Wisconsin State Law Library

What's New – Connie Von Der Heide

WSLL @ Your Service Receives AALL Marketing Award

Jane Colwin, recently retired State Law Librarian, accepted the Excellence in Marketing Award for Best Use of Technology presented by the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) during its 2011 annual meeting in Philadelphia July 23-26. The award recognizes this newsletter, WSLL @ Your Service.

Many library staff members make the newsletter happen. Our planning committee and regular contributors are Pete Boll, Amy Crowder, Carol Hassler, Julie Tessmer, Connie Von Der Heide and Heidi Yelk. Tammy Keller maintains our email list and sends out the monthly announcements.

In announcing the award, the AALL Public Relations Committee said, "WSLL @ Your Service … is well organized and user friendly. The selection committee was very impressed by the synchronization of the elements of the newsletter with the [library's] webpage. It is a great example of a relatively low cost effort with a very positive response."

We sincerely thank AALL for this award, and you - our readers - for continually inspiring us to produce an award-worthy publication!

Jane Colwin, retired State Law Librarian (left) and Julie Tessmer, Interim State Law Librarian at the AALL Awards ceremony

State Bar Honors State Law Librarian

The State Bar of Wisconsin's Board of Governors has honored Jane Colwin, recently retired State Law Librarian, with a resolution thanking her for 27 years of "dedicated and innovative service to Wisconsin's legal community." The resolution also quotes Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, who has declared Jane "a state treasure." Our congratulations to Jane on this well-deserved commendation!

MLRC Staff News – submitted by Lynne Gehrke, MLRC Librarian

Jennifer Grieve, library associate, recently accepted a direct commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves, Engineering Corps. She will continue working at the MLRC but will take a 6-month leave beginning in November to attend basic training at Fort Jackson, SC and Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, GA. We are very proud to have Jennifer as a member of our staff!

Jane Colwin honored with State Bar resolution

Jennifer Grieve accepting a direct commission as a 2nd Lieutenant, U.S. Army Reserves, Engineering Corps

Upcoming Classes

Want to learn about using the free Westlaw service available at WSLL, MLRC & DCLRC? Curious about what kinds of legal documents are available through Google Scholar? Not sure how to access our HeinOnline databases from your office or home?* Then visit our Classes page and sign up for our August, September and October offerings! Each hands-on class is limited to 8 participants, so register today.

*As per licensing terms, remote access to our HeinOnline subscription databases is limited to State Law Library cardholders affiliated with law firms and agencies employing fewer than 25 attorneys.

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This Just In… – Pete Boll

New Title! Trial Techniques, by Thomas A. Mauet
8th edition
Wolters Kluwer Law and Business, 2010
WSLL Call Number: KF 8915 .M381 2010

New to the State Law Library's collection, this leading book in the field explains how to prepare for a jury trial and reviews the lawyer's thought processes before and during the various trial phases. A best-selling author renowned for his skills both as a writer and litigator, Mauet gives practical advice and provides abundant illustrations of effectively using the courtroom skills needed to present evidence and arguments persuasively.

Additional highlights include strategies for opening statements, jury selection, direct and cross examination, exhibits, and objections. Also included for easy reference is an appendix containing the Federal Rules of Evidence.

New Title! Deposition Checklists and Strategies, by T. Evan Schaeffer
James Publishing, Inc., 2010
WSLL Call Number: KF 8900 .S33

The outlines and pattern questions provided in Shaeffer's book can be used to avoid omissions, improve advocacy, and assist in navigating unfamiliar areas of law. Chapters in this full length, 420 page treatise include:

• Deposition Procedures and Strategies
• Premises Liability
• Vehicular Liability
• Products Liability
• Medical Malpractice
• Breach of Contract
• Insurance Coverage Disputes
• Employment Discrimination and Termination
• Consumer Protection and Deceptive Trade Practices

Each chapter contains a summary of the law at issue and an analysis of common defenses; full-length deposition Q&A sections organized by issue, based on common fact patterns and directed at specialized deponents including experts, corporate representatives, and treating physicians; and sample forms for complaints, interrogatories, requests for admissions, requests to produce, etc.

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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1836 – 2011: Celebrating Our History – Amy Crowder

1955 Wis. Senate Joint Resolution 61 commemorating Gilson Glasier's 50 years of service as State Librarian

Gilson Glasier: Fifty Years of Faithful Public Service

With 50 years of service to his name, Gilson Glasier is the longest serving State (Law) Librarian to date in Wisconsin history. ^{Fn 1} Glasier came to Madison in 1896 to study law at the University of Wisconsin. While still in school he was appointed as private secretary to Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice R.D. Marshall and would eventually serve in that position for eight years. Following two years of private practice in Milwaukee, Glasier returned to Madison in 1906 when the Supreme Court offered him the State Librarian position.

