Wisconsin State Law Library

The Wisconsin State Law Library, Milwaukee Legal Resource Center, and Dane County Legal Resource Center will be closed on Monday, January 2nd for a state 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, January 3rd.

Do you use our legal topics pages for your research? We aim to keep each page up-to-date with links to new articles, laws, and guides. Here is a sampling of recent changes to the website: 

• Power of attorney
• 2011 WI Act 87 "Parental Power of Attorney"

• Child abuse
• Walker Order 54: Mandatory Reporting Requirements of Child Abuse and Neglect
  Supplemental reporting requirements for UW system employees

• Immigration and citizenship
• Dangers of "Notario" Fraud (American Bar Association Commission on Immigration)

• News and article sources
• Legal Blawg Archive (Library of Congress) 

• Whistleblower
• Whistleblower Investigations Manual (OSHA) 

• Debt collection
• Paying the Debts of a Deceased Relative: Who Is Responsible? (Federal Trade Commission) 
• Time-Barred Debts (Federal Trade Commission) 

• Federal law
• PACER training site

• Drivers and driving
• Highway Safety Laws by State (Governor's Highway Safety Assoc.) 

• Juvenile justice
• WI Statutes: 973.014 "Sentence of Life Imprisonment"
• U.S. Supreme Court Ruling on Life Sentences for Juveniles Could Overturn Wisconsin Law
  WisBar Inside Track, Dec. 7, 2011 

• Evidence
• Restyled Federal Rules of Evidence (Federal Evidence Review)
  Includes text of rules and legislative history 

• Politics and elections
• Obtaining an Identification Card to Vote (City of Madison)
• Recent Changes to Wisconsin Election Laws (City of Madison)

The Wisconsin State Law Library, Milwaukee Legal Resource Center, and Dane County Legal Resource Center will be closed on Monday, December 26th  for a state 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, December 27th.

The Practising Law Institute publishes Proskauer on Privacy: a guide to privacy and data security law in the information age as part of the Corporate and Securities Law Library. This one volume title is updated semi-annually with the help of industry experts and packs a wealth of information. A wide range of privacy topics are covered including:

• Medical privacy
• State privacy laws
• The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
• Financial privacy
• Workplace privacy law
• Privacy of electronic communications
• Federal Trade Commission enforcement of privacy

The opening chapter lays out a detailed history of information privacy law starting in Colonial America and ending with the current multitude of privacy laws. The treatise is updated on advances in technology and their impact on privacy with sections on text messaging, human tracking devices using geolocation technology and behavioral marketing techniques on the internet.

Of special interest to our readers may be the chapter on state privacy laws. This chapter contains statutory references and case annotations along with a discussion about the impact of state legislation which conflicts with federal legislation.

Check out this treatise for all your privacy research needs.

Did you miss the party this week at the State Law Library? If so, you can still play the word scramble and cryptogram games.

Download the library word game handout and watch for the answers - which will be posted in early 2012.

For those of you who completed the crossword puzzle in our latest issue of WSLL @ Your Service, here are the answers: 

Odds 'n' Ending puzzle answers

The December issue of WSLL @ Your Service has been published. 

In this issue: 

• What's New: WSLL holiday open house; Holiday closings 
• This Just In: New & updated library materials; monthly new titles list 
• 1836-2011, Celebrating Our History: Reflecting on our anniversary year 
• Tech Tip in Brief: CleanPrint - control how much you print from webpages 
• WSLL Recommends: National Business Institute books 
• Odds 'n' Endings: A puzzle for you!

As always, your comments are welcome. Please direct them to the editor, Connie.VonDerHeide@wicourts.gov

Would you like the convenience of using the State Law Library later in the evening or on weekends? If so, subscribe now to our After Hours Service. If you are already a subscriber, now is the time to renew for 2012.

Our reading room: a quiet place for research and study

A calendar-year subscription includes access to the library from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, and a key fob for convenient entry into the building. New subscribers will gain access from the time they subscribe to the end of the 2012 calendar year.

As an After Hours subscriber:

• Gain access to the general library collection
• Use the electronic resources available on our public access PCs, like Westlaw and HeinOnline
• Make photocopies
• Check out circulating library materials

See our After Hours page for more details, or download a first-time subscription or renewal form now.

The Wisconsin State Law Library, Milwaukee Legal Resource Center, and Dane County Legal Resource Center will be closed on Thursday, November 24th for a state holiday. WSLL and MLRC will be open the next day on Friday, November 25th; DCLRC will be closed until the following Monday.

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 Friday, November 25th.

Would you like the convenience of using the State Law Library later in the evening or on weekends? If so, subscribe now to our After Hours Service. If you are already a subscriber, now is the time to renew for 2012.

Our reading room: a quiet place for research and study

A calendar-year subscription includes access to the library from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, and a key fob for convenient entry into the building. New subscribers will gain access from the time they subscribe to the end of the 2012 calendar year.

