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Category: Law Library

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Miranda Rights and National Police Week

Posted by: Jennifer Davis

The following information relies on the recollections and opinions of a retired local jurisdiction law enforcement officer. When Betty wrote her “Legalese” post on terms from legal dictionaries, I mentioned that “mirandize” was one of my favorites. My dad had started his law enforcement career just a few years prior to the Supreme Court’s Miranda …

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The Unacknowledged Legislators of the World

Posted by: Jennifer Davis

The following is a guest post by Brandon Fitzgerald, project manager of a Law Library staffing contract, writer and student of poetry and literature. In honor of National Poetry Month, I want to consider the intersections between law and poetry. Each entails persuasion and  precision of language. Word choice and word placement are central to …

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Francis Scott Key: the Lawyer-Poet

Posted by: Jennifer Davis

Both law and poetry require a fluid grasp of language and a critical need for precision and economy with words; possessing these skills can be the key to making one person successful in both endeavors. There are a few times in history when well-known poets started their professional lives in the law (John Donne, Archibald …

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An Interview with John Trotman, Junior Fellow

Posted by: Jennifer Davis

Today’s interview is with John “Trot” Trotman.  John is working in the Collection Services Division of the Law Library of Congress as part of the institution’s Junior Fellows Program.  The program’s focus is to increase access to our collections for our various patron groups. Describe your background:  I grew up in Chesapeake, Virginia and went …

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New Recommended Formats Specifications

Posted by: Jennifer Davis

The Library has just released its new Recommended Format Specifications, a more current set of specifications for “identifying preservable content.” Library staff, including subject matter and technical experts, joined the team led by Ted Westervelt, head of acquisitions and cataloging for U.S. Serials – Arts, Humanities & Sciences at the Library of Congress, so they could …