Wisconsin State Law Library

Cross border family issues can be a complex mix of treaties, uniform acts, case law, and local laws. The International family law desk book, by attorney Ann Laquer Estin, discusses transnational litigation, marriage, divorce, parental rights, custody, child support, adoption, and child welfare.

Each chapter provides an overview of the subject area and relevant laws and treaties, with a focus on transnational family issues in the United States. Highlights include:

• International judicial assistance, service of process, and discovery
• Enforcing judgments
• Marital consent and prohibitions
• Parallel divorce proceedings
• Marital agreements and financial or property orders
• Child custody and access rights
• Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA)
• International child abduction
• Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA)
• Adoption procedures from Hague Convention countries and non-Convention countries
• Children's immigration issues

The International family law desk book is available for checkout from the Wisconsin State Law Library.

The State Law Library, and Milwaukee and Dane County Law Libraries will be closed on Monday, January 2nd for a state holiday. We will respond to questions and requests on Tuesday, January 3rd.

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.

The State Law Library, and Milwaukee and Dane County Law Libraries will be closed on Monday, December 26th for a state holiday. We will respond to questions and requests on Tuesday, December 27th.

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.

The Wisconsin State Law Library provides public access to the WI Supreme Court and Court of Appeals briefs and appendices. Our Finding Wisconsin Appellate Briefs tutorial has been updated with new website examples for 2016.


Learn more about researching appellate briefs on our Finding Wisconsin Appellate Briefs tutorial page and get a quick overview of where to find briefs online and in print on our Wisconsin Briefs page.

Enjoy seasonal decorations at the State Law Library this winter! Our library's reading room and public service desks are festooned with evergreen and light. Be sure to stop by to drop off your donation to our winter sock drive. This year we are accepting sock donations to benefit the Community Action Coalition (CAC). Items of all sizes for adults and children are welcome through January 15, 2017. All donations will be taken to CAC for distribution to people in our community.

The Department of Administration's Document Sales & Distribution Unit recently posted purchasing information for the new 2015-2016 Wisconsin Statutes. The prices are:

The US Government Printing Office is offering three free webinars next week featuring presenters from the GPO and other Federal agencies. Here's the schedule:

• Introducing the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Databases, Tables, & Calculators Search Tool, December 13, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (Eastern)
• Mapping Census Data: Unleash your Sociodemographic Knowledge through the Power of GIS December 14, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (Eastern)
• Measuring America Series: Accessing Family Living Arrangements Statistics, December 15, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (Eastern)

A press release issued by the US GPO announces that online versions of the Congressional Record Bound Edition from 1980-2001 are now available on the GovInfo.gov website. 

• Congressional Record (Bound), 1981 to 2001
• Congressional Record (Daily), 1994 to Present
• Congressional Record Index (Daily), 1983 to Present (Coming Soon)

The December issue of WSLL @ Your Service is now online. As always, your comments are welcome. Please direct them to the editor, Kristina Martinez.

In this issue:

What's New

Please join us for our annual Holiday Open House on December 13th from 3:00-4:30 p.m. in the reading room of the David T. Prosser Jr. State Law Library. All three libraries will be closed on December 26 and January 2 for state holidays. Read more

This Just In

Collaborative Law: Achieving Effective Resolution in Divorce without Litigation and Proskauer on Privacy: A Guide to Privacy and Data Security Law in the Information Age are our two featured titles this month. As always, don't miss our new book list. Read more

Tech Tip

SandwichPDF is a free cloud-based program that can OCR a PDF document. OCR (optical character recognition) makes a PDF searchable. Read more

WSLL Recommends

Wisconsin Statute 106.52 (1) (fm) defines "service animal" but there is still some confusion as to what rights emotional support or assistance animal owners have. This guide includes links to laws and research materials. Read more

Odds 'n' Endings

Since 2002 the Wisconsin State Law Library has compiled a list of online ordinance links on its website. We are now have 984 municipalities and counties represented on our Ordinances page. Read more

Get a jump on next year's resolutions and sign up for our winter CLE classes now. We'll continue to add new classes in the next couple of months, so check our Classes page for new additions. 

All three library locations will be closed on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 24th. The Dane County Law Library will remain closed on Friday, November 25th. The Milwaukee County Law Library and the David T. Prosser Jr. State Law Library will be open on Friday, November 25th.

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Call the Reference Desk at 608-267-9696 and leave a voicemail, or Ask a Librarian online while we are closed. We will respond to you the next business day.

