The New York Times recently featured an article on the new web-based Civics lesson being prepared by the Law Center, in conjunction with former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and Arizona State University.

The "Our Courts" Project was created to help those seeking to address the evident crisis in civics education. It will be an interactive,  problem-based Civics curriculum designed for the middle school environment. While not completely interactive as yet, it currently contains numerous links offering key definitions, discussion on the branches of government and structure of the courts.

In the article, Justice O'Connor said that most citizens know very little about their government. "Two-thirds of Americans know at least one of the judges on the Fox TV show American Idol, but less than 1 in 10 can name the chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, she said."

During the Spring 2008 semester, the Law Library conducted a survey asking students to comment on various aspects of the library.  740 students responded, providing more than 1,500 separate responses. The Library is reviewing all feedback, and we plan to publish a detailed response during the summer. For now, we've posted several charts summarizing the results. View 2008 Survey Results on our website here.

One of the more interesting results from the survey is a list of reasons people come to our library.  The top reason is to study in a queit environment, followed by conducting research.  Beyond that, it's nice to know that people continue to use the library for more traditional uses, such as checking out books and getting reference assistance.

The TaxProf Blog has posted a list of law school commencement speakers for 2008.

Georgetown traditionally announces the speaker a few weeks before the ceremony. See the announcements for 2007 (Nina Totenberg), 2006 (John Roberts) and 2005 (Lee Hamilton).

1993 Georgetown Law graduate Min Jin Lee will read from and sign copies of her debut novel, Free Food for Millionaires, this Friday, April 18th at Olsson's Books and Records in Dupont Circle at 7 pm.  A synopsis of the story and additional information. The book can be found in the Library's Popular Reading Collection housed in the Loewinger Lounge.

The Law Library of Congress will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Law Day on May 1st with a panel discussion entitled, "The Rule of Law in Established and Emerging Countries." Georgetown Law Professor Jane Stromseth will be one of the panelists. 

Law Day is a celebration of the appreciation of U.S. liberties and loyalty to the country, as well as a "rededication to the ideals of equality and justice under law with each other and with other countries." 36 U.S.C. 113 (2000).

Here's a list of other commemorative observances you may not know about.

I was pleasantly surprised to see not one, but two, articles featuring Georgetown University Law Center in my April issue of the Washingtonian Magazine. The first article highlights Prof. Lisa Heinzerling as one of the 30 "Green Powers" in the DC area for her work on the Supreme Court case, Massachusetts vs. EPA. The second article features the photographer who recently created the panoramic photos of the Law Center featured on the GULC website.

So, when I wanted to share these articles with a colleague, I checked the magazine's website and found out that the current month's articles are not electronically available. I then went to our E-Journal Finder to see if the articles were available through some other online source. While E-Journal Finder indicated that the Washingtonian Magazine was available on both Lexis and Westlaw, a search of these resources found that the April 2008 issue was not yet available.

Many magazines, such as the Washingtonian, embargo their material so that online resources don't take away from their print circulation. So, if you have a minute, check out the April 2008 issue of the Washingtonian, kept in the Loewinger Lounge or on Reserve at the Circulation Desk in the Williams Library and remember that not everything is available online.

The Law Library is currently conducting a survey of all Georgetown law students to get feedback on our services and materials.  We're also looking for feedback on our facilities and a few other library-related items.  Take the 2008 Law Library Survey here.

One lucky student completing the survey will win a free Apple iPod touch (8 GB).  We promise to read every comment submitted, and we'll do what we can to act on and respond to your feedback.  We'll keep the survey open through April 6 and select the winner of the Apple iPod touch the following week. Don't put off taking the survey until the last minute.  It should only take a few minutes to complete.

Here's a summary of last year's survey, together with our narrative responses.

The Board of Directors of the Consortium for the National Equal Justice Library and Georgetown University Law Center are hosting a symposium and celebration of the National Equal Justice Library's (NEJL) arrival at Georgetown Law and the Library's acceptance of the Gary Bellow Papers.  The symposium will be held Tuesday, March 25 from 1:30-4:30 on the 12th floor of Gewirz.  The program, Gideon and Katrina: Legal Aid and Defender Programs at a Crossroads will explore the criminal and civil aspects of Gideon and the civil legal aid response to Hurricane Katrina.  Speakers include: Martha Bergmark (Mississippi Center for Justice), Helaine Barnett (Legal Services Corporation), Jo-Ann Wallace (National Legal Aid and Defenders Association), Jonathan Smith (Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia), Esther Lardent (Pro Bono Institute), Norman Lefstein (Indiana School of Law), Ab Currie (Department of Justice, Canada), Janell Smith (Student Hurricane Network) and Peter Edelman (Georgetown Law). 

An event honoring the NEJL at Georgetown, donation of the Bellow Papers and presentation of the Edgar and Jean Cahn Awards will take place in Gewirz from 4:30-6.  A reception will follow from 6-8 in the Faculty Dining Room in Hotung. 

The Washington Affairs Office (WAO) of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) just launched their Washington Blawg as a way to keep law librarians and the general public better informed about government activities relating to government information, copyright, digital authentication and open government issues.  The Washington Affairs Office is located here at Georgetown Law Library, where they've had a presence for nearly two decades.

Initial posts to the Washington Blawg include information about AALL activities during Sunshine Week as well as an update on legislative action involving amendments to the Presidential Records Act. This looks like a great new development, and a perfect way to keep informed about legislative, judicial and regulatory activities that matter to lawyers, law schools and law librarians alike.

Georgetown Law Library is currently seeking applications for a new director. See our posting for Director of the Law Library to see the listing.