As an After Hours subscriber:

• Gain access to the general library collection
• Use the electronic resources available on our public access PCs, like Westlaw and HeinOnline
• Make photocopies
• Check out circulating library materials

See our After Hours page for more details, or download a first-time subscription or renewal form now.

Many legal practitioners recognize the name National Business Institute (NBI), a leading provider of legal and professional education not only in Wisconsin but throughout the U.S. Founded in 1983 and based in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, NBI has served over 2 million professionals through training seminars presented in live, audio, teleconference, webcast, and online on-demand formats.

Each NBI legal training program is developed and taught by practicing professionals and includes course materials prepared by those same professionals. NBI provides them as downloadable PDFs, CD-ROMs, or printed publications. Sometimes the material consists of only an annotated outline, but often it's a complete narrative accompanied by excerpts from applicable statutes and court opinions. The addition of sample forms, letters and checklists gives the reader useful, practical knowledge in a particular type of case or area of the law.

NBI materials have been part of the WSLL collection for many years. Since 2006 we've purchased 20 to 25 new NBI titles every year through a standing order arrangement with the publisher. A search of the online catalog retrieves nearly 200 NBI titles, all of which may be borrowed by WSLL cardholders.

To illustrate the variety of coverage and practical focus of NBI publications, here are some of the titles WSLL has purchased so far this year:

• Accounting basics for attorneys
• Advanced discovery and evidence 
• Advanced issues in custody and support
• Advanced social security benefits update
• Handling a social security eisability case
• Handling complex auto insurance coverage disputes
• Helping your client buy or sell a small- to medium-sized business
• Mechanics of Wisconsin civil procedure 
• Protecting the creditor's rights during bankruptcy
• Wisconsin foreclosures and workouts
• Wisconsin special education law
• Your family law practice in the 21st century

The November issue of WSLL @ Your Service has been published.

In this issue:

• What's New: Library holiday closings; Upcoming classes; MLRC & DCLRC staff news; Librarians speak out
• This Just In...: New and updated library materials, monthly new titles list 
• 1836 - 2011: Celebrating Our History: Play WSLL Trivia!
• Click to It: New Legislative Document Database 
• Tech Tip in Brief: Bill Time, Get Paid
• WSLL Recommends: Causes of Action
• Odds 'n' Endings: Holiday mobile travel apps; New Wis. Blue Book; Notables for November

Are you digging for information about mining? Our new legal topic page on metallic and nonmetallic mining aggregates regulatory agency and law links in one quick-reference page. 

We are always on the lookout for new resources to help visitors when they reach our site. Visit our Mining (Metallic and Nonmetallic) legal topic page now and tell us what you think.

The nights are getting longer and Wisconsin is carpeted in whispering golden leaves. It must be time for All Hallows Read.

All Hallows Read encourages people to give spooky books on October 31st. We are getting in on this new tradition by highlighting some of our spookiest legal materials:

Universal Monsters: All Hallows Read Extras

Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but vampire detective Nick Knight's Chocolate Pizza is best straight out of the oven. Make it yourself from the "Sweet Justice" chapter of The Cop Cookbook, then settle in to read something bone-chilling.

Our donated legal fiction collection, Prose and Cons, is full of mysterious ne'er-do-wells and insidious plots. Try Linda Farstein's Edgar Allen Poe inspired Entombed in which a decades-old skeleton is found behind a bricked up wall in a building once inhabited by Poe himself. Christopher Ransom's The Birthing House will keep you awake with his eerie story of a haunted house in rural Wisconsin.

For those who are reading this while doors mysteriously slam just down the hallway, these law review articles may prove invaluable:

• If the House You Bought is Haunted - Ghostbusters May be Your Only Recourse, by Sharlene A. McEvoy. 21 Brief 21 (1991-1992)

• Caveat Spiritus: A Jurisdictional Reflection upon the Law of Haunted Houses and Ghosts.
  Valparaiso University Law Review, Vol. 28, Issue 1 (Fall 1993), pp. 207-246

From Humorous Phases of the Law (Albany Law Journal, Vol. 2, July 9, 1870 (July 9, 1870), pp. 1-3) comes a tale of landlord, tenant, and ghost:

"The question was, whether a tenant is justified in quitting a house and rescinding the contract of letting, on the ground that it is haunted by evil spirits. Jean La Tapy had hired a house at Bordeaux from Robert de Vigne, but after inhabiting it for a short time he found, like John Wesley, that he had evil spirits for his fellow-lodgers. They appeared sometimes in the shape of infants, sometimes in horrible forms, and terrified the inmates, displacing the furniture, rattling and making all kinds of uncouth noises in the rooms, and tumbling the family topsy-turvey out of their beds. This was not to be endured …"

Read these articles and search for more articles on zombies, ghosts, and mummies using the library's subscription to HeinOnline.

