As previously discussed on this blog, we love references to old technology, old terminology, and old librarianship topics. I was flipping through the old CCLA Bulletins, and found this delightful piece on online searching.
This was written almost exactly 24 years ago, and obviously in that time online searching has become the first (and for many people, last) stop in their research. I don’t think I’d have to work this hard to convince many people nowadays to try searching online! I found the tidbit about Quicklaw having “peak hours” for researching to be particularly interesting – that is certainly from before my time as a law librarian (and those prices – ouch!).
Below are some of the most recent CPD materials added to the library collection. Each title links to the book record where you can view more details and the full table of contents. All materials are available in print at the library, or if you’re interested in only a couple of articles, feel free to email us a request for a scanned copy.
It’s hard to stay away from the news these days, but those closely following the appeal from Trump’s Immigration Ban in the United States might be interested to see that due to interest in the case, the 9th Circuit has put up a webpage for all of the related court documents. Some light reading for those inclined.
There’s been quite a legal flurry north of the border in response to the ban as well. Courthouse Libraries BC has arranged an upcoming webinar entitled “Canadian Lawyers and the Impact of the US Executive Orders (Muslim Ban)”, to take place on Monday, February 27th, 3:30-4:30 PM EST. BC lawyer Peter Edelmann will be joined by US attorney Nikhil Shah to discuss:
The EO and whom it affects.
The effects of the various injunctions (MA, NY, CA, etc.) and appeals and what this means practically for affected people seeking access to the US.
Legal procedure and rights at the US Border.
Some expectations/predictions re future banned countries.
Canada’s next possible moves (e.g. Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement).
Information about the Canadian and US lawyer alliances/participation in this crisis.
What you, the lawyer on the front lines (or who wants to get involved) needs to know, e.g. what you can accomplish v. what you should expect.
While we were preparing for the holidays and wrapping up those last minute reference questions in 2016, a cool new feature was quietly rolled out in CanLII – so quietly that we didn’t even notice until last month! If you’re a regular user of CanLII, you’ll want to check this out.
Highlighting terms within CanLII has always been a handy feature. If you’re performing a keyword search, CanLII will highlight where the words appear in the document you select and read from your search results, allowing you to scroll through the text to find those terms. Now, you can edit those terms right from within your search!
As in this photo, the keyword search was for “Constructive Dismissal.” The instances of that phrase in the document are highlighted in blue. Now, if you wanted to add another word or phrase, you can click on the little pencil icon next to the down arrow…
And a box will open, allowing you to type in another word or phrase! Hit enter…Continue reading →
Of the four awards handed out annually by the CCLA, the Carleton Medal is our oldest and most prestigious. This award celebrates someone from our community who has made a significant impact on the profession over the course of their career. The list of recipients of the Carleton Medal is truly impressive – you can check out the full list here.
Carleton Medal – Kenneth Jarvis, R.C.A. (1988)
The history of the Carleton Medal is told with great detail in the book that was written for the 100th anniversary of the CCLA. The Medal was actually struck in that year to mark the centenary, and was designed by Kenneth Jarvis, Q.C., R.C.A. The design was based on the armorial bearings of Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester. Here’s what The First Century has to say:
The main element of his armorial achievement was the broad arrow, and this has been incorporated in the design of the Carleton Medal in two modes; on the obverse it appears in the naturalistic form of the arrowhead plant, a hardy and familiar native of Canadian lakes and streams. In this form it represents growth and vigour, striving upward towards the light, and producing, in due season, fine white blossoms. At the top of the obverse of the medal are the buds of future flowers symbolic of continuing growth. The two plants with their leaves and blooms represent the French and English components of the Association.
The motto, vicimus virtute, may be translated victory through merit and combines the ideas of conflict and the just resolution of it in favour of the more meritorious or deserving. … The motto relates also to Guy Carleton’s motto, quondam his vicimus armis, which may be translated, with these arms of yore we conquered.
(From: William C.V. Johnson, ed, The First Century: Essays on the History of the County of Carleton Law Association by Various Hands on the Occasion of the Association’s Centenary, 1888-1988 (Ottawa: Bonanza Press Ltd., 1988).)
The recipient of this year’s Carleton Medal will be announced in the coming weeks, and will be presented at the CCLA Awards Dinner on March 7.
Find below recently published Ottawa decisions, available for free through CanLII.org.
Family Matters
Boyer v Brown (2017 ONSC 501) child support — evidence — impute income — expenses — motion
Justice L. Sheard
Gibeau v Parker and Rivard (2017 CanLII 2296) costs — table child support — settlement — pay — successful
Justice M. Shelston
Bailliu v Chaloux (2017 ONSC 628) spousal support — costs — offers to settle — lump — child support
Justice A. Doyle
Civil Matters
Walker v Hulse, Playfair and McGarry (2017 ONSC 358) aggravated damages — termination — dismissal — deputy — distress
Justice R. Beaudoin
Soulliere (By his Guardian) v Intact Insurance (2017 ONSC 419) structured portion of the settlement — non-structured portion of the settlement — draft — endorsement — payee
Justice S. Corthorn
One of the things that keeps librarians up at night is something known as link rot (don’t get us even started on “fake news” and information literacy). There was an article highlighting this issue in the NY Times a couple of years ago, but basically, link rot happens when you cite something on the web that ends up moving its URL, changing its form somehow, or being deleted altogether. As the internet grows naturally from its infancy and more things change, it becomes harder and harder to identify sources, and more and more links lead to dead ends.
This is happening in case law and the legal world as well as the scholarly one, and you can understand how this might be important when the footnotes and links are referring to the basis of legal precedent. The Times article identified that in 2013, a study found that 49% of their Supreme Court decisions links no longer worked. There have been a couple initiatives to try and rectify this since then, the largest of which being Perma.cc, which archives and gives permanent links to resources so that they will no longer change.
Today, the Supreme Court of Canada revealed a similar project they have been working on, their depository of Internet Sources Cited in SCC Judgments (1998 – 2016), which contains permanent links to documents referred to in SCC decisions. Here is their news release regarding the service:
January 26, 2017
OTTAWA – Recognizing that web pages or websites that the Court cites in its judgments may subsequently vary in content or be discontinued, the Office of the Registrar of the SCC has located and archived the content of most online sources that had been cited by the Court between 1998 and 2016. These sources were captured with a content as close as possible to the original content cited. Links to the archived content can be found here: Internet Sources Cited in SCC Judgments (1998 – 2016).
From 2017, online internet sources cited in the “Authors Cited” section in SCC judgments will be captured and archived. When a judgment cites such a source, an “archived version” link will be provided to facilitate future research.
An important step forward. Hopefully we will see similar initiatives by other courts to help address this issue.
Below are some of the most recent CPD materials added to the library collection. Each title links to the book record where you can view more details and the full table of contents. All materials are available in print at the library, or if you’re interested in only a couple of articles, feel free to email us a request for a scanned copy.
