Wisconsin State Law Library

What's New - Lisa Winkler

National Library Week is Here! April 13-17, 2015

Once a year in April, the American Library Association sponsors a week when libraries across the country celebrate the importance of libraries to our communities and democratic society. Here at the State Law Library we will be hosting a few events of our own and we invite you to perk up your research by joining us for any of the following:

Perk Up Your Research! Guessing Game @ The Circ Desk

Drop by the library to guess how many coffee beans are in the French press. The top four guesses will get a prize. Game starts Monday, April 13 at 8 a.m. and ends Friday, April 17 at 5 p.m.

Advanced WestlawNext CLE Class

On Tuesday, April 14 from 12 - 1 p.m., attend an advanced WestlawNext class in our Training Room. Visit our Classes page for more details. In recognition of National Library Week, Thomson Reuters will provide lunch for attendees (this session only). Class size is limited to 8 and there is no registration fee. Register now.

WSLL Takes to the Streets

On Wednesday, April 15, from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., two of our reference librarians will staff a booth on MLK Jr. Blvd, just outside the library's doors, to distribute a limited edition bookmark and free coffee. Visitors are encouraged to come into the library for a brief tour and to enter to win a prize (see Perk Up Your Research! above for more details).

Webinar: Introduction to Legislative History

Wind down the week by attending a webinar from 12 - 1 p.m. on Friday April 17. Visit our Classes page for more details or register now.

Upcoming CLE Classes

Welcome Spring by learning some fresh new research skills in any of our three classes. See what's new in WestlawNext in Milwaukee, or hone your power user techniques in Madison. Need to do a legislative history for the first time, or the first time in a long time? Our Introduction to Legislative History webinar will show you the tools you need. Read more and register on our Classes page.

Celebrate Law Day @ DCLRC

The Dane County Legal Resource Center and the Dane County Bar Association are once again working together to provide Law Day activities in the Dane County Courthouse on May 1st. Highlights include a behind-the-scenes tour of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, mock trials, and free legal consultations with volunteer attorneys for pro se parties.

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Start Here: A Guide to State Law Library Services, Part 2 - Lisa Winkler

Treatises, Seminar Manuals, Law Reviews and More

The State Law Library extends borrowing privileges to Wisconsin judges and court staff, attorneys and authorized support staff, and government employees. To obtain a library card, simply stop in at any one of our three libraries, or register online and we'll mail your card to you.

To borrow materials, start by searching our online catalog to find an item you want and check its availability. Or, use our Start Here guides to find leading treatises on different subjects effortlessly. Wisconsin judges and attorneys who are unable to come to the library may borrow materials through our convenient Borrow By Mail service.

Specialized Wisconsin Materials

In addition to our extensive collection of standard primary law sources and leading treatises in every practice area, WSLL houses several specialized Wisconsin collections.

Wisconsin Briefs

WSLL provides public access to briefs and appendices for cases decided by the Wisconsin Supreme Court and Wisconsin Court of Appeals. Briefs filed electronically (July 2009 forward) are available through the Wisconsin Supreme Court & Court of Appeals Access (WSCCA) database. Briefs for cases from 1992 to the inception of e-filing are available in the UW Law Library's Wisconsin Briefs database. Briefs for earlier Wisconsin appellate cases dating back to 1839 are available in the library. Copies may be requested by contacting the WSLL Reference Desk or submitting an Order a Document request. For more information, please visit our Wisconsin Briefs page.

Judicial Council Collection

If you're researching the history of a Wisconsin Supreme Court Rule or a Wisconsin statute relating to civil or criminal procedure, WSLL's Judicial Council Collection (JCC) may be of interest. This collection contains Council meeting minutes and committee documents dating back to the 1950s. Detailed information, including an index that lists every committee document we have, is available on our Judicial Council Collection page. Full text documents are not available online. For assistance in doing onsite research or obtaining copies of JCC documents, please contact the Reference Desk.

