No More FOMO: The Library Latest

Yes, yes, we know. FOMO, or "fear of missing out," is a term more frequently applied to social gatherings than to scholarship. But when you are researching a seminar paper, conducting a preemption check for your journal note, or even simply looking for something good to read, you don’t want to miss the latest or greatest resources. Fortunately, you have easy ways to keep up with the latest developments in the Goodson Law Library and on your research topics.

New Library Acquisitions: The Advanced Search of the Duke Libraries Catalog includes a tab to Browse New Titles. You can view recently-added items in the Law Library or other campus libraries within the last week, month, or three months. If you really want to preview the latest, you can also choose to view titles that are currently "On Order" for a particular library. (Note that in catalog search results, you can also change the default sorting option from "Relevance" to "Pub date (newest)" to view the most recent results for any search.)

Trial Databases: The Duke University Libraries often provide access to subscription database trials, which can be viewed at the link under More Research Databases. You can test out current campus-wide trials and leave feedback to help make purchasing decisions about particular databases. (On the Law Library's Legal Databases & Links page, the most recent additions are marked with an orange N.)

Journal Tables of Contents: The Legal Databases & Links page also includes a link to the weekly Current Index to Legal Periodicals (also available through Westlaw). CILP provides a weekly update to the latest law journal tables of contents, organized by subject area. Links are provided to the articles on Lexis Advance and Westlaw. (You can also set up search alerts for specific journals or subject areas within Lexis Advance, Westlaw, Bloomberg Law, or other databases.)

Topical Newsletters: A bit more practical in focus than academic journals, newsletters can be great sources of information about the latest case law, legislation, and other legal developments. Sign up for subjects of interest at Bloomberg BNA (or Bloomberg Law) or Law360.com (or via Lexis Advance) to receive regular email updates in your selected topical areas.

For help with using any of these time-saving research techniques, be sure to Ask a Librarian.