Are you a detail-oriented individual looking for part-time work? The Wisconsin State Law Library is searching for a Library Assistant, 15 hours per week. Qualified applicants must be available to work 3 consecutive hours between the hours of 9 a.m.-3 p.m., 5 days a week, Monday through Friday.

Immigration is in the news and our legal topics pages and librarians can help with research and referrals. As part of our commitment to further equal access to the law we encourage our users to research through our website and ask a librarian for research help.

Photo source

Our Immigration and Citizenship page features links to Federal agencies and local services. Go to this page to learn about immigration law issues, access frequently requested agency information, and read free immigration law practice guides. We also list major legal books available in our library on immigration law.

The Dane County Law Library located in the Dane County Courthouse is searching for a Library Associate Limited Term Employee (LTE). This is a 20 hour per week appointment. The successful applicant must be available to fill the 20-hour requirement during our business hours: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. In order to accommodate workflow, preferred weekly schedule would be Mon-Fri 12:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Duties include:
Primary duties include assisting librarian with maintenance of judges' book collections by filing and shelving materials; filling weekly legal information requests from Dane County inmates; assisting library users with legal ready reference questions such as locating circuit court procedures and forms; processing, filing, and shelving library collection materials; maintaining physical library space; handling cash; and other tasks as necessary.

Skills include: 
Highly qualified candidates will have excellent customer service skills, be detail-oriented, be able to work independently, manage and complete projects on time, and be able to follow directions.

Pay: 

Don't miss the November issue of WSLL @ Your Service.

In this issue: 

The Wisconsin State Law Library's downtown location was named the David T. Prosser Jr. State Law Library in a ceremony on Wednesday, October 19th. Read more.


This Just In

Mastering the art of depositions and Fundamentals of securities regulation are our two featured titles this month. As always, don't miss our new book list. Read more.


Tech Tip

The Wisconsin Legislature's document website is a treasure trove of information. The "context menu" enhances the usability of the online statutes. Read more.


WSLL Recommends

Get the facts and the law on reverse mortgage loans in this research guide featuring authoritative websites, treatises from our collection, and citations to the law. Read more.
Odds 'n' Endings

It's time for flu shots! This research guide is geared towards employers, employees, and health care workers who want to learn the legal issues behind employment-related flu shots. Read more.


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

Jennifer Haas, librarian at the Milwaukee County Law Library since July 2016, is featured in the latest MJC Quarterly newsletter. The article highlights her dedication to public service and roots in Milwaukee County.

BadgerLink databases, like Academic Search Premier and Newspaper Source Plus, may be unavailable for a few hours this evening from 9 p.m. to midnight.

This maintenance will not affect access to the HeinOnline Law Journal Library or Index to Legal Periodicals. For a list of all databases available with your library card, see our Articles & Journals page.

Get the facts (and law) on reverse mortgage loans. A reverse mortgage is a home loan that lets you convert a portion of the equity in your home into cash. "The only reverse mortgage insured by the U.S. Federal Government is called a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage or HECM, and is only available through an FHA approved lender." (see: Home Equity Conversion Mortgages for Seniors)

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Online information

Consumer information on reverse mortgages (Federal Trade Commission)

Reverse mortgage questions & answers (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau)

Considering a reverse mortgage? (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau)

Types of reverse mortgages (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau)

Frequently asked questions about HUD's reverse mortgages

Reverse mortgages; 2012 report to Congress (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau)
Contains extensive information on the history, market and regulatory structure of reverse mortgage loans.

Library books and resources

• Elder Law - 18 Wisconsin Practice Series § 12:39 Reverse Mortgages (West Publishing)
• Advising Older Clients and Their Families - § 7.80 Reverse Mortgages (State Bar of Wisconsin)
• "Reversing Course: Strengthening Consumer Protections for Reverse Mortgages" 23 Elder Law Journal 417 (2016)

The law

• Wisconsin Statute s.138.058 "Reverse mortgage loans"
• Reverse Mortgage Stabilization Act, Public Law. 113-29
• Insurance of home equity conversion mortgages for elderly homeowners 12 U.S.C § 1715z–20
• Consumer Credit Disclosure – Reverse Mortgage 15 U.S.C. § 1648
• Proposed Federal Regulations: FR–5353–P–01 Federal Housing Administration (FHA): Strengthening the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage Program

HeinOnline now offers global access to a new collection, Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law. Library card holders and visitors to our libraries can browse this collection through the library's subscription to HeinOnline.