Universal Monsters: All Hallows Read Extras

Also on HeinOnline, find juicy primary historical materials, like:

• "Famous Cock Lane Ghost"
  The Book of Remarkable Trials and Notorious Characters (1871)

• "Murder at Smutty Nose or the Crime of Louis Wagner"
  Murder at Smutty Nose and Other Murders (1927) 

Find the above historical books by entering the chapter name in quotes into the "Search all collections" box on the main page in HeinOnline. HeinOnline can be accessed from your dark, cobwebbed attic with a State Law Library card or from one of our mysterious portals - er, public-access computers - at our libraries in Madison and Milwaukee.

Each volume of Causes of Action, 2d, published by West, comprehensively dissects the elements of a cause of action by subject. Of particular value to the practicing attorney, it then explains how these elements can be proved or defended against.

Each entry contains coverage of the critical elements of a case, practice tips, sample complaint forms, research cross-references, plaintiff and defendant checklists, an overview of the substantive law, and primary law citations arranged by jurisdiction. This consistent organization allows the user to quickly navigate to sections about a particular question or point of substantive and procedural law. Together these features provide valuable guidance for how to successfully prepare a case for trial.

A few notable entries include:

• Consumer protection
• Copyright infringement
• Creditors and debtors claims
• Defamation and slander
• Family law
• Fraud
• Housing
• Internet defamation
• Motor vehicles
• Personal injury
• Physician and medical claims
• Trusts 

Causes of Action, also known as Shepard's Causes of Action, is available in print at the Wisconsin State Law Library, and is available through Public Access Westlaw at the Wisconsin State Law Library, Dane County Legal Resource Center, and Milwaukee Legal Resource Center.

The Madison-based Tenant Resource Center is hosting three free seminars on changes in rental property laws in October, according to a recent Wisconsin State Journal Property Trax article.

Seminars will be held:

• Oct. 12, in Appleton, at the Goodwill Community Center, 1800 Appleton Road, Door #2
• Oct. 19, in Stevens Point, at UW-Stevens Point's Dreyfus University Center, Room 374
• Oct. 28, in Janesville, at the Rock County Job Center, 1900 Center Ave., Room J

See Property Trax: Registration open now for October seminars on landlord/tenant state law changes for more information and a link to the registration brochure.

For links to laws and other resources, see our Landlord/Tenant legal topic page.

The October issue of WSLL @ Your Service has been published.

In this issue:

• What's New: Upcoming classes; Librarians speak out;
• This Just In...: New and updated library materials; monthly new titles list and RSS link;
• Click To It! A brief tour of the new wicourts.gov web site;
• 1836 - 2011: Celebrating Our History: Culminating our 175th anniversary celebration;
• Tech Tip in Brief: Searching law reviews and journals with Google Scholar;
• WSLL Recommends...: Class Actions: The Law of 50 States;
• Odds 'n' Endings: TRC housing law seminars; October notables

• Class Action Fairness Act of 2005
• Pre and post-certification discovery
• Responding to motions and counterclaims
• General state practice and notice requirements

Are you looking for more information about Wisconsin's butter-only law for restaurants, prisons, and schools? 

Proposed Bill 

• 2011 Senate Bill 183: Relating to the serving and sale of margarine

Wisconsin Statutes

• Wisconsin Statute 97.18 "Oleomargarine regulations"
• Wisconsin Statute 301.27(4) Butter and cheese in correctional institutions

Other Documents

• The Oleo wars: Wisconsin's fight against the demon spread, by Gerry Strey. Wisconsin Magazine of History, Autumn 2001

Space is still available for two of our upcoming fall classes:

In October, learn how to make the best use of HeinOnline, a database overflowing with full text law reviews and primary law sources. In November, brush up on your advanced Westlaw search techniques to get the most out of each Westlaw search.

See our Classes page for more information, and to register before classes fill up.

Our Disability Law legal topic page links to a number of useful resources covering everything from accessibility standards and complaint resources to service animals.

Among the employment links on this page, the Job Accommodation Network stands out.

The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is an organization that provides free expert advice about job accommodations for disabilities in the workplace. It is a service of the Office of Disability Employment Policy, with U.S. Department of Labor. Browse their A to Z list of Disabilities and Accommodations or search their SOAR database, which compiles information and suggestions gleaned from the thousands of inquiries fielded by JAN. Accommodation questions? Ask JAN!

• What's New:  New WSLL staff; AALL annual meeting; Upcoming hands-on classes; 
• This Just In...:  New and updated library materials, RSS and Monthly new titles list; 
• 1836 - 2011: Celebrating Our History:  Slideshows of early Wisconsin and WSLL history; 
• Start Here: a Guide to State Law Library Services and Materials; 
• Tech Tip in Brief: Creating Tables of Authorities; 
• WSLL Recommends...: Real Estate Finance Law; 
• Odds 'n' Endings:  Recommended reading; September notables

The Wisconsin State Law Library, Milwaukee Legal Resource Center, and Dane County Legal Resource Center will be closed on Monday, September 5th, in observance of Labor Day.

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, September 6th.

Space is still available for the library's free September 21st class on researching case law and legal journals with Google Scholar. You can register online right now to reserve your spot.

