Inside this issue:
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Dear students, Spring semester is a wonderful time to be here at BC Law on this beautiful campus. There are many exciting developments to read about in this newsletter issue. Please plan to attend the helpful sessions offered to guide you in researching your writing requirement papers. Later in the spring, the law librarians will offer a series of sessions called Prepare to Practice to sharpen your research skills before you head off for the summer. Did you know that you can create an account on Bloomberg Law and use this service for 6 months after graduation - or over the summer - at no cost? Stop by our joint session with Career Services on March 21 to learn more about this option. We appreciate your input in selecting the title for the fourth annual Diversity Read. This year, you voted and chose the community read title for our diversity discussion: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Each year, the BCLS community comes together to discuss a text and share a brown bag lunch. We will meet on March 15 at noon in the Law Library's conference room to discuss this text and diversity issues in our BCLS community. Copies are available in print and on the Law Library's Kindles for you to check out. Despite all these changes, one constant theme continues: our dedication to working with you to ensure your success and enhance your experience here at BC Law. If you don't know whom to ask - come to the library first. Good luck with your studies. Peace,
Filippa Marullo Anzalone |
Professor and Associate Dean for Information and Technology
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Spotlight on Faculty Use of Library Resources: Brian Quinn and Bloomberg Law
Can you describe for me how you use Bloomberg Law Dockets? Quinn: I used Bloomberg Law Dockets just the other day for my mergers and acquisitions class. I pulled the judge's letter opinion in a consolidation case in Delaware's Court of Chancery and used the letter opinion and other documents in the case to demonstrate the process. Instead of just hearing a lecture, the students can see the documents that must be filed, the procedures that must be followed and the elements that must be met before a consolidation is approved in court. Do you use Bloomberg Law Dockets for scholarly research as well as classroom teaching? Quinn: I used Bloomberg Law Dockets in my research for my recent article on shareholder litigation. I was able to access shareholder complaints, summary judgment materials, including briefs, affidavits and exhibits and, of course, the trial court opinions in shareholder lawsuits. I've also used Bloomberg's courier retrieval service five or six times to get copies of court pleadings and opinions which aren't available online. Could you describe that service? Quinn: As long as you know the name of a case, the court in which the case is filed and can reasonably identify the documents you need, the Law Library can order the documents from Bloomberg Law. Bloomberg Law sends someone to the court to get copies of the documents and emails scanned images within a day or two. I've used this service both through the Law Library and on my own to get copies of documents from state courts in California, Texas, New York and Delaware. Is there anything else that you particularly like about Bloomberg Law Dockets? Quinn: The Docket Alert feature is great. I use Bloomberg Docket Alerts to track business litigation in Delaware's Court of Chancery. Bloomberg emails me whenever something is filed in the matters I'm following. I'm able to access court pleadings and opinions in Delaware within an hour of filing. The interface has improved. Bloomberg used to have a DOS interface. The new HTML interface is much easier to use. Court dockets are starting to become available on other services like Westlaw and Lexis, but Bloomberg Law Dockets seem to be the most comprehensive, plus the documents on Bloomberg Law are scanned images of the actual documents filed in court. Any interested BC Law student can obtain a Bloomberg Law password by contacting one of the reference librarians or sending an email to lawref@bc.edu. |
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In the law library survey distributed last year, many students indicated an interest in coming to events in the Rare Book Room. In response to this plea, the Curator of Rare Books, Laurel Davis, will be giving a tour of the current exhibit, The Golden Age of Legal Publishing in Massachusetts, to interested law students. If there's interest, she will also pull out some "treasures" from the Rare Book Room stacks for students to peruse and enjoy. The event will be on Wednesday, March 28th at 12:05pm. We will meet in the Law Library Conference Room 279 initially to enjoy cookies and lemonade and to drop off backpacks and bags. Then, on to the Rare Book Room! In the meantime, remember that the Rare Book Room is open from 9-5 and is a great place to study in peace. |
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The 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War has focused renewed attention on this important era of American history. On October 19, 2011 Legal Information Librarian Mark Sullivan presented a program to interested students and staff which examined the shift in focus of Civil War research from military strategy and the political ramifications of the war to more personal and civilian oriented aspects. During the presentation he reviewed some exciting new research databases which have developed thanks to the expansion of the internet. |
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This is the first in a series of articles focusing on a faculty member's creative and expert use of research resources. Professor Brian Quinn is a frequent and longtime user of Bloomberg Law Dockets. One of the librarians recently discussed with Professor Quinn the many ways in which he uses Bloomberg Law Dockets.
