Here are some resources I recommend:

• Kent State University School of Library and Information Science
  
• American Association of Law Libraries Career Page
  

I will add to this list later this week.

For each resource, I answer the following questions:

1. What sort of information does this resource contain?
   
2. What is the coverage?
   
3. How does the indexing or search mechanism work?
   
4. For what sort of research would this resource be useful?

These descriptions supplement, not replace, the existing database descriptions.

Since the "Category" feature does not work well on the Law Library's blog, I am creating the following list of articles. I will update it each week:

• Animal Legal Report Services (November 25, 2008)
  
• Annual Review of Law and Social Science (December 4, 2008)
  
• BNA's ABA/BNA Lawyers Manual on Professional Conduct -- Accessible via Case School of Law BNAWeb Page (coming next)
  ]]> http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2008/11/17/godort_fall_meeting On Friday, November 14, I attended the Government Documents Roundtable of Ohio Fall Meeting at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.... http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2008/11/17/godort_fall_meeting Meetings and Conferences case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:27:51 EST On Friday, November 14, I attended the Government Documents Roundtable of Ohio Fall Meeting at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. For the program, four veteran documents librarians had been asked to describe how they’d used print resources to find information that would have been impossible (or extremely difficult) to find using electronic resources.

  Coleen Parmer gave a presentation about the Catalog of Public Documents. According to Ms. Parmer’s presentation, it was a print dictionary catalog that covered government information from 1893 to 1940. It was searchable by “personal names, governmental authors, subject, and frequently titles.” It was published concurrently with the Catalog of Government Publications (which was published monthly), but eventually, the government stopped publishing the Catalog of Public Documents. Some libraries still have the Catalog of Public Documents in their collections, and it is good for answering historical reference questions. One of the examples Ms. Parmer gave was a patron who wanted to know how much snow fell in Pittsburgh in January 1938.

  Karen Kimber gave a presentation titled “Finding Population Data in Historical Census Publications.” She gave a list of questions one needed to ask when doing historical census research:
  

  1. Are the data available for the year you need?
     
  2. What was the publication pattern for the data for the year you need?
     
  3. When you’ve figured out what printed volume you need, how do you find it?
     
  4. When you’ve found the right volume, how do you find the data you need?
  
  The only online resource that can help answer these questions is the Census of Population and Housing page on the Census Bureau home page: http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/decennial/index.htm This site only covers the census of Population and Housing. However, Ms. Kimber provided a helpful handout with a bibliography of print resources. GODORT of Ohio has requested an electronic copy of this handout to post on its website.

  George Kline demonstrated how he answered a question where a patron wanted to find a Congressional hearing in which a relative had testified. Mr. Kline used the print subject index, which directed him to a list of Ohio hearings, which gave him the date of the hearing, which directed him to the correct volume in the print Monthly Catalog, which gave him the SuDoc number of the hearing he wanted. (Most of those present were aware that Lexis has a new product that will enable users to answer the question posed by Mr. Kline’s patron. However, that product is extremely expensive, and not all libraries would be able to afford it.)

  Audrey Hall gave an overview of the CIS microfiche collection at the State Library of Ohio. She discussed its coverage and indexing for Congressional Committee Prints, Senate Unpublished Hearings, House Unpublished Hearings, U.S. Congressional Committee Hearings, Publication of the United States Congress, and Executive Branch Documents.

  ]]> http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2008/10/07/olacmoug_handouts_part_2 This is a temporary home for these handouts until they can be posted to the OLAC-MOUG Conference page: Keynote Address... http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2008/10/07/olacmoug_handouts_part_2 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:54:04 EST This is a temporary home for these handouts until they can be posted to the OLAC-MOUG Conference page:

  Keynote Address PowerPoint

  Genre/Form Presentation PowerPoint

  I'll be adding photos later.

  ]]> http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2008/09/23/olacmoug_handouts Due to a technical glitch, the following documents are not available on NOTSL's OLAC-MOUG Conference website: Jay Weitz's Video... http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2008/09/23/olacmoug_handouts case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Tue, 23 Sep 2008 10:07:15 EST
  Due to a technical glitch, the following documents are not available on NOTSL's OLAC-MOUG Conference website:

  Jay Weitz's Video Workshop Handouts (Corrected version)
  OCLC Records for Jay Weitz's Video Workshop

  Advanced Scores - Short Version
  Advanced Scores - Full Version

  Worldcat Local Handouts
  Worldcat Local PowerPoint

  
  A printable version of Jenn Riley's Metadata workshop handouts is available at http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/~jenlrile/presentations/olac2008/handout.pdf

  Jenn Riley's Powerpoint slides are available at: http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/~jenlrile/presentations/olac2008/olac.ppt

  ]]> http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2008/07/26/ohio_masters_1mile_openwater_swim_race On Saturday, July 26, I attempted my first swimming race that was not the first leg of a triathlon. The... http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2008/07/26/ohio_masters_1mile_openwater_swim_race Sports case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Sat, 26 Jul 2008 13:02:55 EST On Saturday, July 26, I attempted my first swimming race that was not the first leg of a triathlon. The race was a 1-mile swim in Lake Erie, starting from Edgewater Park. A 2-mile event was also part of this race, but I was not ready for that yet.