During his tenure, Glasier actively served the legal and law library communities at both state and national levels. It was stated that he "was a quiet, soft-spoken person, meticulous in his work and completely dedicated to serving the bar in addition to his full-time position as librarian." ^{Fn 2} Glasier was secretary-treasurer of the State Bar of Wisconsin from 1920 to 1949 ^{Fn 3} and editor of the bar association's Bulletin, which he founded, for 22 years. ^{Fn 4} He also edited Callaghan's Wisconsin Digest from 1909 to 1920.

Glasier was a charter member of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), and held the office of president in 1921-1922. He also served on the executive board and held numerous chairmanships over several decades. In addition, he served as managing editor of the Index to Legal Periodicals and the Law Library Journal. A 1952 Law Library Journal article called Glasier "one of the most active and useful members" of AALL. In 2010 Glasier was posthumously inducted into the AALL Hall of Fame as a Pioneer member, for his dedication and service to the association.

Upon his retirement in 1956, Glasier was honored by the Legislature with a joint resolution ^{Fn 5} commemorating his 50 years of faithful public service to the State of Wisconsin. In it, the Legislature opined, "His leaving will be repined in all corners of the state."

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Tech Tip in Brief – Heidi Yelk

IE 8 Accelerators

If you browse the web using Internet Explorer 8, you may occasionally notice a pop-up window on your screen asking you to "manage accelerators." By the sound of it, an accelerator might magically make your web browser go faster. A tempting thought – but here's how they really work:

Accelerators within IE8 are short-cuts to helpful information. When reading a webpage, you can select text on that webpage, right mouse click and get more information – such as a definition, news reports, or translation to another language.

By default, a number of accelerators are installed with IE8. Many interact in some way with Google services, such as Google News or Blogger. Users can add or remove accelerators by accessing the Manage Add-ons menu as follows:

1. While in IE, right mouse click on an empty spot on the page.
2. Choose All Accelerators and then Manage Accelerators.

On the Web…

Need to draw a diagram, map or flow chart? Try Diagramly. It's free, easy-to-use and can help you create a professional looking display.

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WSLL Recommends: Federal Practice & Procedure

Are you looking for expert commentary on federal court rules? Or are you hoping to find legislative history or a committee report on a rule change? Turn to a classic: Wright & Miller's Federal Practice and Procedure.

This set spans over 70 volumes, covering criminal and civil rules; rules of evidence; judicial review of administrative actions; and jurisdictional matters. The set also includes the Federal Practice Deskbook, a one-volume reference on venue, pleadings, process, discovery, trials, judgment and appeals, etc. in federal court.

The library provides both print and electronic access to this essential staple of legal research. Printed volumes circulate to all authorized borrowers but patrons can also access Federal Practice and Procedure through our Westlaw subscription. Westlaw is available free to any on-site user on six computers throughout the Wisconsin State Law Library in Madison, as well as the Milwaukee and Dane County Legal Resource Centers.

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Odds ‘n' Endings – Carol Hassler

Curiouser and Curiouser

In the midst of the latest Harry Potter mania, I came across an interesting article by a different Potter, regarding a famous fantastical book and the law.

Parker Potter explores Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland in this 2005 article:

"Wondering about Alice: Judicial References to Alice in Wonderland and through the Looking Glass"; Potter, Parker B. Jr. 28 Whittier L. Rev. 175 (2006-2007)

Characters quoted include the Cheshire Cat, Humpty Dumpty, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and Alice herself. The Cheshire Cat is distinctive for the number of nods to its grin, rather than its words.

Beyond characters' aphorisms, law professionals also found inspiration in the "Walrus and the carpenter" tale and the pivotal game of croquet. The writer notes, "It is the rare judge who invokes Lewis Carroll's works if his or her intention is to pay a compliment."

Potter's Whittier Law Review article can be borrowed or requested from our library, or accessed remotely via HeinOnline.

August Notables

5th – Members of the Sioux, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Chippewa, Ottawa, Potawatomi, Iowa, Sauk, and Fox tribes and white settlers met in Prairie du Chien to discuss territorial boundaries. 1825

14th – FDR signs the Social Security Act. 1935

25th – National Park Service established. 1916

26th – Every dog has its day. Here is proof: National Dog Day, 2011

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