Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Internet Tips 21

Welcome to the next issue of "Internet Tips"! There are three sections to this post: a beginner's tip, an advanced tip, and a useful internet link. Enjoy!

Beginner's Tip: An icon by any other name...
Want to rename an item on your desktop? Highlight it and tap F2. The text box will then allow you to change the name.

Advanced Tip: To Run or Save...that is the question
When you are downloading a file off the internet you may get the option to "Run" or "Save". Either of these options will lead you to the setup for the program and install it on your computer, but the difference lies in where the setup file opens from.

If you click "Save" you can specify where the setup file goes ("My Downloads" or the desktop). From there you could put it on a disk or in a different location just in case you need to reinstall it.

By choosing "Run" the setup process starts once the setup file is downloaded to your temporary internet file. When you empty your temp file the setup download goes away.

More great tips at: http://www.worldstart.com/tips/index.php

Useful Internet Link: Learn Library Call Numbering
Always been curious about how library call numbers are formulated and what they mean? Check out this link to understanding Library of Congress call numbers.

Legal Research Tip 21: Finding legal periodical articles

Welcome to the next issue of the DCLRC E-Newsletter "Legal Research Tips"! You can view back issues of these tips through other posts in this blawg. Enjoy!

You may think you can find all legal resources contained in the library through the library catalog. However, the catalog only lists books and journals received by the library, not individual article titles or authors.

To find articles in legal periodicals, you will need to use a periodical index. Index accesibility is limited to those in the library or courts, as well as anyone with a library card.

LegalTrac covers legal newspapers and journals.

HeinOnline covers law reviews, federal and international legal resources.

There is a list of serials available electronically through the State Law Library as well.

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Stump the Law Librarian

Q: I was refused service in a restaurant and I think I was discriminated against. The manager says he has a right to refuse service. What is the law on this and what are some legal actions I can take?

A: If you believe you were discriminated against, section 106.52 of the Wisconsin Statutes provides that it is against the law to deny service or to give unequal treatment in service because of sex, race, color, creed, disability, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry. Discrimination in relation to age, 18 and older, is only unlawful in regard to lodging establishments. "Public accomodations" includes, but is not limited to, hotels, motels, restaurants, taverns, retail stores, exercise clubs, dry cleaners, auto repair shops, and other service establishments. The law does not apply when a private, nonprofit organization provides goods or services to only its members or their guests.

This section is enforced by filing a complaint with the Equal Rights Division of the Department of Workforce Development within 300 days of the discriminatory action. They have complaint forms and procedural information on their website.

In additon, you may want to research the common law topic of "Right to Refuse Service" with regard to the 14th amendment and caselaw at your local law library.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Stump the Law Librarian

Q: I'm looking for information on how subsidized housing units adversely affects the value of a neighborhood's property. Do you know where I should look?

A: Here are a few ideas for resources to begin your search, from Connie VonDerHeide, librarian at the State Law Library:
Dane County Housing Authority (DCHA)

Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA)

"Field Guide to Effects of Low Income Housing on Surrounding Property Values" (last updated May 2003) This is a list of links to a variety of studies and reports

"Low Income Housing Tax Credit Housing Developments and Property Values" (dated 2002)NOTE: This Wisconsin study was done on Section 42 developments, not Section 8 housing, but some parts of the report might possibly correlate.

"Does Affordable Housing Detrimentally Affect Property Values? A Review of the Literature" byMai Thi Nguyen, San Francisco State University. Published in the Journal of Planning Literature, Vol. 20, No. 1, 15-26 (2005). NOTE: This article is not available in full text for free on the web. Try submitting an Interlibrary Loan request at your local public library.

National Affordable Housing Trends/Issues/Future"
The above PowerPoint presentation frequently cites the study "Siting Affordable Housing: Location and Neighborhood Treands of Low Income Housing Tax Credit Developments in the 1990s" published in March 2004 as part of its Census 2000 Survey Series. See http://www.brookings.edu/urban/pubs/20040405_Freeman.pdf for more info.

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

WI Court System Primer

The Legislative Reference Bureau has produced this two-page primer on the basics of the WI Court System.

In addition, the Blue Book of state government is now available online and features a substantial article highlighting the Judicial Branch of Wisconsin.

BBW Event photos

Photos from last week's Banned Books Week event at the Courthouse are now online. Enjoy!

New Special Collection at DCLRC

DCLRC has a new special collection: Drug Court Collection. Designed for litigants, attorneys, advocates, and court staff, the collection contains both legal and medical books, articles, and other resources highlighted in a resource guide. The books are either donated by members of the community or on loan from the WI State Law Library. For more information on other Special Collections at DCLRC, see this page.

Legal Research Tip 20: Sports Law

Welcome to the next issue of the DCLRC E-Newsletter "Legal Research Tips"! You can view back issues of these tips through other posts in this blawg. Enjoy!

Looking for resources on Sports Law?

First, check the WI State Law Library's legal topic "Sports Law" where there are many links to local and national sports law resources.

Check out the Sports Law Blog for the latest news and information on the topic.

Looking for an overview of the topic, check out the Legal Information Institute's page on Sports Law.

Internet Tips 20

Welcome to the next issue of "Internet Tips"! There are three sections to this email: a beginner's tip, an advanced tip, and a useful internet link. Enjoy!

Beginner's Tip: Going Home
Here's a two-second tip that could save you lots of time. It seems like the "Print" or "Email" or whatever link you're looking for is always at the top of a long web page.Wanna get up to the top of the page in no time? Hit the <HOME> button on your keyboard!

Advanced Tip: CAPS LOCK
If you have accidentally typed a bunch of stuff all in caps, or if you inherited a document from someone who typed all the headings in all caps, and you want to change it, here's a quick way to do it:
1. Highlight the text that is in caps.
2. Hold down the key, and then hit
3. Keep hitting until the text looks the way you want it: It will toggle between ALL CAPS, First Letter Caps, and lowercase.

Or...if you prefer menus:
1. Highlight the text that is in caps.
2. From the "Format" menu, choose "Change case"
3. Check the case you would like, and then click "OK"

Tips courtesy South Central Library System Web Guru Stef Morrill.

Useful Internet Link: Learn the Net
You'll find all sorts of interesting things on learnthenet.com