Free classes on using HeinOnline, a legal research database, advanced Westlaw, and ethics research in Westlaw also have space available.

Learn more about our newest class offerings on our classes page.

Nelson and Whitman's Real Estate Finance Law is a two volume set published by Thomson Reuters that provides broad coverage of real estate finance law practice, including sample commercial financing forms.

Topics covered include:

• The law of mortgages
• The necessity and nature of obligation
• Mortgage substitutes
• Foreclosure
• Rights and duties of the parties prior to foreclosure
• Potential liability for cleaning up hazardous waste and the impact of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)
• Statutory impacts on foreclosure
• Subrogation, contribution, and marshaling
• Financing real estate construction
• Financing condominiums and cooperatives

The appendix of this set contains a brief overview to Researching Real Estate Finance Law on Westlaw, which includes a long listing of legal texts and practice materials for further research in real estate finance law.

Many of our library card holders read recent full-text articles through the library's subscription to HeinOnline. To make reading articles online even easier, HeinOnline offers a title alert service, which will email you every time the titles you select have been updated. Watch HeinOnline's short video tutorial (or read their how-to) and then set up your own alerts!

The email you receive includes a direct link to the latest issue, plus a complete table of contents with direct links to individual articles.

To set up an email alert, you must create and log in to a separate MyHein account after logging in to the database with your library card number.

Follow these steps to set up a MyHein account and create your first journal alert:

1. Log in to HeinOnline with your library card (see our tutorial).
2. Library computer users are logged in automatically – no card required.
3. Select the "Law Journal Library" link on the left side of the start page.
4. Choose the "MyHein" tab at the top.
5. Select the "Create an Account" link on the left side, under the login boxes.
6. Make up a username, password, and fill in the rest of your information, including the email address to which you would like alerts sent.
7. Now that you've created a MyHein account, follow these steps from HeinOnline to create and manage your title alerts.
8. To manage your MyHein account in the future, first login to HeinOnline using your library card number, then login to your individual MyHein account.

The August issue of the library newsletter, WSLL @ Your Service, has been published. Highlights include: 

• What's New: WSLL @ Your Service Receives AALL Marketing Award; State Bar Honors State Law Librarian; MLRC Staff News; Upcoming Classes;
• This Just In…: New and updated library materials;
• 1836 – 2011: Celebrating Our History: Gilson Glasier: Fifty Years of Faithful Public Service; 
• Tech Tip in Brief: IE 8 Accelerators; On the Web; 
• WSLL Recommends: Federal Practice & Procedure
• Odds 'n' Endings: Alice in Wonderland references in judicial opinions; August notables

Start planning for your fall CLE training now and sign up for any of the 3 free CLE classes on offer from the Wisconsin State Law Library. 

• Westlaw @ WSLL
  August 10, 10:00-11:00 a.m.
• Google Scholar
  Sept. 21, 9:00-10:00 a.m.
• HeinOnline: The Information Source You Need, Where You Need It
  October 12, 9:00-10:00 a.m. 

More details are on our Classes page. Space is limited so register online or print and return a registration form to claim your seat early.

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.

As discussed in a July 15, 2011 WI State Bar Practice Tip:

"Under the recently passed 2011-13 biennial state budget act, responsibility for issuing notary public commissions and registering trademarks and trade names has transferred from the Secretary of State to the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (WDFI)."

Source: State Bar of Wisconsin practice tip: WDFI will now issue notary public commissions, register trademarks

Links to forms, directories, and other information have been updated on our Notaries / Electronic Signatures / Authentication and Trademarks legal topic pages.

Did you know that we compile a list each month of new additions to the library? We link to each new book list at the end of the "This Just In" column in our newsletter, WSLL @ Your Service. You can also get regular updates via an RSS feed reader, or catch up on any of the previous year's new book lists through our online catalog.

July's new book list includes:

• Advanced discovery and evidence 
• Business uses of the Freedom of Information Act
• Judges helping judges 
• Medical records law  
• Patent it yourself: your step-by-step guide to filing at the U.S. Patent Office 
• Representing the bankrupt taxpayer
• Wisconsin attorney's desk reference 
• Wisconsin special education law
  

The July issue of the library's newsletter, WSLL @ Your Service, has been published. 

Highlights include: 

• What's New: Small claims changes, Upcoming legal research classes;
• This Just In...: New and updated library materials; new titles list;
• 1836 - 2011, Celebrating Our History: "Keep the home fires burning";
• Tech Tip in Brief: Securing your smart phone;
• WSLL Recommends: Methods of Practice;
• Odds 'n' Endings: Goldstein on...Fiction?; Costumes of Lady Justice;

Effective July 1, 2011, 2011 Wisconsin Act 32 (ss. 3484k-3484q) raises the limit for money judgments, replevins, attachments and garnishment actions to $10,000. It also creates a new category of small claims case - Tort/Personal Injury ($5,000 or less). Third-party complaints, personal injury claims, and tort claims may be brought up in small claims if the amount claimed is $5,000 or less.

