Wisconsin State Law Library

What's New - Kristina Martinez

eFiling

The new eFiling rule (Wis. Stat. § 801.18) became effective on July 1. Efiling does not become mandatory for every county on that date. To learn more, read about eFiling on the WI Court System website, with discussion of the types of cases and the counties where eFiling is mandatory.

Madison College Paralegal Program

The State Law Library assisted the Madison College Paralegal Program in its ABA recertification process by hosting a team member from the ABA Paralegal Approval Commission on June 27th. The library serves as a resource for students in the program. State Law Librarian, Julie Tessmer, also serves on the Program Advisory Board.

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This Just In - Pete Boll

New edition!
Annual Survey of Wisconsin Law, 2016 edition
State Bar of Wisconsin, 2016
Call Number: KFW 2470 .A56

This latest edition highlights significant legal developments in 25 practice areas. Each chapter is divided into two sections: case law and statutory with some chapters also including a section on administrative law. Legal developments in 2015 include:

• Wisconsin Legislature's extensive revision of the Worker's Compensation Act
• Ongoing judicial challenges to Wisconsin abortion legislation and the Federal Affordable Care Act
• Legislative amendments affecting shoreland zoning
• The Wisconsin Supreme Court's adoption of the Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act, changing the procedures for obtaining discovery in Wisconsin for out-of-state civil cases, and the U.S. Supreme Court's adoption of various Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

New edition!
The Clean Air Act Handbook, 4th edition, edited by Julie R. Domike and Alec C Zararoli
American Bar Association, 2016
Call Number: KF 3812 .C554 2016

Fully revised and updated for the first time since 2011. The latest 4th edition provides a comprehensive examination of the statute and the EPA's implementing regulations and policy guidance. Also covered are the controversial U.S. Supreme Court's Massachusetts v. EPA ruling and the resulting expansion of scope of the statute, including the EPA's expansive new regulatory initiatives aimed at regulating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Among the topics covered include:

• Setting and meeting national ambient air quality standards
• Transportation and conformity requirements in state implementation plans
• The new source review program
• Regulation of hazardous air pollutants
• Ongoing regulation of mobile sources and of fuels and fuel additives
• Title IV and the acid rain program
• Interstate transport of air pollution
• The Clean Air Act and global climate change
• The Title V operating permit program and how to manage the permit
• Implementation of CAA programs by American Indian tribes
• Civil and criminal enforcement
• Rulemaking and judicial review

Each chapter is followed by detailed citations to the statute, cases, regulations, legislative history, and EPA guidance. The Handbook also features a current listing of EPA air-related and other relevant websites, including EPA regional office sites, a general glossary of acronyms and related terms, and a comprehensive index.

See our latest New Titles list for a list of new books and other resources.

For assistance in accessing these or other resources, please contact our Reference Desk.

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Tech Tip - Heidi Yelk

Free PDF Tools

At the library, we work with PDF documents on a daily basis. We generally rely on free tools - the easier to use, the better. A recent favorite is PDF Escape which can be used to manipulate PDF documents. The features most useful to me are the annotation and highlight tools. It is surprising how often websites contain PDF documents with no dates or URLs added to the document. A tool such as PDF Escape allows me to add a "date found," the website address, and other information to the document. Sometimes this is for my own use. Other times, I use it to provide important additional information to the library user.

The free online PDF Escape works in the cloud, allowing you to upload a document, make changes and then save the document back to your local drive.

Another PDF tool of interest to IPhone 6 users can found in a recent blog post by Jeff Richardson. Here Jeff explains how to turn an email on your phone into a PDF document. This is one way to preserve and organize important emails.

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WSLL Recommends: Cell Phone Distraction, Human Factors, and Litigation

Cell phones - almost all of us have them. Many of us can agree that along with the convenience of a cell phone there are some problems as well.

Cell Phone Distraction, Human Factors, and Litigation examines the distractions that come into play when people are talking, texting, shopping, or gaming on their devices. This comprehensive title has a detailed history of the birth of cell phone technology and its evolution over time. This resource continues into a discussion of cell phone use in contemporary society and outlines how distractions such as texting while driving or distracted walking and running with ear buds can lead to accidents which can lead to litigation.

Litigators will find the chapters on State-by-State Restrictions on Cell Phone Use while Driving in the United States and Jury and Expert Witness Selection useful in preparing cases.

Other noteworthy chapters:

• Cell phone addiction
• Ineffective parenting and cell phone distraction
• Litigating an impaired employee performance case
• Nursing and social media

This book is worth putting your cell phone down to read. Check it out!

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Odds 'n' Endings - Amy Crowder

Teens and Safe Driving

Are you a parent whose teenage son or daughter is learning how to drive? The Wisconsin Department of Transportation's Teen Driver Portal provides easy access to information and resources to become a safe driver. Teens and parents can find the Wisconsin Motorist's Handbook, a road test study guide, requirements and restrictions for graduated driver's licenses, and the Parent's Supervised Driving Program guidebook which explains the thirteen driving skills parents and teens should practice together.

There's an App for That

Teens can also download the Practice Driving Test app to test their knowledge before trying for their learner's permit. The app asks a series of questions and provides a final score. Teens can review their results and learn the correct answers to questions they may have answered incorrectly. The WI DMV Driver Practice Test app is available from the App Store and Google Play.

After your son or daughter has gotten their learner's permit, the RoadReady app can help log your teen's practice driving. The app will track driving based on GPS data and let's users select road types and weather conditions. Parents can easily monitor their teen's progress against their state's requirements and export a printable driving log. The RoadReady app is available through the App Store; it is not currently available for Android.

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