  Results are available on the results site.

  ]]> http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2008/07/11/encoded_archival_description_finding_aid_creation_tool_workshop_updated_july_22 Encoded Archival Description (EAD) is an encoding standard used to create finding aids for archival collections. OhioLink has a tool... http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2008/07/11/encoded_archival_description_finding_aid_creation_tool_workshop_updated_july_22 Meetings and Conferences case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:06:13 EST Encoded Archival Description (EAD) is an encoding standard used to create finding aids for archival collections. OhioLink has a tool to facilitate the creation of EAD finding aids. These finding aids are submitted to the OhioLink Finding Aid Repository.

  Deb has been working with OhioLink's tool for over a year, so when this workshop was offered at Kelvin Smith Library while Deb was at the AALL Annual Meeting, I offered to go and see if they discussed anything she didn’t already know.

  Before the workshop, participants were asked to view the content guidelines at http://silver.ohiolink.edu/dms/ead/contentguide/index.html.

  At the workshop, Cara Gilgenbach, chair of the OhioLink EAD Taskforce, demonstrated how to set up user accounts, create finding aids, and submit the finding aids to OhioLink.

  The morning session mainly dealt with the "big picture," the part of the finding aid that pertained to a specific collection as a whole. Cara discussed which fields are required for a valid finding aid, and she explained the optional fields.

  The afternoon session went into the component level of the finding aid. For those unfamiliar with the terminology, this refers to the individual items that are part of the collection, and it can be as detailed as telling the box and file folder number of each specific document. For the workshop, Ms. Gilgenbach created a finding aid for the Guide to the Ima R. Kivist papers (an imaginary collection), and this finding aid included all the optional fields, so users could see what the system could do.

  When I did some component-level data input into Deb's finding aid, I found the system had some interesting idiosyncrasies.
  

  • I found that the buttons to rearrange fields sometimes don't work as they should. After creating twelve "series" entries, I viewed a summary and they were not in order. When I attempted to rearrange them, the "move field" buttons moved them to random places in the list. I ended up creating a field, viewing a summary, saving, creating another field, viewing a summary, and saving. The trainers hadn't seen this before, so they made a note of it and took it back to the tech team. The tech team was unable to replicate the problem, and when I tried to get it to replicate, it didn't happen again.
    
  • When I tried to enter a very long field name that contained quotation marks, it truncated the field name before the quotes. The trainers explained that the system had intermittent problems with some punctuation, and they were working on it.
    
  • When I previewed the finding aid, the formatting looked horrible. The trainers explained that it was just a rough preview, and once the finding aid was submitted, the system would make the formatting consistent with the other finding aids in the repository.
    
  • Finally, when I attempted to validate Deb's finding aid, it gave me an error message that did not tell what (or even where) the error was. Ms. Gilgenbach made a note of this and told me she'd get back to me. A few days later, a member of the tech team identified the problem as a list with a header, but no items, in it. When I deleted the list, the finding aid validated.

  Overall, I think this was a helpful, well-run workshop, and when the glitches are worked out of this tool, it will be a straightforward, user-friendly piece of software.

  ]]> http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2008/05/30/notsl_meeting NOTSL's Spring Program was titled Technical Services: Building the Infrastructure for a Library 2.0 Experience, and the main topic of... http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2008/05/30/notsl_meeting Meetings and Conferences case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Fri, 30 May 2008 13:57:14 EST NOTSL's Spring Program was titled Technical Services: Building the Infrastructure for a Library 2.0 Experience, and the main topic of discussion was OCLC WorldCat.org.

  The first presentation, by Mindy Pozenel of OCLC, was titled "This Isn't Your Grandmother's OCLC: WorldCat.org."

  She discussed how library websites are competing with sites like Amazon, Google, eBay, and YouTube. She explained that users want features like reviews, ratings, and lists, and users want to be able to make a contribution themselves. She described how Worldcat.org makes it easy for users to identify and locate copies of information they want.