Our Small Claims legal topic page includes links to several guides and forms from around Wisconsin, some of which may not yet be updated to reflect this new information. We have included the above information at the top of our Small Claims page for reference.

The Wisconsin State Law Library, Milwaukee Legal Resource Center, and Dane County Legal Resource Center will be closed on Monday, July 4th in observance of Independence Day.

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, July 5th.

The Wisconsin Practice series is a time-honored research staple for both legal practitioners and librarians but one component of it is sometimes overlooked. Methods of Practice, comprised of four volumes, provides a concise discussion of the law along with practice strategies and over 500 forms for a wide range of legal practice areas, from real property to estate planning to family law. More than fifty attorneys contributed their legal expertise and experience to the 80-plus chapters in this title.

Several topics Methods of Practice covers that are hard to find elsewhere:

• Foreclosure - including discussion of secondary mortgage foreclosures. Also contains an explanatory section on the foreclosure sale process, with a chart comparing a fair market sale and a judicial sale
• Termination of joint tenancy and life estates
• Land contracts with information on drafting a contract, remedies and foreclosure
• Farm leases
• Name change, including a description of what may occur at a name change hearing
• Organizing a business and choice of form of business
• Administrative proceedings such as unemployment insurance and workers' compensation

Methods of Practice and all the other titles in the Wisconsin Practice Series are available in print at our main library in Madison and our branch libraries in the Milwaukee and Dane County Courthouses. We also provide access to an electronic, searchable version through Westlaw, which is available on the public computers in all three libraries.

This year the Isthmus' ballot for its annual Madison Favorites includes a new category: "Government Office You Find Most Helpful."

Have we helped you this year? If so, please consider voting for the Wisconsin State Law Library or Dane County Legal Resource Center before the polls close on June 26th.

Connie Von Der Heide, Director of Reference and Outreach Services, recently spoke to members of the Racine County Bar Association about the State Law Library's services for attorneys. Her CLE-accredited presentation provided information about the library's reference, document delivery and circulation services, and a demonstration of legal research databases and other sources of information available on and through the library's website, wilawlibrary.gov.

Other local bar associations and legal organizations who are interested in hosting this free presentation are encouraged to contact Connie at 800-322-9755, 608-266-1600, or Connie.VonDerHeide@wicourts.gov.

The June issue of WSLL @ Your Service has been published.

In this issue:

• What's New: Upcoming legal research classes;
• DCLRC News: Law Day book sale was a success! 
• This Just In... : New & updated library materials;
• 1836-2011, Celebrating Our History: WSLL's legislative history;
• Start Here: Selected resources on depositions;
• WSLL Recommends...: Defense of Drunk Driving Cases;
• Odds 'n' Endings: Follow us on Facebook!; CDC's "Preparedness 101"

Many practitioners may already be familiar with Wisconsin treatises covering driving under the influence. For more detail and sample forms researchers can turn to the general treatise, Defense of Drunk Driving Cases: Criminal & Civil.

The first three volumes of this four-volume set focus on background, up-to-date caselaw and statutes, and scientific and technical information concerning DUI and DWI. Several chapters are devoted to examing chemical and other testing methods in depth, with device-specific information. This treatise is also useful for learning more about medical conditions and driving impairment, liquor liability, physician-patient privilege, and non-chemical evidence.

The final volume in the set is practice-oriented featuring a 50 state survey of DUI laws, sample forms and motions, and guides and sample scripts to adapt for use during trials.

A looseleaf treatise, this title is updated three times per year. A complete table of contents for each volume is available online.

The Wisconsin State Law Library, Milwaukee Legal Resource Center, and Dane County Legal Resource Center will be closed on Monday, May 30th 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 the following day.

This year the Federal Trade Commission released a report of the top ten consumer complaints the agency received in 2010. Identity theft continued to top the list, at 19% of the over one million complaints. 

The top ten complaints were:

1. Identity theft
2. Debt collection
3. Internet services
4. Prizes, sweepstakes, and lotteries
5. Shop-at-home and catalog sales
6. Imposter scams
7. Internet auctions
8. Foreign money/counterfeit check scams
9. Telephone and mobile services
10. Credit cards

After seeing this report, we took a fresh look at the resources linked our related legal topic pages. Take a look!

• Checks: banking law
• Credit / Debt
• Debt collection
• Direct marketing
• Gaming / Gambling
• Identity theft
• Internet crime
  
• Internet shopping
• Junk mail, e-mail, fax, spam
• Privacy law
• Sweepstakes
• Telemarketing

For general consumer information including important contacts, see our Consumer complaints and Consumer protection pages. Have a question? Ask a librarian!

Access to the appellate briefs and appendices in the Wisconsin Briefs database has been brought to you by the successful and collaborative effort of the staff at the State Law Library, who generates the scanned images, and the staff at the UW Law Library, who host this database on their website.