According to HeinOnline:

Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law brings together, for the first time, all known legal materials on slavery in the United States and the English-speaking world, as well as materials on free African-Americans in the colonies and the U.S. before 1870. Included are every statute passed by every state and colony, all federal statutes, all reported state and federal cases on slavery, and hundreds of books and pamphlets on the subject. In total, the collection contains more than 1,000 titles and nearly 850,000 pages.

While the collection is readily available to library users and cardholders, anyone can register with HeinOnline for free access to this collection. Visit the HeinOnline collection guide for more information and to register.

Duties include: scanning, processing, and shelving appellate court briefs; staffing the circulation desk, cash handling, and invoice creation; bindery preparation, data entry, and other collection maintenance activities.

Skills include: exceptional organizational skills, above average computing skills, excellent customer service skills, and the ability to follow written directions. Library and/or scanning experience is helpful but not required. A demonstrated ability to do multiple tasks with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail is required!

Pay: $9.67/hour.

We are asked this time of year whether employees are required to get flu vaccines. This short list of links is intended to help you begin your research.

Wisconsin laws & legislation on human vaccination 

• Wisconsin Statute 252.041 "Compulsory vaccination during a state of emergency"

Recent subject indexes to legislation show bills relating to vaccination that have not passed to become law.

• 2015-2016: Bills relating to vaccination 
• 2013-2014: Bills relating to vaccination

Photo by Cpl. Jackeline Perez Rivera via Wikimedia Commons

Mandatory flu shots in the workplace

• OSHA letter from 2009 on mandatory flu shots
• EEOC letter form March 2012 on mandatory flu shots
• EEOC letter from December 2012 on mandatory flu shots
• Pandemic preparedness in the workplace and the Americans with Disabilities Act (EEOC)
  Information about what an employer can require, presented in a question and answer format.
• Vaccinating the health-care workforce: state law vs. institutional requirements (2010 Public Health Reports 125(4) pp. 615–618)

Vaccination resources for businesses and employees

• Flu information for businesses and employers (CDC)
• Flu information for health care workers (CDC)
• Make it your business to fight the flu (CDC)
• Flu information for health professionals (Flu.gov)
• Planning for seasonal and pandemic flu: guides for employers (Flu.gov)
• Reducing healthcare workers' exposures to seasonal flu virus (OSHA)

The Wisconsin State Law Library's downtown Madison location was named the David T. Prosser, Jr. State Law Library during a ceremony on Wednesday, October 20, 2016. The event, attended by a number of public officials, marked Prosser's 40 years of public service on the Supreme Court, Tax Appeals Commission, and Legislature prior to his retirement in July of 2016.

Last night's ceremony was also an opportunity to highlight the library's 180 years of service to the State of Wisconsin.

"Some have called law libraries 'the lawyer’s laboratory.' It is a lawyer's laboratory because lawyers and judges and others do investigative work here - just as a chemist may do investigative work in her laboratory," Chief Justice Roggensack said in a press release issued by the Wisconsin Court System.

The library is proud to continue to provide our professional expertise and outstanding collection to legal researchers throughout Wisconsin. Our three library locations in Madison and Milwaukee serve users through email and phone, as well as in person. All of our libraries are open to the public. Stop on by, give us a call, or send us an email.

Have you read our October newsletter yet? Don't miss our monthly spotlight on new books, as well as a tech tip on collaborating with Google Docs.

The November 8th general election is just around the corner. If you haven't voted yet, take some time to find out how to get to your polling location and preview your local ballot.



Sign in to My Vote Wisconsin to see your polling location, voter registration status, and sample ballot. If you voted absentee, you can check whether your ballot has been recorded as received on this website as well.

Choose "My Voter Info", enter your information, and see your voting information, including the status of any absentee ballot you may have already submitted. You can also learn how to register to vote from this website.

From "What's on My Ballot", enter your information to see the sample ballot for your location. Learn about local elections and special ballot measures before you head to the polls by previewing your ballot here.

Voter photo ID is required. Visit Bring it to the Ballot to learn more.

Bring it to the Ballot

This past September we celebrated Library Sign-Up Month encouraging users to sign up for a library card. Library card holders can check out library materials from any of our three libraries and sign in to online databases to research primary law, legal news, and articles. You can sign up online for a library card, or call 608-266-1600 for a replacement card.