  Then, she showed how users can set up a profile and make contributions to Worldcat.org. Since I was taking notes on my notebook computer and the room had wireless, I set up a profile with the username SaraJean Petite and made a list of exercise books I own.

  After that, she showed us how one could add a Worldcat link to one’s Facebook profile. I created a Facebook profile and tried it. Unfortunately, I can’t show my facebook profile to anyone besides my facebook “friends.” (If you wish to become one of my Facebook “friends,” my profile is at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1303742345)

  The second presentation, Putting a Local Face on WorldCat, was co-presented by Kathy Hughes of the State Library of Ohio and Rebekah Kilzer of OSU.

  Both The State Library of Ohio and Ohio State University use WorldCat local as their library catalog. Worldcat local was described as a search interface that operates over a library's catalog. The library maintains its records locally, but at this time, the record that displays in the catalog is the one in the OCLC database. OCLC is exploring a Z39.50 version, which displays a library's local records. According to Ms. Kilzer, students liked WorldCat local because it was easier to use, but faculty and librarians' reaction was "Why change it? The old catalog works fine."

  The main issue that came across when the presenters described the challenges of changing to WorldCat local was that it requires a clean database. Records need to have OCLC numbers in them, OCLC holdings need to be set, and duplicate records can cause problems. Items that are not in the OCLC database won't appear in a WorldCat local catalog.

  The final presentation was "The Essentials and Non-Essentials: Just a Closer Walk with ILL". This was mostly demonstrations, and a few of the examples had glitches. The thing that impressed me most was that when the system worked, it was very simple for a patron to obtain a copy of an item he/she wanted. If the library had the item, a "request item" button would appear. If OhioLink, but not the library, had it, a button for an OhioLink request would appear. If no OhioLink library had it, a button for ILL would appear.

  ]]> http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2008/05/18/cleveland_marathon_10k For those interested in how I did at the Cleveland Marathon's 10K, here is a link to my results and... http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2008/05/18/cleveland_marathon_10k Sports case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Sun, 18 May 2008 15:11:12 EST For those interested in how I did at the Cleveland Marathon's 10K, here is a link to my results and photos

  My finish time was 22 seconds slower than last year, but this year I drank too much tea before the race and had to make a stop during the second mile. That stop was longer than 22 seconds, so I actually ran faster than last year.

  ]]> http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2008/05/16/godort_meeting_at_state_library_of_ohio Keith Gilbertson of OhioLink spoke about the OhioLINK Digital Resource Commons (DRC). The DRC is a place where a library... http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2008/05/16/godort_meeting_at_state_library_of_ohio Meetings and Conferences case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Fri, 16 May 2008 11:06:07 EST Keith Gilbertson of OhioLink spoke about the OhioLINK Digital Resource Commons (DRC). The DRC is a place where a library uploads its files (including associated metadata), and OhioLINK maintains the files and provides access in a site designed to look and feel like the library’s site. One can view the participating libraries’ sites at http://drc.ohiolink.edu. The PowerPoint slides for this presentation are available online.
  ]]> http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2008/04/30/iug_meeting_wednesday This week, I am in Washington DC at the IUG meeting. Today, I attended the following sessions: "Now What Should... http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2008/04/30/iug_meeting_wednesday IUG 2008 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:35:54 EST This week, I am in Washington DC at the IUG meeting.

  Today, I attended the following sessions:

  "Now What Should We Do With Our WebPAC? Can We Make it Relevant in a Web 2.0 World?" The presenter had many ideas for making the web catalog friendlier to those accustomed to a web 2.0 experience. Some of the ideas presented were: Hide the catalog by using Innovative’s Encore product to access the OPAC’s data through a Web 2.0-type interface while treating the catalog records as a source for additional data. Enhance the catalog by enabling it to guide users to resources outside the library’s print collection. Electronic databases and other libraries’ collections were two of the "outside resources" mentioned. Some of Innovative Interfaces’ enhancements that seemed particularly interesting were: Spell-check, Patron Reviews, and RSS Catalog feeds. Link to Handouts (Password Required)

  "Data Cleanup: How to Find Bad Data and How to Correct it and Why this is Important for the Health of Your System" The presenter gave many helpful hints for finding and correcting bad data in the catalog record. Some methods included searching the beginnings and ends of call number ranges, running lists of items with incorrect codes (e.g. a reference item with a status of “check shelves” instead of “library use only”), and making the fields with errors display in obnoxiously bright colors. Link to Handouts (Password Required)

  
  

  ]]> http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2008/04/29/iug_meeting_tuesday This week, I am in Washington DC at the IUG meeting. Today, I went to the following sessions: Early Bird... http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2008/04/29/iug_meeting_tuesday IUG 2008 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:11:04 EST This week, I am in Washington DC at the IUG meeting.