Due to the adoption of appellate electronic filing by the Wisconsin Court System, on July 1, 2009, we will stop expanding the Wisconsin Briefs database. You will continue to have access to the database on the UW Law Library's website for briefs and appendices from published and unpublished cases found in 173 Wis.2d through 317 Wis.2d but we will not be adding new documents to this webpage in the future.

You will now be able to retrieve briefs from 318 Wis.2d forward by way of the Wisconsin Supreme Court and Court of Appeals Access database (WSCCA). You can access electronically filed and scanned briefs by using the "Document Search" tab or by accessing the "Case History" page from an individual case's summary. Be aware that the "Full Text Search" from the "Document Search" tab will only retrieve the text of e-filed briefs. Please feel free to contact the State Law Library's reference staff with access questions as we continue to fill in the gaps between what is available on the WI Briefs webpage and what is currently available through WSCCA.

The largest difference in access between the WI Briefs webpage and WSCCA is the absence of appendices. The court system has adopted a more restrictive access policy for the appendices of appellate cases on WSCCA to protect sensitive personal information. However, appendices are public record and will be made available through the fee-based document delivery service of the State Law Library.

We are proud to introduce the "Everyday Law" Collection, featuring over 50 items from legal self-help publishers such as Nolo, Sphinx, and the Dane County Bar Association. These materials are mostly geared towards the self-represented litigant who needs a basic explanation of their complex legal issues.

Topics include but are not limited to small claims, divorce, parenting plans, self-representation, legal research, neighbor law, and bankruptcy.

The collection is prominently displayed in the main public area of the Legal Resource Center, easily accessible for attorneys who would like to help their clients discover simple yet useful legal resources while in the Dane County Courthouse.

Browse the collection online: Dane County Everyday Law Collection.

The Legal Resource Center is open for visitors Monday-Friday, 8:30 am-4:30 pm in Rm L1007 of the Courthouse.  

The Wisconsin State Law Library isn't the only one celebrating a milestone anniversary this year. May 1, 2011 marks the 15th anniversary of the Milwaukee Legal Resource Center.

To celebrate, during the week of May 9 library staff is hosting some fun activities and prizes around the theme of "paper." There will be a hidden word puzzle and a trivia contest based on the movie "Paper Chase" and the week will culminate with the judging of origami entries. The many children who visit the MLRC can also participate in the fun by guessing the number of marshmallows in a jar. At least three prizes will be awarded each day.

Learn more about the MLRC's history in our most recent newsletter: Happy 15th Birthday, MLRC!

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

Highlights include: 

• What's New: State Law Librarian to retire; WSLL 175th birthday party recap; New MLRC staff; May holiday closing; Upcoming classes;
• Happy 15th Birthday, MLRC!
• 1836-2011, Celebrating our History: Early library rules
• This Just In... - New and updated library materials
• Tech Tip in Brief:  Smart phones and privacy
• WSLL Recommends:  Wisconsin Public Records and Open Meetings Handbook
• Odds 'n' Endings:  Airline Passenger Bill of Rights expanded; May notables

Sign up now for our May 24th CLE class, Finding Wisconsin Public Records. This class will cover how to find public records on individuals and businesses. Discover criminal records, state and local court records, business entity records, liens, foreclosures, real estate records, and more. For more information and to register for this class, see our classes page.

We have two upcoming summer classes open now for registration. In June, sign up for the popular Researching Wisconsin Legislative History class. In July, learn about free on-site access to the State Bar of Wisconsin's Books Unbound database during our new Books Unbound @ WSLL class.

Register for these classes today. Register online or print the registration form.

Come support free access to legal information at the Dane County Legal Resource Center's (DCLRC) book sale on Monday, May 2. The book sale will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the lower-level cafe of the Dane County Courthouse.

The Dane County Bar Association and DCRLC are coordinating this book sale as part of Dane County's law day celebration. The book sale aims to raise enough money for another year's subscription to Shepard's to which the library currently subscribes and provides for free in the library. Shepard's is an important online legal research tool used to retrieve full text state and federal court opinions, verify that a case is still good law, and find additional relevant cases - all crucial steps in the caselaw research process but a service in jeopardy of being cut due to shrinking budgets.

The sale features gently used recreational books, including contemporary fiction and non-fiction, true crime, mystery, cookbooks, memoirs, travel guides, and more. Stop by and browse for "new-to-you" books just in time for summer, and invite your friends to join you! Paperbacks will sell for $1, hardcovers for $2, and there will be a 2-for-1 table.

All proceeds will be put towards next year's subscription to Shepard's online.

Walk-in legal clinics will be offered at four Milwaukee public libraries on Saturday, April 30, 2011. These clinics are hosted by the Milwaukee Bar Association and the Milwaukee Young Lawyers Association. See their Law Day 2011 flyer for more information.

