Taxpayers and Identity Theft

Reports of identity theft have begun to crop up during this tax season. As individuals file their returns some have learned that tax returns have already been filed in their name, with their social security number. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has created a page for taxpayers affected by identity theft. This page links to guides for determining whether you are a victim of identity theft, as well as agencies to contact. Their one page Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft is a quick overview for concerned taxpayers and includes IRS and credit bureau phone numbers.

A recent press release from the Federal Trade Commission noted that identity theft still tops the Top 10 Consumer Complaints list - for 12 years in a row now. Get quick access to information on our Identity Theft legal topic page. As the tax season rolls on, don't forget to check out our Tax legal topic page for links to Wisconsin and federal forms, how-to guides, agency contacts, and links to rulings.

February Website Additions

Among our latest website updates and additions, we would like to highlight the following:

• VinCheck, a database to check whether a vehicle is lost or stolen, to the Records subsection of our Vehicles page.
• The WI Bureau of Consumer Protection's Pepper Spray FAQ to our Firearms & Weapons legal topic page; their Medical Billings FAQ to our Medical Law page; their Living Trusts: Don’t Believe All You Hear to our Trusts legal topic page. 
• Recent concealed carry articles for municipalities added to the right sidebar of our Firearms & Weapons legal topic page.
• Guides and recent articles to our Mining Law (Metallic and Nonmetallic) legal topic page. 
• Additional guides and court case links to the redistricting section of our Politics and Elections page.

Rental Properties in Foreclosure

We recently added new links to our Landlord/Tenant and Foreclosure legal topic pages on the subject of the rights of tenants in foreclosed properties.

• Foreclosure in Rental Units (Tenant Resource Center)
• Renters in Foreclosure: What Are Their Rights? (Nolo.com)
• Tenant Sourcebook (Legal Action of Wisconsin)
  Includes information on renting and foreclosure

Our Landlord/Tenant page also includes links to helpful resources like the WI Dept. of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection's Wisconsin Way: A Guide for Landlords and Tenants, complaint links, and the Tenant Resource Center.

New Voting Procedures

Remember to bring an acceptable photo ID for voting in the non-partisan primary election today. Our legal topic page on voting includes brochures and quick guides to what to expect at the polls, such as this City of Madison brochure: Recent Changes to Wisconsin Election Laws.

Generally you can check where you vote using the Voter Public Access database. However, if you are not sure about your polling place you can contact your municipal clerk's office for more information.

Polls are open until 8 pm. Learn more at the Government Accountability Board's website: http://gab.wi.gov/

Family Court Resource Booklet

A new and improved version of the Dane Co. Family Court Resource Booklet is now available on the Dane Co. Family Court Counseling's website.

Topics covered include divorce, child support and custody, and paternity procedures. The booklet also provides information on enforcing or changing court orders, CHIPs, domestic abuse, and restraining order proceedings, adoption, and termination of parental rights.

Parents and kids alike will be interested in the court frequently asked questions and guides to words used in court. A recently updated directory of relevant officials and agencies, as well as community service organizations is included.

This local resource is now much more user-friendly online and features:

• Links to available forms; 
• Links to current statutes and administrative code sections, and; 
• Internal links to cross-referenced sections in the booklet. 

It is currently only available online but will be available for purchase as a booklet sometime this spring. Contact Lisa Winkler, Dane County Librarian, at lisa.winkler@wicourts.gov for details.

WSLL Recommends: Waters and Water Rights

Waters and Water Rights is a comprehensive analysis of water-related laws contained in a five volume set. Authored by a team of practicing attorneys and legal scholars, chapter topics include:

• riparian rights
• reasonable use and correlative rights of groundwater
• infrastructure for water distribution and storage by public water districts and private organizations
• public right to water
• constitutional foundations of federal water
• reserved water rights and Indian reserved water rights
• ownership of water, state water rights, and the acquisition of water for federal uses
• impact of the Endangered Species Act on private water rights
• climate change
• interstate water allocation and the interstate export of water
• international waters
• environmental issues including water quality, groundwater protection, water pollution, drainage, flooding and wetlands preservation

Volume 4 offers an overview of each state's water laws compiled by an expert in the water law of that particular state. The state surveys include references to other state-specific sources of information. Also contained in the volume are surveys covering five river basins.

Volume 5 includes an extensive glossary, table of case law, and a table of state and federal laws with references to sections and footnotes within the set.

Waters and Water Rights is updated annually. The library also owns the 1st , 2nd and 3rd editions originally edited by Robert Emmett Clark

Westlaw Classes on February 15th

There is still space in – and time to sign up for – our February 15th legal research classes on Westlaw Fundamentals, and Ethics Research via Westlaw. For complete details and registration forms, please visit our Classes page.

EDIT: Ethics Research via Westlaw has been cancelled. We are still accepting registrations for Westlaw Fundamentals.

WSLL at Your Service: February 2012

Learn about mobile document scanning and get library news in our February 2012 newsletter.

In this issue:  

• What's New:  Looking for mining law? Interview with DCLRC librarian; WSLL librarian published in Inside Track; Upcoming legal research classes
• Looking Back, Moving Forward - Julie Tessmer, Interim State Law Librarian
• This Just In... :  New and updated library materials; monthly new titles list, RSS
• Tech Tip in Brief:  Mobile scanning 

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

Wisconsin Mining Law Information

Are you trying to find out more about mining laws and proposed laws in Wisconsin? Our mining legal topic page continues to grow as agencies and authors publish additional information.

Recent additions to this page include a new Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau bibliography on iron mining and frac sand and Wisconsin Legislative Council guides to 2011 Assembly Bill 426 regarding ferrous metallic mining. Links to recent Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources publications on metallic mining can be found under "Library Resources" in the right-hand sidebar.

We have also added additional related Wisconsin agency and statute links.

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. If you have questions, please Ask a Librarian.