If you find yourself representing someone accused of witchcraft, you will want to consult the Malleus Maleficarum. This treatise, housed in the Law Library of Congress Rare Book Vault, contains everything you need to know to identify a witch, or at least what two theologians and inquisitors believed constituted evidence of witchcraft in 1486 (the …
In September 2015, the German automaker Volkswagen (VW) admitted that it had manipulated software in around eleven million diesel vehicles worldwide to cheat on emissions tests. As more and more details emerged in the ensuing weeks and months, VW’s share value rapidly declined by 30 percent. U.S. regulators levied heavy fines of up to US$15.3 billion …
The following is a guest post by Luis Acosta, chief of one of the Law Library’s foreign, comparative, and international law divisions. Luis also recently wrote a post about a report on education as a constitutional right in foreign countries. The doctrine of sovereign immunity, or state immunity, is an international law principle that limits …
The following is a guest post by Alison M. Trulock, an archival specialist in the Office of Art and Archives within the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. In October 2016, the Clerk’s Office of the U.S. House of Representatives launched Records Search on the History, Art & Archives website. The website is a …
While reviewing a truck of materials, I found three items with the following bookplate: Since I had run across this bookplate before and admired it, I thought it would be a great visual to share in a blog post. This bookplate was specifically designed for the Yudin Collection. The Library of Congress acquired the Yudin …
Okay, so this is not actually another of Andrew’s clever posts with videos showing you how to say “law” or “book” in multiple languages. However, when our serials cataloger, Brian Kuhagen, showed me a title he was classifying, I immediately thought of Andrew’s posts and tying that theme (a single word in multiple languages) to …
This post is coauthored by Barbara Bavis, instructional librarian, and Robert Brammer, senior legal reference specialist Contemplating end-of-life issues is not anyone’s favorite topic, but it is important to do so in order to ensure your final wishes are carried out. As such, it is not surprising that our patrons show an interest in these matters, which …
As I wrote last June, we have been installing new compact shelving in the smallest of the four quads which house the bulk of our collection. Well, the new shelving is in and it looks great! Not only does it look good, but the mechanics are much smoother than its aging counterparts, making the units …
Washington, DC is such a beautiful city. Occasionally, you get to see it from a new perspective. Recently, I was fortunate to have this lovely view as the sun was starting to set. This view brings the White House, the Washington Monument, and the Jefferson Memorial almost into alignment. Do you have a favorite view of …