Articling Student Library Tours – Update

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By Jennifer Walker

The CCLA Library staff will be offering additional tours of our collection on the following dates. Please RSVP with Reference Librarian Katie Tribe for any of the tours listed below. Tours typically last approximately 20 minutes.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010 – 10:30 am, 2:30 pm
Thursday, August 5, 2010 – 10:30 am, 2:30 pm
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 – 10:30 am, 2:30 pm
Thursday, August 12, 2010 – 10:30 am, 2:30 pm
Tuesday, August 17, 2010 – 10:30 am, 2:30 pm
Thursday, August 19, 2010 – 10:30 am, 2:30 pm

New Titles – July 2010

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By Jennifer Walker

With the summer months comes a slow down in Continuing Legal Education events. As such, we didn’t receive any new CLE binders this month. Where we’re lacking in new CLE, however, we have tonnes of new text books and annuals. For a neat little article on why on earth we’ve just received the 2011 version of the Ontario Practice when it’s only July, check out this entry from Gary P. Rodrigues at Slaw.ca.

Cool New Westlaw Updates

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by Katie Tribe

As mentioned in past posts, at the library we spend a considerable amount of time helping people locate cases. Through time and repetitive use, we really get to know some of the nooks and crannies of our electronic database (think Quicklaw, Westlaw, Criminal Spectrum, O’Brien’s), and notice and appreciate when subtle changes are made that make searching swifter and more effective. One of our products, Westlaw Canada, has created a few new features over the past month or so that are really making us happy. Here’s a list so that you can start noticing and taking advantage of them as well!

1. Displaying the citation frequency of cases

Everyone knows the pain of having to browse through a large number of search results to find one powerful case. Westlaw recently made it easier to identify significant cases by displaying the amount of times the case has been judicially considered in the search results. When browsing the results, you’ll now see a note in brackets at the bottom of the case summary that states how many times the case has been considered, making it easy to determine its precidential value. The citation frequency is also listed after cases that show up in the citation list when you note up a case.

Westlaw also now allows you to limit your searches to cases that have been judicially considered. In the same way that you can limit cases by jurisdiction, timeline, and decision type, you’ll now find a drop down menu for citation frequency on the search screen. Pretty awesome!

2. Rules Concordance

I’m not sure how long this feature has been around, but it’s one that we’ve noticed and taken advantage of recently because a client was trying to locate an equivalent family law rule in a different jurisdiction. You’ll find the Rules Concordance in the “Browse Table of Contents” section of the main Westlaw page. It’s organized by subject areas that you can browse by expanding folders, much like other Westlaw Products such as the Canadian Encyclopedic Digest (CED). Browse through the subject areas to find a complete list of rules related to your subject, separated by jurisdiction. Of course, the list includes hyperlinks that will take you to the full text of the rule you’re interested in.

3. ResultsPlus

Another new feature, ResultsPlus, suggests related analytical material (think links to secondary sources like the CED) next to your search results. If you view your search results in full screen mode, you’ll see ResultsPlus to the right of your search results. If you’re not in full screen mode, you can access it by clicking the tiny arrow in the upper right hand corner of your screen. When you are viewing an individual case, the ResultsPlus information will be listed under the “Related Info” tab on the left side of your screen. To refresh your memory, the Related Info tab is also where you’ll find links to the history of the case and any citing references. I haven’t used the ResultsPlus feature yet, but will definitely be checking it out, as I often find the best cases when using tools like the CED.

4. “Related Terms” and “Did you mean…?”

In a step towards the style of the powerful search engines we use on a daily basis (I’m obviously referring to Google here) Westlaw has added features that suggest related terms and notice spelling errors when you type in a search. If you are using search terms to find cases, you’ll now find a related terms box at the top of your full screen results page, listing related terminology that Westlaw will easily add to your search with a simple click. The related terms box will also show up on the main search page when you edit your search. Like Google, Westlaw will also now notice your spelling errors and suggest a different word at the top of your results list.

In life and in researching, it really is the little things that make the biggest difference. Thanks to Westlaw for making things a little bit easier for us with these new features; we hope that you’ll check them out! As always, if you need help locating or using these new tools and features, please don’t hesitate to ask us for help.

Library Tip #001: Photocopies

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By Jennifer Walker

We’ve decided to start a new series here on the blog, that of tips for using the library. While photocopies don’t necessarily seem like the most interesting or exciting place to start (and it isn’t!), it seems like the appropriate point to begin with, in light of that pesky HST business.