As part of the 2011 Law Day celebration, the Dane County Bar Association and the Dane County Legal Resource Center (DCLRC) are coordinating a book drive in order to have a book sale. The sale aims to raise enough money for another year's subscription to Shepard's, to which the library currently subscribes and offers for free in the library. Donated books are accepted at the DCLRC until Friday, April 29th. The book sale is open to all shoppers on Monday, May 2 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m in the cafeteria of the Dane County Courthouse. Please come and support free access to legal information!

To celebrate Law Day, the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) of the State Bar of Wisconsin focuses on outreach to schools. The American Bar Association (ABA) has developed an educational theme, The Legacy of John Adams: From Boston to Guantanamo, for use in the classroom and in the community. To learn more about celebrating law day in schools, see the YLD Law Day 2011 page.

If you missed our anniversary celebration on Wednesday, April 20, you can now watch videos of it online. 

Birthday cake was served, and Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson read a proclamation by Governor Scott Walker recognizing the library's 175 years of continuous service. During Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson's remarks she noted that "with all the change in location and in everything else relating to libraries, the motto and mission of this library has remained the same: service."

Watch or listen to the event at WisconsinEye: Wisconsin Law Library: 175 Years of Service

NBC15 aired an excellent story on the event on April 20th. You can watch it online: NBC15: Oldest Library

We would like to thank everyone who shared the news and helped us celebrate our 175th anniversary.

Governor Scott Walker issued a proclamation recognizing the library's 175 years of continuous service. April 20, 2011 has been proclaimed as Wisconsin State Law Library Day throughout the State of Wisconsin.

On April 20, 1836 then President Andrew Jackson signed an Act of Congress creating the Territory of Wisconsin, which included all of present day Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and parts of North and South Dakota. The final provision in the act appropriated funds for the purchase of law books to support the new territorial government, and so the Wisconsin State Library, as it was first called, was established.

The initial collection consisted of congressional documents and debates and "books of a miscellaneous nature" acquired in Washington and Philadelphia. Its first home was a rented room in Burlington, Iowa. After its first legislative session in Belmont, Wisconsin, the territorial government moved to Burlington to await construction of a capitol building in the newly platted "Town of Madison," the site they chose for the permanent capital. The library moved into the new building at Madison in 1841 and resided there - and in each subsequent capitol building - until 1999, when it once again operated out of temporary quarters during the construction of its current home in the Risser Justice Center, completed in 2002.

"We are very proud and excited to celebrate this special milestone," said Jane Colwin, State Law Librarian.

To celebrate our history we have compiled historical information, photos, and articles in a special section of our website, Celebrating 175 Years of Service: 1836-2011.

April 20 marks the 175th "birthday" of the Wisconsin State Law Library, the oldest library in the state. Library staff and volunteers have been busily researching their old library catalogs, reading articles about the library's history written by former staff, poring over newspaper clippings at the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau and sifting through materials in the Wisconsin Historical Society archives in order to compile a more complete history of the library.

On April 20, 1836 then President Andrew Jackson signed an Act of Congress creating the Territory of Wisconsin, which included all of present day Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and parts of North and South Dakota. The final provision in the act appropriated funds for the purchase of law books to support the new territorial government, and so the Wisconsin State Library, as it was first called, was established.

The initial collection consisted of congressional documents and debates and "books of a miscellaneous nature" acquired in Washington and Philadelphia. Its first home was a rented room in Burlington, Iowa. After its first legislative session in Belmont, Wisconsin, the territorial government moved to Burlington to await construction of a capitol building in the newly platted "Town of Madison," the site they chose for the permanent capital. The library moved into the new building at Madison in 1841 and resided there - and in each subsequent capitol building - until 1999, when it once again operated out of temporary quarters during the construction of its current home in the Risser Justice Center, completed in 2002. More historical highlights are in the interactive timeline the staff has developed on the library's 175th anniversary web page.

Their research has also brought the staff closer to identifying books in the collection that were probably among the first ones acquired back in 1836. "We haven’t been able to locate a list of the books purchased with the $5,000 appropriated by the U.S. Congress as part of the organic act establishing the Territory of Wisconsin," explained Colwin. "But we do have a catalog dated December 1840, and research by one of our volunteers has indicated that most of the books in that catalog were very likely part of the original collection." After some research of her own in the library's rare book room, Colwin agrees. "I found books on this list with 'Wisconsin Library' stamped on the leather bindings and hand-written accession numbers on the inside flyleaves."

Today the Wisconsin State Law Library contains approximately 135,000 volumes and is located in the Risser Justice Center, 120 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd in downtown Madison. The collection includes Wisconsin and federal statutes, regulations and court opinions, laws of other states, practice guides, legal treatises and journals aimed at the practicing attorney, and public computers with databases providing access to both current and historical legal research materials. The library's web site http://wilawlibrary.gov links visitors to free sources of Wisconsin and federal law, as well as information from legal and government information web sites that library staff has reviewed and categorized into over 400 different topics. The staff answers reference questions (but does not give legal advice), fills requests for copies of library materials, selects, orders and processes library materials, maintains the library's web site, and develops, teaches and presents a wide variety of legal research classes and programs for judges, attorneys, librarians, and the public. The State Law Library also manages the legal resource centers located in the Milwaukee and Dane County courthouses.

