Wisconsin State Law Library

New WSLL Staff

WSLL welcomes Nathan Jung and Art Saffran to the staff.

Nathan Jung is a part-time library assistant working in the Wisconsin Collections Office and at the Circulation Desk. He is a recent graduate of UW-Madison with a double major in English and psychology and is taking a short break from studies before entering graduate school next year. Nathan is also employed as a manager at University Square Theater, and when he’s not working he enjoys watching movies and playing electric guitar.

Art Saffran is our half-time Technical Support Specialist, a new position in the library. His duties include maintaining and troubleshooting library hardware and software, and assisting with the technological aspects of a wide variety of library projects. In addition to his work at the State Law Library, Art is president of Saffran Technology, LLC providing technology planning, network design and support, training and disaster planning services in Wisconsin. Before founding Saffran Technology, LLC, Art was Director of Computer Services at the State Bar of Wisconsin and Chief Information Officer at the Wisconsin Medical Society. On the fun side, Art is an avid runner; he has run three marathons in the past year and recently qualified for the Boston Marathon. He is a strong supporter of Team in Training, the athletic event fundraising effort of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. After raising more than $10,000 for Leukemia research, Art continues to serve as a mentor for the Madison team.

Rooms for Rent

This month’s featured titles include:

NEW! Media and American Courts / S.L. Alexander. ABC-CLIO, 2004
Call Number KF9223.5 .A9154 2004

One of the most recent titles in ABC-CLIO’s Contemporary World Issue Series, Media and American Courts provides solid background information for students, lawyers, judges, and journalists in an area of increasing public interest. It includes brief summaries of the most high profile cases that have captured the media’s attention throughout history, such as: Sacco and Vanzetti, Leopold and Loeb, Gloria Vanderbilt, the Rosenbergs, O.J. Simpson, Microsoft, and Bush v. Gore. Also quite interesting and useful is Alexander’s chronology of U.S. Supreme Court cases which deal with the free press / fair trial conflict. In her chapter on facts and data, the author highlights a few of the many research studies that have been done on the effects of media coverage in the courts and provides guidelines, canons, and codes specific to areas such as cameras in the courts, and resources for journalists covering trials. The book finishes up by providing contact information for organizations, associations, and government agencies involved with media and the courts as well as selected print and non-print resources for more information on the famous media trials mentioned earlier.

NEW! 2005 Bankruptcy Reform Legislation with Analysis / by William Houston Brown and Lawrence R. Ahern III. Thomson/West Publishing, 2005
Call Number KF1511.597 .B76 2005

Written by two bankruptcy law experts, this pamphlet helps practitioners prepare for cases under the revised U.S. Bankruptcy Code. It includes detailed analysis of the significant effects on business and consumer law resulting from the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (most changes effective Oct. 17, 2005). It also contains useful checklists of new requirements for the debtor, the debtor’s attorney, trustees, creditors, and the U.S. trustee or bankruptcy administrator. The analysis features discussion of changes that apply to consumer and bankruptcy cases, exemptions, exclusions and asset protection, small business cases, health care cases, and cross-border cases.

• Includes chart showing various effective dates of Bankruptcy Code changes.
• Contains text in red-lined form of amended Bankruptcy Code sections and selected related statutes.
• Other included analyzed topics apply to: secured creditors, parties to executory contracts and unexpired leases, unsecured creditors and committees, and labor relations.

Check our library catalog for availability of these or other materials you may need. For additional assistance, please contact our Reference Desk.

Beyond Bookmarks and Favorites – the Benefits of Saving Pages Online

We all know that it’s easy to lose things on the World Wide Web. That’s why when you find something good, you “bookmark” it (in Netscape) or add it to your “favorites” (in Internet Explorer). This “saves” the page’s URL so you can go back to it again easily and quickly. Most Internet users bookmark frequently-used Internet locations – media outlets, court webpages, government agencies, etc. Internet users also bookmark hard-to-find information. But this system has its limitations. For example, you cannot run a search on your list of Favorites. You may remember saving a good page on bankruptcy reform but if your Favorites list is lengthy and disorganized, you may never find that Favorite entry. Also, because the Internet is ever-changing, if the page you “saved” has been removed from the Internet, you get a “page not found” message, instead of the information you were seeking.

Where there’s a problem, there’s a solution. Internet users now have options beyond the traditional “bookmark” and “favorites” tools of their web browser. The site Furl.net allows you to set up a free account where you can create lists of bookmarks. Your account is a bookmark list that you can access from anywhere--home, office, on the road--simply by logging in.

But there’s much more to “furling.” When you “furl” a page you can also annotate the bookmark: give it keywords, a description, or a note that reminds you why you are saving that page. In addition, you can take a snapshot of the page, which saves it in your account. If that page is later removed from the Internet, you have your own personal copy. This is especially handy with news stories that are routinely removed from the web after a few days or weeks. Your annotated list is also searchable, which makes it easier to find saved information.