  Today, I went to the following sessions:

  Early Bird Session: Cataloging Forum I joined other catalogers at this 7:30 AM session where we learned about the new Millennium print templates, Overdrive (downloadable audio/video titles) and Millennium, and the feature where a library will be able to record the last five people who modified a bibliographic record. Attendees expressed an interest in a spell-check function and feature where users are only authorized to edit specific fields in an item record. Link to Handouts (Password Required)

  "What Your Mother Never Told You About Loan Rules" The presenters discussed various loan rule elements and how they interact with each other. As a cataloger, I suspect I may have missed some of the nuances of the program, but I did get some information that might help our circulation staff to troubleshoot a bug in our loan rules. Link to Handouts (Password Required)

  "What's Happening in Tech Services: Acquisitions, Serials, and Cataloging Development Update Some of the issues discussed were: Editing templates, Editing unposted invoices, Streamlined deletion of cancelled orders, and the feature where one can view the initials of the last five people to modify a bib record. The session ran longer than expected, so the audience was told to go to the online handouts for the section on TS workflow alternatives. (I am still waiting for the online handouts to be posted. When they're posted, they'll be here: Link to Handouts (Password Required))

  All-Conference Lunch There was a nice selection of boxed lunches available. I had a chicken caesar salad, an apple, and a sugar cookie.

  ]]> http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2008/04/28/iug_meeting_monday This week, I am in Washington DC at the IUG meeting. Today, I went to the following sessions: "Is Your... http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2008/04/28/iug_meeting_monday IUG 2008 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:44:25 EST This week, I am in Washington DC at the IUG meeting.

  Today, I went to the following sessions:

  "Is Your System Haunted by Past Codes? It's time to be a code buster" Librarians from the University of Toledo gave this program which demonstrated how to use tables as part of a project to make major changes in codes, such as location codes. The presentation also covered planning such a project, including creating a timeline, selecting a committee, and communicating with the rest of the staff. Link to Handouts (password required)

  "Why Fixed Fields Matter: Getting More from Your Records for Statistics, Data Retrieval and Collection Development" An Innovative Interfaces training consultant gave many helpful suggestions for using fixed fields to generate statistical reports (and stop using paper tally sheets)! Some of her suggestions included ways to track each individual selector's selections, ways to track cataloging by source of record, and ways to track subscription periods for serials. There were other ideas presented, but these are the ones I found most interesting. Link to Handouts (password required)

  "Digital Bookplates: Using the OPAC for Stewardship in the Digital Age" This was a fascinating presentation by some librarians from Brown University. They replaced their paper bookplates with electronic bookplates accessible via their library catalog and their Bookplate Page. They have gotten so many inquries about this project that they have made a page about their Bookplate Project. Link to Handouts (password required)

  "Library Service Live! Theatre -- Patron PINs: All Things Considered" This session was designed for libraries considering implementing PINs. Had Case not already implemented this feature, it would have been a very interesting presentation. As it was, the only thing I found interesting was the new "Forgot your password?" feature.

  Law Librarians Lunch It was a pleasant sit-down lunch with salad, stuffed chicken breast, rice, green beans, and some sort of delicious cake on the menu.

  ]]> http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2007/08/05/cleveland_triathlon For the benefit of those colleagues who are curious about how I did at The Cleveland Triathlon on August 5,... http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2007/08/05/cleveland_triathlon Sports case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Sun, 05 Aug 2007 16:47:32 EST For the benefit of those colleagues who are curious about how I did at The Cleveland Triathlon on August 5, here is a link to the Cleveland Triathlon Results site. Photos are on the Action Sports International website. Video of the finish line is available on the Accenture website. A video my husband took of me as I was starting the run is on YouTube
  ]]> http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2007/07/17/presentation_at_aall Here is a link to my portion of the presentation "GD-SIS Program: Tough Librarians Rise to the Challenge with Tough... http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2007/07/17/presentation_at_aall Government Documents case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Tue, 17 Jul 2007 09:25:27 EST Here is a link to my portion of the presentation "GD-SIS Program: Tough Librarians Rise to the Challenge with Tough Government Documents," which was presented at the American Association of Law Librarians Annual Meeting on July 17, 2007.

  http://blog.case.edu/sarajean.petite/2007/07/23/Dangers of Open Water Swimming that One Can Avoid.ppt

  ]]>