Regular users of our library and photocopiers will notice a small increase in photocopy charges this week – now $0.40 a page. We’re not thrilled about the increase either, I promise!

In light of that price increase, and also to let you in on something that can make using the library even better, here’s Library Tip #001: buy a photocopy card! Or better yet – your membership card is also a photocopy card. Here’s how this works: you need a photocopy card to make the photocopiers work. The machines sit there idling until a card is inserted. Most people borrow one from us, but if you have your own card, you don’t need to ask us for one and if you’re a member, you can use it on the weekend or at night when we aren’t here. To help save you some cash, we’ve created discount photocopy rates – the more you buy in advance to put on your membership card (or a normal photocopy card), the more you save per copy. It also means you don’t have to check in with us before you leave to pay or create an invoice. You can peruse those rates here.

We have to note this, though, so you’re forewarned: if you use your own copy card, we can’t make an invoice for a specific client file. For some folks, this will be a problem based on how you do your billing. If, however, you don’t need that level of specificity in your photocopying, having your own card is definitely the way to go.

New Titles – June 2010

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By Jennifer Walker

There’s been a bit of a book buying spree this month, which means a bunch of really neat new titles are making their way into the library. You’ll notice that this month I’ve linked the title to the publisher’s page, or in the case of the CLE materials, to the table of contents (when available). It will give you a bit more information about the book, should you want to preview the title before coming to the library.

Texts


Continuing Legal Education

Green Library News

Posted on by ktribe

If you’ve been by the library in the last couple of months, you’ve likely noticed all the development taking place to install a new green roof at the courthouse! The CCLA Library staff is a fairly environmentally-minded bunch (our front desk area may be a tad reminiscent of a greenhouse) and so we were pretty excited when the news was first announced. Lately, contractors have been walking around outside our windows working on the roof, and we’ve been able to track their progress. So far, there’s just been a whole lot of digging and moving around of concrete slabs, but we’re hoping the roof will be green and growing before the end of the summer. To quench some of the anticipation, I’ve been doing a little bit of research into some of the benefits of green roofs. Apparently they do nifty things like:

–  extend roof life by providing structural protection; green roofs last about twice as long as conventional roofs!

–  reduce heating and cooling costs; just imagine the difference between the temperature of your driveway and the temperature of your lawn on a summer day

–  provide sound insulation, reducing noise; certainly ideal for a library

–  create a beautiful aesthetic space while improving employee and client morale; many green roofs can also be used for meeting and recreational purposes

–  raise the profile and property value of a building in the community

–  assist in storm water retention and management

–  expand and promote green space while reducing dust and smog in the environment

–  provide a natural habitat for wildlife in urban areas

–  provide opportunities to grow flowers, plants, and food

Green roofs and green building design have really been catching on in North America in the last decade or so, and they’re already very common in many European countries. Did you know that Toronto recently created a green roof by-law that makes green roofs required on new buildings? While we’re not quite there yet, it’s wonderful to see some change happening here in Ottawa, as well.

All of the above benefits are certainly grounds for excitement. However, the really big news for both the library staff, and you, our library users, is that one of the large green roof sections is directly outside of the main library window. This means that we’ll all be able to gaze out onto the green roof while reading or working in the library!

These changes have really inspired me to look into other ways that we can make the library more green. I’ll keep you posted, on the roof and any of our own progress. For now, I’m just really happy to be working in a building that is a leader in Ottawa’s green movement.

If you’d like to learn more about green roofs, check out http://greenroofs.org.

New Titles – May 2010

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By Jennifer Walker

Here’s a list of some new titles we’ve acquired at the library in the last month. Again – lots of CLE materials from around the province!

Continuing Legal Education

  • 15th Biennial National Conference: New Developments in Communications Law and Policy (LSUC)
  • The Six-Minute Criminal Defence Lawyer 2010 (LSUC)
  • Pre-Trial Motions for Counsel New to Civil Litigation (LSUC)
  • 7th Annual Real Estate Law Summit (LSUC)
  • The Six-Minute Municipal Lawyer 2010 (LSUC)
  • 5th Annual Solo and Small Firm Conference and Expo (LSUC)
  • The 5th Annual Current Issues in Commercial Litigation Seminar (Hamilton Law Association)
  • 7th Annual Emerging Issues in Employment Law (Hamilton Law Association)
  • The 10th Annual Advocacy Conference (Hamilton Law Association)
  • The 8th Annual Estates and Trusts Seminar (Hamilton Law Association)

