Wisconsin State Law Library

The June issue of the library newsletter, WSLL @ Your Service, has been published. 

Highlights include: 

• What's New:  Shelf layout updates; Upcoming classes; Free Westlaw access; The Young and the Restless in court; Library closings in July;
• This Just In: New and updated library materials; Monthly new titles list;
• Start Here: Resources on Agriculture: Animal Law
• Tech Tip in Brief: Microsoft Office Templates
• Odds 'n' Endings: New look for PACER; Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan

The Wisconsin State Law Library, Milwaukee Legal Resource Center, and Dane County Legal Resource Center will be closed on Friday, May 28th for a designated furlough day, and Monday, May 31st for the Memorial Day holiday.

To submit a question to the Wisconsin State Law Library while we are closed, you may call us at 608-267-9696 or Ask a Librarian online.  We will respond to questions and requests on Tuesday, June 1st.

Space is still available for our June class, Researching Wisconsin Legislative History: Sources and Strategies.  Make plans now to attend LegalTrac at the Wisconsin State Law Library in July, and learn how to make the most of of this accessible tool.  Get a Westlaw research refresher at our Westlaw at WSLL class in August.
Researching Wisconsin Legislative History: Sources and Strategies
Wednesday, June 9, 2010, 9:00 - 10:30 a.m.

"I need the legislative history of a Wisconsin statute. Where do I start? What do I do?" Get answers to these questions and more during this hands-on class. Participants will look at the primary resources used to research Wisconsin legislative history; navigate the online Wisconsin legislative drafting files; and learn some time saving tips and tricks along the way.
Fee: $50. 1.5 CLE credits applied for. Registration is limited to 8.
Register Online | Print Registration Form
Location: Wisconsin State Law Library

LegalTrac at the Wisconsin State Law Library
Wednesday, July 21, 2010, 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Locating law reviews and bar journals online is easy – when you use the right tools! LegalTrac is a tool that makes legal research easier. This proprietary database provides access to major law reviews, bar journals, legal newspapers and international legal journals. And it’s free through the Wisconsin State Law Library. Come learn how to search this database, which includes 30 years worth of content and over one million articles. Hands on class.
FREE Class. 1 CLE credit applied for. Registration is limited to 8.
Register Online | Print Registration Form
Location: Wisconsin State Law Library

Westlaw at WSLL
Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010, 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Come learn about FREE Westlaw available at the Wisconsin State Law Library! This class will showcase Westlaw Patron Access, a Westlaw service offered on the library’s public access computers. This service includes free searching of state and federal primary law - cases, statutes, codes and legislation. Library patrons also have access to KeyCite, online forms and treatises, such as McQuillin: The Law of Municipal Corporations; Norton Bankrtupcy Law and Practice, 2d; Fletchers Cyclopedia of the Law of Private Corporations and much more. This class will offer useful tips on effective searching in both Boolean and Natural Language modes.
FREE Class. 1 CLE credit applied for. Registration is limited to 8.
Register Online | Print Registration Form
Location: Wisconsin State Law Library

Use our Library Catalog to retrieve articles from any of the more than 8,000 electronic full text journals available. Our Articles and Journals page opens up access to even more articles and online books. The best part? Research from your own office, at home, or wherever and whenever you're searching the web!

Legal Databases

HeinOnline Law Journal Library: an archive of law reviews, Federal legislation, codes, regulations, and even legal treatises and government documents. HeinOnline boasts a number of additional databases, including Legal Classics, English Reports, and US Attorney General Opinions. 
See our tutorial: Find and Print a Law Review on HeinOnline

LegalTrac: a searchable index of law reviews, bar journals, and legal newspapers, covering articles since around 1980.

We recommend: Search our catalog for the journal or newspaper title to see what is available online and in print.

Journals and News

In partnership with Wisconsin's BadgerLink, we also provide access to a number of other article databases. We highlight the following on our Articles & Journals page:

• Academic, MasterFile, and Business Source Premier
• Newspaper Source Plus and Regional Business News

Check out BadgerLink for much more!

Log In From Home or Work

Use your library card to log into HeinOnline or LegalTrac from home or work. If you have questions, please ask a librarian.

Be sure to watch our tutorial:  Accessing HeinOnline From Your Office or Home Computer

You can also use your library card to access BadgerLink databases, though you might already be able to use them with another Wisconsin public library card, or over a Wisconsin internet service provider's network.

Wisconsin State Law Library cards are unique to our libraries. If you already have a card from your public library or another law library, you'll need one of our cards in order to borrow books from any of our three locations, or to take advantage of remote access to great databases, like LegalTrac and HeinOnline.

If you're eligible for a free library card, visit any one of our three locations to register in person - it takes just a few minutes. Or, to receive your card by mail, simply fill out our online application. To find out if you are eligible for a library card, check our borrower page.

More information is available in recent newsletter articles:

• Click to it: Congressional and U.S. Agency Research
• Click to It: Using LegalTrac for Article Research
• Click to it: Legal Research at Your Fingertips - Using the Library Catalog
• Click to It: Legal Research at Your Fingertips - HeinOnline Legal Classics

The annual convention for the State Bar of Wisconsin is in Madison, from May 5-7.

We cordially invite attendees to visit the Wisconsin State Law Library. The library is located at 120 MLK, Jr. Blvd., just one short block from the Monona Terrace Convention Center. Hours are 8-5 M-F.

Relax with a book from our Prose & Cons legal fiction collection as you enjoy the views of downtown and Lake Monona.  The library also offers free access to computers and wireless internet.

We look forward to your visit!

The May issue of the library newsletter, WSLL @ Your Service, has been published. 

Highlights include:

• WSLL Welcomes State Bar Convention Attendees;
• What's New: Library closings in May; Upcoming classes; National Library Week wrap-up; Staff news;
• This Just In…: New and updated library materials; Monthly new titles list;
• Click To It: Case Law Research with Google Scholar: Tips and tutorial on searching Google Scholar for legal opinions and articles;
• Tech Tip in Brief: Lawyers and cloud computing; Before the iPad...