The Goodson Blogson

As the fall semester draws to a close, study space is at a premium in the Goodson Law Library! Here is a travel guide to the best places to study in the library, both well-known and off the beaten path. FOR GROUPS 1st Place: Private study rooms (Level 2): If the sign-up sheet at the Circulation Desk is any indication, our top pick for group study is no secret to the Duke Law community. Our eight private study rooms on Level 2 are already immensely popular with groups (FYI, individuals are allowed to sign up as well). You may reserve a four-hour block of time in one of the eight study rooms up to 24 hours in advance. 2nd Place: The Reading Room (Level 3): It might be hard to believe now, but prior to the Law School’s renovation, the Reading Room was constantly abuzz with conversation. Library policy always permitted talking in the Reading Room and Level 4, while Levels 2 and 1 were designated as official quiet study spaces. Although you can occasionally hear a pin drop in the new Readi...

We are pleased to announce the winner of the Rename DULL News contest, prompted by our recent name change from “Duke University Law Library” to the “J. Michael Goodson Law Library”. Nearly 20 individuals from the Duke Law community submitted more than 45 (!) possible blog names. The selection committee reviewed all entries, and awarded the grand prize to 2L Kyle Kelly for her suggested title, “ The Goodson Blogson ”. The new name will debut on the library site beginning Monday, December 1. Kyle wins a decorative serving tray packed with goodies to help her survive exam season, from study essentials (highlighters, earplugs, a mini-stapler) to sustenance (trail mix, Red Bull, microwave popcorn—to be enjoyed outside of the library, of course), to pleasant diversions (a travel edition of Scattergories, a Starbucks gift card), and more. Congratulations to Kyle, and to all of the other entrants (each of whom will receive a special gift for their participation)! We truly do appreciate the ou...

Papers are due; exams are looming. If you start to stress, take a sanity break with the Goodson Law Library's new collection of law-related feature films on DVD! The collection includes the ABA Journal's list of 25 Greatest Legal Movies (and honorable mentions), and we are planning to expand it with your help (submit your suggestions to Lauren M. Collins, collins@law.duke.edu ). Available feature film DVDs are displayed on Level 3, next to the James D. Cox Legal Fiction Collection. Bring the empty case to the Circulation Desk to receive the disc. (Note that the library also owns a number of nonfiction, or documentary, DVDs which are shelved by call number with the General Collection; to view a full list of DVDs available in the Goodson Law Library, click here .) Law Library DVDs may be borrowed for 3 days at a time. If you need a non-legal movie break, you might take a trip to the Perkins Library (on West Campus) or Lilly Library (on East Campus), which both offer a display o...

The Goodson Law Library will operate under reduced service hours in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. Wed., Nov. 26: Library closes at 5 p.m. Thu.-Sat., Nov. 27-29: Library closed Sun., Nov. 30: Regular hours resume During the break, the Duke Law Community will retain 24-hour access to the Law School and Goodson Law Library with a current DukeCard.

For many years, the library has received the official Laws of Hong Kong in a 43-volume looseleaf set (KNR1.9 1991). As is often the case with printed looseleafs, the index volume provides only limited options for locating ordinances on a particular topic. Additionally, updates were often delayed due to lengthy shipping times from Asia. After consulting with colleagues at Hong Kong University, the Goodson Law Library has decided to transition from use of the printed looseleaf to two unofficial but highly reliable web versions: Bilingual Laws Information System (BLIS) from the Hong Kong Department of Justice ( http://www.legislation.gov.hk/eng/home.htm ) and the Hong Kong Legal Information Institute (HKLII) ( http://www.hklii.hk/hk/legis/en/ord/ ), from the University of Hong Kong. Both services offer increased search options, although HKLII often lags one week behind BLIS for the most current updates. Interested in historic research? Hong Kong University has also digitized Historical ...

If the phrases "most cited" or "impact factor" immediately catch your attention, you are not alone. Citation analysis (in which the influence of a particular publication is measured by how many subsequent publications have cited to it) remains a fashionable method for determining the influence of a particular law review article or legal journal. Although many scholars question the validity of such studies, their popularity endures. Of course, you can always use Shepard’s and KeyCite to gauge the scholarly impact of a particular law review article citation, at least for articles published after 1980 (the cutoff date in Lexis and Westlaw for the full text of most law journals). For more historic legal articles, researchers might locate some citation metrics in the Social Sciences Citation Index on Web of Science ( http://library.duke.edu/metasearch/db/id/DUK01574 ), although their coverage extends back to only 1956 and includes only selected law reviews. Fortunatel...

Since 1978, the Duke Law School’s library newsletter has published under the tongue-in-cheek title "D.U.L.L. News". Although the monthly print publication evolved into a blog in 2006, the name remained as long as we were called the "Duke University Law Library". However, the recent rechristening of the J. Michael Goodson Law Library has left D.U.L.L. News in flux (it's temporary called "News & Announcements", which is even duller than D.U.L.L.). As our new acronym doesn’t lend itself well to a snappy blog title, we turn to the Duke Law community for assistance, and offer the promise of lasting fame and a fabulous prize. Can you help us rename D.U.L.L. News? Contest Rules: Contest is open to entry only by current Duke Law School students, faculty, and staff. The winning blog name must not be in use by any other law libraries (see a list at http://library.law.wisc.edu/wisblawg/blogslistpublic.htm [link not working? try an archive version ]), or oth...