Texts

  • Electronic Evidence and E-Discovery (LexisNexis)
  • Portable Tax Court Practice, Act and Rules 2010 (Carswell)
  • Understanding All Impaired Driving Devices (Carswell)
  • Ontario Assessment Legislation 2010 (Canada Law Book)

2010 Family Law Conference Papers

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by Katie Tribe

Just a note to inform you that Amanda recently uploaded all the papers from the CCLA’s 19th Annual Institute of Family Law Conference to our Conference Paper Database. Have you checked out the database yet? It contains digital copies of conference papers and materials from the CCLA’s four cornerstone conferences: Civil Litigation, Criminal Law, Family Law, and Solicitors. The papers go as far back as 2001. An awesome thing about the database (other than offering free, downloadable papers, of course!) is that it contains complete and detailed records, and is user-friendly and searchable. This means that you can locate a paper by conference, year, title, author, or subject. No more leafing through multiple giant binders to find the paper you need! Conference materials are also amazing resources when researching a unique, emerging, or very specific topic.

On a related note, in case you haven’t heard, the CCLA recently announced that law students and paralegals can now become members of the CCLA! Check out the announcement here. This news is very relevant to the Conference Paper Database since it is accessible to CCLA members only; to search the database and download the papers, you must log in using your membership log-in name and ID. If you are a member and aren’t sure about your log-in name or ID, please get in touch with us! We can help you out. If you’d like to become a lawyer, student, or paralegal member of the CCLA, you can join right on our website.

We hope you’ll take some time to check out the Conference Paper Database! You can find it here, under the Library tab on the website.

CCLA Library Tours for Students

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By Jennifer Walker

Every summer, we like to invite all the new Summer and Articling students in Ottawa to the CCLA library for a tour. We try to let all the firms and sole practitioners know, so they can set that up, but if you’re a student and are reading this, please feel free to book yourself for a tour! Our tours last about 15 to 20 minutes, and of course, are right here in the library at Courthouse at 161 Elgin Street.

This year, we have some really exciting news for students that we’re pleased to share: we now have a “Student” membership category! Previously, students were not eligible to be members, and so could not take advantage of any of the member perks. This new category will let students have all the benefits other members do, including the after-hours access to the CCLA Library, but for a pretty great reduced price. Without membership, access to the library will be limited to our normal business hours – Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.

We have scheduled tours for the following times – if you would like to schedule your students, or yourself, for a tour, please RSVP by email to Katie Tribe.

May
Thursday, May 6, 2010 – 10:30 am
Thursday, May 13, 2010 – 10:30 am
Monday, May 17, 2010 – 10:30am, 2:00 pm
Thursday, May 20, 2010 – 10:30 am, 2:00 pm
Wednesday, May 26, 2010 – 10:30 am, 2:00 pm

June
Wednesday, June 2, 2010 – 10:30 am
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 – 10:30 am

August
Tuesday, August 24, 2010 – 10:30 am
Thursday, August 26, 2010 – 10:30 am
Tuesday, August 31, 2010 – 10:30 am

September
Thursday, September 2, 2010 – 10:30 am
Wednesday, September 8, 2010 – 10:30 am, 2:00 pm
Friday, September 10, 2010 – 10:30 am, 2:00 pm
Monday, September 13, 2010 – 10:30 am, 2:00 pm
Wednesday, September 15, 2010 – 10:30 am, 2:00 pm
Friday, September 17, 2010 – 10:30 am, 2:00 pm
Wednesday, September 22, 2010 – 10:30 am
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 – 2:00 pm

If none of these sessions will work, just let Katie know – we can always schedule another tour time!

New Titles – April 2010

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By Jennifer Walker

Here’s a roundup of some new titles we have received at the library. Next month, Katie and I will be attending the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL) conference in Windsor, Ontario, where we will be checking out a lot of the new titles from all of the major publishers. We’re sure to come back with a lengthy list of “Must Haves” for the library, so stay tuned!

  • Ontario Municipal Legislation 2010 (Canada Law Book)
  • The Mystery of Hearsay, by Gordon Cudmore (Carswell)
  • The Condominium Act: A User’s Manual – 3rd Edition, Ontario 2010 (Carswell)
  • Wrongful Dismissal Handbook, 5th Edition (Carswell)

For CLE titles, we have two new items in the library, both in the area of family law:

  • Family Law – The Voice of the Child (LSUC)
  • 19th Annual Institute of Family Law 2010 (CCLA)

As you’ll notice, the last item on that list is a CLE from our own association. Our Family Law conference was held last Friday, and in case you missed it or didn’t get a set of materials of your very own, we have the entire collection of papers presented here at the library.