Do you live out of state? Attorneys licensed in Wisconsin are eligible for library cards. In fact, we have a number of library card holders outside of Wisconsin, including Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Ohio. See the map below for more details.



 Learn more on our Library Card Sign-Up page and find out what a Wisconsin State Law Library card can do for you.

When drafting a commercial lease agreement, entering into a new lease, or challenging provisions of a lease, you want access to authoritative information. Our Commercial Lease guide includes top books and online sources in our library for analysis and sample form language. 

Start Here: Commercial Leases book list and guide

BadgerLink databases, like Academic Search Premier and Newspaper Source Plus, may be unavailable for a few hours this evening from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.

This maintenance will not affect access to the HeinOnline Law Journal Library or Index to Legal Periodicals. For a list of all databases available with your library card, see our Articles & Journals page.

Fall classes have arrived! Sign up for free CLE classes through the library. Classes are offered in Madison and Milwaukee over the lunch hour.



Wisconsin State Law Library Website
Thursday, September 8, Noon - 1 p.m.
Location: Milwaukee Public Library, Meeting Room 1

FREE. 1 CLE credit. Registration is suggested through the Milwaukee Public Library and space is limited. Call 414-286-3011 to register. These are demonstration classes.

Intermediate Westlaw
Tuesday, September 20, Noon - 1 p.m.
Location: Wisconsin State Law Library training room

Learn how to best utilize Westlaw in this course by Discovering the power behind WestSearch plain language searching; Utilizing "Find a case by party name" feature; Learning about result list sorting and advanced filtering techniques, such as "search within results"; Exploring headnotes and other editorial enhancements, such as notes of decisions and statutes index; Covering advanced options for filtering Citing References; Learning about content category pages in the "Browse" menu.
FREE. 1 CLE credit. Registration is limited to 8. Register Online | Print Registration Form

Power Search
Thursday, October 6, Noon - 1 p.m.
Location: Wisconsin State Law Library training room

Save time and money by searching in the right place first. This class will survey search techniques and results for free websites (like Google) and specialty sites (like Westlaw and HeinOnline). Learn search shortcuts for your favorite websites and understand the kind of information you can get from each source.
FREE. 1 CLE credit. Registration is limited to 8. Register Online | Print Registration Form

Westlaw Classes
Thursday, October 13
Advanced Legal Research with Westlaw, Noon - 1 p.m.
Legal Ethics & Professional Responsibility Research with Westlaw, 1 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Location: Milwaukee Public Library, Meeting Room 1

FREE. 1 CLE credit. Registration is suggested through the Milwaukee Public Library and space is limited. Call 414-286-3011 to register. These are demonstration classes.

What's New on Westlaw
Tuesday, October 18, Noon - 1 p.m.
Location: Wisconsin State Law Library training room

The objective of this course is to update and refresh Westlaw users on Westlaw, and show new tools, features, and content available. The new tools and content enhancements will also assist attorneys in providing more cost effective researching to their clients.
FREE. 1 CLE credit. Registration is limited to 8. Register Online | Print Registration Form

Wisconsin Briefs Online
Wednesday, November 2, Noon - 1 p.m.
Location: Wisconsin State Law Library training room
Using the Internet to Research Companies
Wednesday, November 10, Noon - 1 p.m.
Location: Milwaukee Public Library, Meeting Room 1

FREE. 1 CLE credit. Registration is suggested through the Milwaukee Public Library and space is limited. Call 414-286-3011 to register. These are demonstration classes.

After Hours users planning on using the library this Sunday should plan ahead around Ironman traffic routes and street closures. The City of Madison posted an Ironman traffic route map with closures and crossings information. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and the section of Doty Street near the library are both closed to traffic from 11:00 a.m. on Sunday through 1 a.m. on Monday.

City of Madison Ironman traffic route map

In our September newsletter we introduce new library staff, survey new books, and give a quick tech tip on how to handle the auto-fill feature in your browser.

This month also marks library card signup month. Do you have a library card from the Wisconsin State Law Library yet? Library cards are a great way to help streamline your legal research. Check out practice materials from any of our three libraries. Use your card to sign in to online databases and research primary law, legal news and articles.