Furl.net also has a social component. Users can designate their Furled items either public or private. Public lists can be shared, with the idea that users interested in one particular subject might be interested in seeing lists created by other users interested in the same matter. Because of the public/private element, it’s very important that users pay attention to whether they mark their furled pages as public or private. Or, if so desired, users should create an account using an alias to protect their privacy.

To get started, go to furl.net, create an account, and then follow the instructions to add the “Furl It” button to your toolbar. (No download required.) When surfing the web, simply click the “Furl It” button to go to your account and add the page to your list.

Summertime Fun & the Law Redux

Looking forward to outdoor activities this summer? Our recently updated guide to "Summertime Fun & the Law " includes rules and guidelines for enjoying some popular warm weather pastimes. Keep in mind, though, that laws do change. For example, if you're heading out to your boat, you might first check the status of proposed Wisconsin legislation regarding motorboat operators and life jackets. Assemby Bill 248 proposes that motorboat operators who are at least 16 years old and born after Jan. 1, 1989, complete a boating safety course. Also, Assembly Bill 260 and Senate Bill 135 would require all persons age 12 and under to actually be wearing a life jacket or be in a cabin space or below deck while boats of certain size/horsepower are underway. (Current law requires only that there be enough life jackets on board for everyone.) Before you go, be in the know!

Summer Safety

Have fun in the sun but do keep safe! This Red Cross list of summer safety tips can help ensure a more enjoyable experience in the water, on a boat, in the sun, and while hiking or camping.

Travelling by...

... car? If you're driving to that summertime activity, minimizing your gas costs will save dollars for those more tempting purchases. Fueleconomy.gov provides gas mileage tips as well as prices at specific gas stations in the U.S. AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report provides similar information, plus a page for calculating the approximate fuel cost for your trip.

... plane? Before your trip, stop by AirSafe.com to learn what you can and cannot put in your luggage (smokers: leave your lighters at home!). You'll also find extensive coverage of aviation safety statistics and news, advice on flying and dealing with fear of flying, information on making airline complaints, etc. Before your flight, you might also try out the Anti-Jet-Lag Diet.

... arm chair? If you haven't the time or inclination for physical travel, how about virtual travel? VirTourist.com provides photo tours with accompanying brief text of many European destinations, the exotic Samarkand, the Annapurna Circuit, other Asian destinations, and closer-to-home places in the Americas. Or, get out the Dramamine and check out 360-degree tours of Egypt, Italy, Greek Islands, Mexico, and the Taj Mahal.

Vacation Photos

Odds 'n' Endings -- Amy Crowder

Take Me Out to the Ball Game (listen to song)

Tailgating, the Secret Stadium Sauce, watching the Sausage Race, hearing the crack of the bat and seeing Bernie Brewer take his home run slide-- this is baseball in Wisconsin.* But if you can't afford the average cost of attending a baseball game, you can still sample some of baseball's favorite foods and enjoy this month's baseball notables below. Play Ball!!

*Check out these Wisconsin minor league and summer collegiate teams, too: Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, Beloit Snappers, Eau Claire Express, Wisconsin Woodchucks, LaCrosse Loggers, and Madison Mallards.

Notables for July

It’s National Hot Dog Month, Ice Cream Month, and American Beer Month, and July 6th is popcorn maven Orville Redenbacher's birthday. Yum!

4 - Lou Gehrig gave his famous farewell speech at Yankee Stadium in 1939. In 1925, the Yankees had offered to trade Gehrig to the Red Sox to repay Boston for the blockbuster Babe Ruth trade. The Red Sox turned them down. Gehrig became one of the greatest baseball players of all time and was the first athlete in American professional sports to have his jersey retired.

4 - George Steinbrenner was born on July 4th, 1930. Owner of the New York Yankees, the "evil empire", since 1973. Steinbrenner has been quoted as saying, "Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing. Breathing first, winning next."

6 - Former Texas Ranger managing partner and current U.S. President George W. Bush was born on this day in 1946.

7 - Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige was born on this day in 1906 (estimated). A baseball pitcher who drew sellout crowds to Negro League games, Paige proved his skill in exhibition games against the best major league players of the day. In 1948, on his 42nd birthday, the Cleveland Indians offered Paige a major league contract. Paige's baseball career spanned five decades. When asked about his age Paige replied, "Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971.

12 - 2005 All-Star Game in Comerica Park, Detroit Michigan. The first major league All-Star game was played on July 6th, 1933 in Chicago’s Comisky Park. During the game, Babe Ruth hit the first home run in All-Star Game history.

20 - On this date in 1976, home run record holder Hank Aaron hit the 755th, and last, home run of his career. Over his major league career Aaron played for the Milwaukee Braves (1954-1965), Atlanta Braves (1966-1974) and Milwaukee Brewers (1975-1976).

24 - Current home run hitting star Barry Bonds was born on this day in 1964. Before starting his major league career in 1986, Bonds earned a degree in criminal justice at Arizona State University. Bonds holds the record for most home runs in a season with 73 and is third on the career home run list after Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron.

25 - In 1999, Robin Yount became the first player to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a Brewer.