A good "one stop" source of practical information on public records or open meetings law is the Wisconsin Public Records and Open Meetings Handbook, by Melanie R. Swank (4th edition published by State Bar of Wisconsin, 2009). While previous editions of this title were published as paperbacks, this one is in the State Bar's familiar "brown binder" looseleaf format.

The author is an attorney with the Milwaukee City Attorney's office, where she handles all city and school public records and open meetings issues. The Handbook, produced in cooperation with the State Bar's Government Lawyers Division, thoroughly explores Wisconsin's laws on public records and open meetings.

• Part One discusses the practical applications of Wisconsin's public records law and offers guidance on requesting records, responding to records requests, and applicable time limits. The 4th addition contains a new chapter on the federal Freedom of Information Act. 
• Part Two takes a practical look at the open meetings law, discussing notice requirements, when a meeting may be closed to the public, and enforcement. 
• Appendices include full reprints of the state public records and open meetings laws, sample requests and responses to requests for public records, sample open meetings notices, synopses of key public records and open meetings cases, an annotated list of statutory exceptions to public records or open meetings laws, a sample verified open meetings law complaint, and a private practice attorney's advice on using email in the business environment.

As part of the Law Day celebration in May 2011, the Dane County Bar Association and DCLRC will hold a book sale to try to raise enough money for another year's subscription to Shepard's. Shepard's is an important online legal research tool used to retrieve full text state and federal court opinions, verify that a case is still good law, and find additional relevant cases – all crucial steps in the caselaw research process but a service in jeopardy of being cut due to shrinking budgets.

The first way you can help is by donating your gently used, no-longer-wanted recreational books to our "Fill the Shelves for Shepard's" campaign. Popular genres include contemporary fiction, non-fiction, true crime and mystery but all donations are appreciated. Ask your friends and neighbors to donate, too.

Materials will be accepted through May 2 at the DCLRC, Room L1007 in the Dane County Courthouse.

On May 2, all donated materials will go on sale on Lower Level 1 of the Courthouse from 9 am-3 pm. And that's the second way you can help - invite your friends to join you and buy lots of "new-to-you" books, just in time for summer! Paperbacks will sell for $1.00, hardcovers for $2.00 and there will be a 2-for-1 table. All proceeds will be put toward next year's subscription to Shepard's online at the DCLRC. Any leftover books will be donated to the Juvenile Detention Center, Dane County Jails, or the Legal Resource Center's ongoing pro se book sale.

If you have not yet seen it in our April newsletter, we are very proud and excited to announce that our newsletter, WSLL @ Your Service, has recently won an award. The American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) selected our newsletter as the winner of this year's AALL Excellence in Marketing Award for Best Use of Technology. The award will be presented officially during the AALL annual meeting in Philadelphia July 23-26.

In their announcement, 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 webpage. It is a great example of a relatively low cost effort with a very positive response."

You can read our current newsletter, as well as the online archives dating back to 2001 from our newsletter page.

If you like the training material we include in our newsletter, we have recently listed out each electronic research and Tech Tip article on our Tutorials page.

Finally, you can follow our new monthly column WSLL Recommends in our newsletter or through Library Highlights: WSLL Recommends.

The April issue of WSLL @ Your Service has been published.

In this issue:

• What's New: Newsletter receives AALL award; You're invited to WSLL's 175th birthday party!; Test our new mobile site; Upcoming classes; National Library Week;
• 1836-2011: Celebrating Our History - "Please Don't Sit By the Book Shelves...";
• This Just In...: New and updated library materials; 
• Tech Tip in Brief: Flash drive capacity - how much is enough? 
• WSLL Recommends...Judgment Enforcement by James J. Brown;
• Odds 'n' Endings: Putting WSLL's 175th anniversary in context;

On Wednesday, April 13th, 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 Bankruptcy 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.

This free class runs from 10-11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 13th and is valid for 1 CLE credit. Register online now or print and send in a registration form.

Written by retired U.S. administrative law judge James J. Brown, Judgment Enforcement walks legal professionals through each step of the judgment enforcement process. Although the focus is on federal judgments, it addresses both state and foreign judgments.

Judgment Enforcement, Wolters Kluwer/Aspen

Users will find well-researched chapters on: Discovery to find the debtor's assets; Sale and disposition of the debtor's assets; and Reopening, correcting and vacating judgments. Each of the book's 15 chapters includes dozens of applicable forms and practice tips that advise on related matters such as interacting with court clerks.

Probably the most useful chapter for Wisconsin practitioners is Exemptions from judgment enforcement, which includes a state by state summary. Those outlined for Wisconsin include homestead exemptions, property exemptions, life insurance, personal injury or wrongful death claims, and retirement benefits.

The next time you're faced with a judgment enforcement issue, consult this treatise. It just might provide what you need to succeed in enforcing the judgment and obtaining collection.