Hi RAs - don’t forget to keep an eye on the RA training schedule!

If you think you may encounter research in the area of foreign or international law this summer, come to the International Legal Research class today at 1:00 pm in Room 334.

The first in the library’s series of training classes for research assistants is on Finding Articles. The class is scheduled for Wednesday at 11 a.m. in Room 334.

A handout for the session is available here.

Yesterday, the Senate passed the financial reform bill (S. 3217). Massachusetts politicians, including Sen. Scott Brown, played a key role in passage of both the House (H.R. 4173) and Senate bills, which must now be reconciled in a conference committee.

You can monitor the latest news and find in-depth coverage in BNA Securities Regulation & Law Report. See also Law 360 and other sources linked from the library’s eResources guide on securities law.

On Tuesday, May 25th at 11am we are meeting in Barristers’ Hall for summer RA orientation.  Meet the library staff, learn important information (like how to get paid) and eat pizza.  Don’t forget to register as a Summer Research Assistant as well.

The Law Library of Congress (LLC) has compiled an extensive bibliography (with links) on writings by and about, and materials related to, Solicitor General Elena Kagan. This is now part of the materials on Supreme Court Nominations maintained by LLC.

President Obama’s announcement of his nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan was widely anticipated. Much information is available on Kagan’s background, career and publications, including:

• A New York Times summary on Kagan’s writings and statements on issues
• An Atlantic.com article reports Kagan’s 1995 book review, which argued that the confirmation process “must concern the kinds of judicial decisions that will serve the country and, correlatively, the effect the nominee will have on the Court’s decisions”
• SCOTUSBlog’s summary of initial responses to the nomination
• Lawrence Lessig’s Huffington Post article making a case for Kagan’s confirmation
• Glenn Greenwald’s Salon.com post against the nomination of Kagan
• American Constitution Society’s links to more analysis on the nomination

If you missed some of the Certification classes given earlier in the semester, don’t miss the final round of classes being given this semester. Tomorrow’s classes are:

Administrative Regulations without Westlaw and Lexis: Finding a regulation, making sure you have the most up-to-date version of the CFR, and learning about proposed regulations, these are all tasks you need to perform when doing research in a regulatory area. Learn how to find proposed and final regulations using free government websites. Class is at 11 am in Room 334.
 Case Law Research in Print: Did you know you can do complex case-law research in print?  Proficiency in print caselaw research can help you understand and use headnotes and key numbers better whether researching in print or online. Class is at 1 pm in Room 334.

Statutory Research in Print: Many lawyers prefer statutory research in print, and with good reason.  This class will get you comfortable with statutes, pocket parts, updating pamphlets, indexes and tables and give you the confidence to perform this low-cost legal research with ease. Class is at 2 pm

Have you been wondering why your Google searches look different today?  Well, join the pack. Turns out that Google has finally released their new interface. The Google interface now provides left hand navigation that allows users to narrow their search results by type of result hit and time.  The changes to the interface are summarized on the Official Google Blog. If you want to know more about the how and why behind the new look, Bloomberg Businessweek has an in-depth article about the changes.

Choose Privacy Week is a new initiative that focuses on the national debate about privacy rights in the digital age.The privacy of your personal information is of growing concern - just see the newest Facebook fracus.  The legal aspects of privacy are myriad.  The ACLU, among others, has begun a project called Digital Due Process, which is concerned with updating the existing legal protections of personal information and has Principles for Reform of the ECPA.  Some Congressional Representatives are currently drafting a bill to protect Internet privacy.  States are also passing laws on internet privacy and data security laws.  The library subscribes to BNA’s Privacy Law Watch which allows you to follow all the developments in this very dynamic area of the law.