Archive for 2011 (279 posts)

Southeast Asia to Washington, DC – Pic of the Week

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I am often asked how the Law Library acquires so much foreign material.  While we have DC-based staff members who work with foreign book dealers and publishers, the Library of Congress also has six overseas offices which acquire, catalog, and preserve library materials from countries where it has been more difficult to obtain such items through conventional methods.

This week’s Pic of the Week is from our field office in Jakarta.  This office acquires library materials in all subjects from Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam and has satellite offices in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Manila.  The pic shows recent acquisitions of law titles being readied for shipment to Washington, DC.

A State Mandated Christmas Bonus

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As the holiday season reaches its zenith, I would like to highlight the fact that countries throughout the world that celebrate Christmas have issued a number of holiday related laws and regulations touching on an array of topics, such as toys, Christmas trees, pardons for criminals, and business operations, among others; my favorite among these is the seasonal bonus. Mexico provides an illuminating example.  …

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An Interview with Pam Russell, Legislative Counsel

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This week’s interview is with Pam Russell, Legislative Counsel in our Congressional Relations Office.  I’ve enjoyed working with Pam on a number of occasions.  She often accompanies the THOMAS team when we brief House and Senate staffers on updates to THOMAS.  Pam is another example of an attorney in the Library of Congress that works outside the Law …

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John Selden As An Early Modern Maccabee

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We are in the midst of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. Often known as “the Festival of Lights” in reference to the basic feature of its observance – the lighting of the eight-branched candelabra – Hanukkah commemorates the events surrounding the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem after a period of political oppression and forced …

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From the Law Librarian of Congress

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The following is a guest post by Roberta I. Shaffer, Law Librarian of Congress. Roberta has posted to the blog on multiple occasions including: Happy Old Year, The Law Library of Congress Strategic Plan Released, and My Trip to the Future. Another year has passed and I am pleased once again to send you great cheer and …

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The UFO Files

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Despite a line that I once heard in a movie that the United States is the only country in which unidentified flying objects (UFOs) are sighted, the United Kingdom appears to have its fair share of unexplained phenomena across its skies too.  The UK’s National Archives has published an extensive array of documents of sightings and policy …

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Russian Legal Analysts Visit the Law Library of Congress

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The Law Library of Congress recently hosted a group of legal analysts from a Moscow based non-government organization called the “Consulting and Legal Protection of People.” According to its director, Svetlana Boshno, the organization coordinates its activities with the Russian State Civil Service Academy under the Russian Federation President and works with members and staff of …

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A Series of Tubes – Pic of the Week

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The following is a guest post by Margaret Wood, Legal Reference Specialist in our Public Services Division.  Margaret has previously posted on the debt ceiling, Law Day, our Reading Room, and the changeover between Congresses. This week we decided to treat you to photographs of the Law Library Reading Room’s pneumatic tubes and the pneumatic tube system.  …

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Bacon and the Law: Findings from our Records and Briefs

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The following is a guest post by Betty Lupinacci, Lead Technician for Legal Processing Workflow Resolution One of the many ongoing projects in the Collection Services Division of the Law Library of Congress involves the Records & Briefs of the United States Circuit Courts of Appeals.  This material, dating back to the early 1900′s, is being …

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