malaga
• Group D: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund
• Group E: Chelsea, Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus, FC Nordsjaelland
• Group F: Bayern Munich, Valencia, Lille, BATE Borisov
• Group G: Barcelona, Benfica, Spartak Moscow, Celtic
• Group H: Manchester United, Braga, Galatasaray, CFR Cluj

Look for Group D to be the “Group of Death” this year, matching up the league champions from Spain, England, Netherlands, and Germany.

If none of this perks you up, just remember to take time to have a little fun on what might be your last weekend of freedom this semester.

Author Michael Connelly (image by Flickr user ala_members)

Michael Connelly has been awarded the 2012 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction for his novel The Fifth Witness. The Harper Lee Prize is cosponsored by ABA Journal and the University of Alabama School of Law and “celebrates the role of lawyers in society and the ideals represented by Atticus Finch.”

The selection committee this year included novelists, legal analysts and former Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice. ABA Journal also surveyed its readers.

The Fifth Witness is Connelly’s fourth book to star lawyer Mickey Haller. Previous titles in the series are The Lincoln Lawyer (recently made into a movie starring Matthew McConaughey), The Brass Verdict and The Reversal.

Students that have registered with CALI using a hotmail account will need to take additional steps to continue to access CALI exercises and other services. Additional information about this change as well directions for hotmail users can be found here.

CALI is best known for their library of  interactive, computer-based lessons covering 33 legal education subject areas. These interactive tutorials are written by law faculty to supplement traditional law school instruction. In addition to the lessons library, CALI also offers ebooks, the classcaster podcasting and blogging platform, and the CALI Excellence for the Future Awards that recognizes students that receive the highest score in a law school class.

Image by Flickr user marsmet544

In addition to learning how to brief cases and keep up with all of your readings, you may be wondering about your weekly Legal Bibliography assignments. Never fear! There are lots of ways you can get some help.

• Check out the CALI website, which features interactive tutorials on many legal topics, including legal research. And you can access the activation code on our website with your MyLaw ID.
• We have study aids, including Legal Research in a Nutshell.
• Our For Law Students page has links to the library catalog, database list, a library map and more.
• And last, but certainly not least, ask at the Reference Desk! We’re available seven days a week, in person, by phone and via chat.