What's inside:

• What's New Library card signup month; New library staff
• This Just In Notable new and updated books; New book list
• Tech Tip Fixing auto-fill mistakes
• WSLL Recommends: Neighbor Law 
• Odds 'n' Endings Our library is a Pokéstop

The Wisconsin State Law Library, Milwaukee County Law Library, and Dane County Law Library will be closed on Monday, September 5 for the Labor Day state holiday. We will respond to questions and requests on Tuesday, September 6. 

To ask a question while we are closed, call us at 608-267-9696 or Ask a Librarian online.

There is a park near my house that has always enjoyed regular traffic, mostly from joggers and dog walkers. However, lately this tiny park has exploded in popularity, with players gathered beneath the trees intent on their phones. They're playing Pokémon Go and the park is a Pokéstop - a GPS-tagged waystation within the game.

The Wisconsin State Law Library serves as a Pokéstop, along with several downtown landmarks. While you're playing Pokémon Go be sure to stop by the library to grab some Pokéballs and other goodies. The library has public wifi and outlets where you can charge your phone. We're located on the second and third floor of the Risser Justice Center.

Problems with neighbors can be fraught with emotion, as well as difficult to research. When we get questions about trees, boundary disputes, or fences one of our favorite books is Nolo's Neighbor Law: fences, trees, boundaries & noise. This book is written in plain language with the non-attorney reader in mind and provides overviews of the issues and sample letters.

Thanks to a new regulation, newer school buses in Wisconsin are now required to be equipped with amber lights which are flashed prior to coming to a stop. (Wis. Admin. Code Trans 300.54) A Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) press release explains:

"Flashing amber lights are a signal that the school bus is preparing to stop, so drivers need to slow down, pay attention and proceed carefully. Drivers are allowed to pass a moving bus with flashing amber lights, but they should do so cautiously."

From left to right:

• The ABCs of Environmental regulation
• Wisconsin water law in the 21st century
• Environmental liability and real property transactions
• Before Earth Day: the origins of American environmental law, 1945-1970
• Global climate change and US law

From left to right:

• Principles of Constitutional environmental law
• Environmental law handbook
• Environmental law practice guide
• The Clean Air Act handbook

Meteors are often used in legal literature as devices to describe an incredibly rare or unlikely event. The Perseid meteor shower, by contrast, is an annually spectacular show and is at its peak right now. Perseid meteors appear as the earth passes through the debris of the Swift-Tuttle comet  As you look up to enjoy the display (provided cloud cover dissipates), here's a quick roundup of law review articles that look at legal issues beyond the planet's borders.

Astronaut Scott Kelly posted this amazing photo of the Perseid meteor shower from space last August. Photo from NASA archive.

August is National Breastfeeding Month. In recognition, we compiled a resource guide on Wisconsin and Federal laws regarding breastfeeding in public and in the workplace. Read through this guide in our August newsletter, along with our usual columns featuring library news and new books.

Here's what's inside:

• What's New: New staff; AALL annual meeting 
• This Just In: New and updated library materials 
• Tech Tip: Targeted searching with Google 
• Breastfeeding in Public and the Workplace: WSLL Resource Guide
• Odds 'n' Endings: August 7, 1848: Election of judges

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

Are you a detail-oriented individual looking for part-time work? The Wisconsin State Law Library is searching for a Library Assistant, 15 hours per week. Qualified applicants must be available to work Monday through Friday, 8-11 AM.

Duties include: staffing the circulation desk, filing looseleaf services, shelving, moving and shifting book collections, creating invoices, issuing library cards, and other collection maintenance activities.

Skills include: excellent customer service skills in person and on the phone, working in the circulation system and other computer tasks, cash handling, ability to follow written directions, and to do multiple tasks with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail

Pay: $9.67/hour
Start date: Monday, August 29, 2016

Location: The Wisconsin State Law Library is located on a bus line, just off the Capitol Square at 120 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Madison.

To apply: Please email your resume and cover letter to elspeth.gordon@wicourts.gov. You must include your hours available for work.

Our libraries have many books on estate planning topics, from the well-known Eckhardt's workbook for Wisconsin estate planners to the historically interesting Ancient, curious, and famous wills. In our latest reading room display we're promoting just a few of our single volume estate planning books.


Here's what you'll find in the display:

• Ancient, curious, and famous wills
• Disclaimers in estate planning
• Estate planning for farmers and ranchers
• Estate planning for same-sex couples
• Introduction to estate planning in a nutshell
• A laywer's guide to estate planning
• Make your own living trust
• Plan your estate
• Uniform probate code and uniform trust code in a nutshell
• To will or not to will