This November, our Orientation to Law Library Collections webinar will feature a special appearance by the staff of the Witkin State Law Library, California State Library as part of our state law libraries outreach project. The purpose of the state law libraries outreach project is to strengthen the ties between the Law Library of Congress and state law libraries by sharing information about our collections, products, and services with one another and with the public. This project involves providing a guest spot for state law librarians to discuss the collections and services they offer during our Orientation to Law Library Collections webinars. Presenting from the Witkin State Law Library, California State Library will be Vanessa Christman, principal librarian of law and government publications; and Michael McCurdy, librarian of the Witkin State Law Library. The Witkin State Law Library presenters note that:
Our namesake, Bernard Ernest Witkin (often referred to as “Bernie”), is widely known for his foundational works on California law, creating an entirely new standard for legal education and judicial ethics in California. The staff of the Witkin State Law Library, California State Library work to carry forward Bernie’s legacy by working closely with State employees and researchers to connect them with our extensive collection of California-focused legal materials, dating back to pre-statehood. While our specialty is historical California legal and regulatory research, we have a significant collection of statutory and judicial law for all 50 states and U.S. territories, along with federal and international law. We also offer public programming on timely legal topics in California, create targeted research guides and publications, and curate virtual and in-person exhibits of rare and notable materials. In this presentation, we will give you a glimpse into our busy library and one-of-a-kind collections.
In addition to this webinar, we will also present one of our legal research orientation webinars, focused on federal legislative history in November.
Orientation to Legal Research: Federal Legislative History
Date: Thursday, November 3, 2022, 11:00 a.m. EDT – 12:00 p.m. EDT
Content: This entry in the series provides an overview of U.S. federal legislative history resources, including information about the methods of identifying and locating them. In tackling this area of research, the focus will largely be on finding these documents online. We will be highlighting freely-available governmental websites like Congress.gov, govinfo.gov, and Law.gov, and quickly touch on subscription databases that can be accessed at one’s local public law or academic library.
Instructor: Margaret M. Wood – senior legal reference librarian. Margaret holds a BA in history from Oberlin College and a Master of Science in Library Science from Catholic University.
Register here.
Orientation to Law Library Collections Webinar
Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2022, 1:00 p.m. EST – 2:00 p.m. EST
Content: This webinar provides information about the Law Library’s wide range of online resources, as well as our print collections. Some of the resources attendees will learn about include the Law Library’s research guides, digital collections, and the Guide to Law Online, among others. This month’s webinar will also feature a special appearance by the Witkin State Law Library, California State Library as part of our state law libraries outreach project. Presenting from California will be Vanessa Christman – principal librarian, law and government publications for the California State Library, and Michael McCurdy – librarian for Witkin State Law Library.
Instructor: Margaret M. Wood – senior legal reference librarian. Margaret holds a BA in history from Oberlin College and a Master of Science in Library Science from Catholic University.
Register here.
To learn about other upcoming classes on domestic and foreign law topics, visit the Legal Research Institute.
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