Replaced Pages Collections

We maintain two separate replaced pages collections. The first consists of superseded chapters and sections of the Wisconsin Administrative Code. Dating back to Register 27 (1958), our Administrative Code Replaced Pages Collection is an invaluable resource for any researcher of state regulatory history or prior language of a particular Administrative Code section. We also maintain superseded Wisconsin Jury Instructions: Children, Civil and Criminal. See this Library Highlight article about How to Find Wisconsin Jury Instructions for more information.

For research assistance or to obtain copies of materials in either of these collections, please contact the Reference Desk.

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This Just In - Pete Boll

New Edition! The Law of Electronic Surveillance, February 2015 edition, by James G. Carr and Patricia L. Bellia.
Thomson Reuters, 2015
WSLL Call Number: KF 9670 .C371

Completely revised for 2015, this two volume treatise examines the provisions and implementation of federal and state laws relating to electronic surveillance. Recent developments addressed in this latest edition include:

• Sealing, safekeeping, and unsealing of recordings.
• If the surveillance target changes the phone's number or transfers the number to another cell phone, can the interception continue?
• Who has standing to recover civilly for unlawful interception, disclosure, or intentional use of unlawfully obtained communications?
• Analysis of the Supreme Court's opinion in Riley v. California (2014) of the Fourth Amendment's application to computers, cell phones, and other mobile devices that contain or provide access to private data; how the principles governing searches of data-storing devices differ from the principles governing searches of other physical objects.

New Edition! Criminal Interrogation and Confessions, 5th edition, by Fred E. Inbau and others.
Jones and Bartlett Learning LLC, 2013
WSLL Call Number: KF 9664.Z9 I5 2013

This updated fifth edition presents the Reid technique of interviewing and interrogation based on actual criminal cases. The text is built around simple psychological principles and examines interrogation as an easily understood nine-step process.

Highlights from the fifth edition:

• Updated photographs to illustrate behavior symptoms; the proper room setting and positioning; as well as the placement of electronic recording equipment.
• New research conducted on the efficacy of behavior symptom analysis, as well as the behavioral model of the truthful individual versus the subject who is withholding or fabricating relevant information.
• How to build the investigative interview, including the proper use of both investigative and behavior provoking questions, as well as guidelines for evaluating the credibility of allegations, and the proper use of follow-up and bait questions.
• Legal issues related to interrogation and confession law, including Miranda, the meaning of custody, the use of threats and/or promises, the use of deception, and confession voluntariness.

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

Google: Using Date Restrictions to Filter Search Results

Date restrictions or chronological ranking is one of the easiest ways to improve Google search results. Most often, we are looking for information that is both relevant and current. Google "search tools" makes it easy to upgrade relevant search results to a current (and relevant) list. Here's how:

1. Conduct a Google search. From the Google Search results page, click on "Search Tools" under the search box.

2. Use the menu on the left to select the time frame or customize a time range.

3. The most current search results with dates are brought to the top, including a hit on recently introduced legislation.

Using a date restriction in Google can add to your efficiency and help you discover recent developments on a topic.

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WSLL Recommends: Special Needs Trusts Handbook

This book covers special needs planning for the estimated 43 million Americans who have one or more physical or mental disabilities.

The Special Needs Trusts Handbook enables attorneys to handle the complex requirements of drafting and administering trusts for clients who are mentally or physically disabled, or who wish to provide for others with disabilities.

The one-of-a-kind reference helps determine which trust is appropriate, how to draft each trust to cover specific issues, and how to administer each trust making certain that clients maintain public benefits while still receiving funds from the trust.

Updated semi-annually, the Handbook also covers a broad range of issues that lawyers in the fields of elder and disability law confront, including specific types of disabilities, the various public and private benefits that are available to person with disabilities; estate planning for parents of children with disabilities; specific types of special needs trusts, and structured settlements in personal injury cases.

Also included is a CD containing appendixes with practice forms and other practice aids. This single volume loose leaf binder is authored by Certified Elder Law Attorney Thomas D. Begley, Jr and Wisconsin Elder Law Attorney Angela E. Canellos.

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