Introduction: On Wednesday, June 21, the Law Library of Congress was pleased to host a mock appeal for the Shakespearean character, Shylock, from the Merchant of Venice. Our distinguished panel of judges included United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg . . .  

Introduction: Whether you are at the beach, or playing it safe in the shade of your own favorite library, summer is often a great time to catch up on some good reads. Summer reading isn't just for kids you know! If you're looking for a little inspiration, or just curious about what others are taking in, look no further than our own law librarian's picks for the season. 

Introduction: The legal services sector gained 2,000 jobs in June, according to preliminary, seasonally adjusted numbers from the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Legal services jobs also increased in April and May, the Am Law Daily (sub. req.) reports. Since June 2016, the legal sector has added 10,000 jobs, according to the statistics.

Introduction: Jim Koenig thinks that law firms need to adopt comprehensive information security programs and train their employees to become better versed in handling the fallout of a cyber attack. Perhaps there's no clearer reminder of this than last month's global malware attack, which, along with a number of global companies, hit DLA Piper and forced the firm to shut down its networks, including email. In light of such cyber threats, Koenig, who co-chairs the cyber practice at Fenwick & West, said that firms and companies alike should take a look at the information they store and ask whether they need to keep it.

Introduction: Tehama County [California] Supervisors approved by consensus Tuesday moving the county's law library to the new Tehama County Library site when it opens on Diamond Avenue, anticipated to be in August. The law library had previously been considered for the annex next to the former Tehama County Superior Courthouse. The county is in the process of purchasing the annex.

Introduction: " As Elites Switch to Texting, Watchdogs Fear Loss of Accountability", says a headline in today's New York Times. The story describes a rising concern among rule enforcers and compliance officers: 'Secure messaging apps like WhatsApp, Signal and Confide are making inroads among lawmakers, corporate executives, and other prominent communicators. Spooked by surveillance and wary of being exposed by hackers, they are switching from phone calls and emails to apps that allow them to send encrypted and self-destructing texts. These apps have obvious benefits, but their use is causing problems in heavily regulated industries, where careful record-keeping is standard procedure.' Among those "industries" is the government, where laws often require that officials' work-related communications be retained, archived, and available to the public under the Freedom of Information Act. The move to secure messaging apps frustrates these goals.

Excerpt: Sunlight Foundation Deputy Director Alex Howard said that while "the amount of progress in the last five years is breathtaking," there's still much work to be done. "We have not arrived at the holy grail of public understanding for a given bill, where text can be compared against the changes it makes to the U.S. code, the law that it shifts with a plain-language analysis or summary for what it will mean," he said. OpenGov Foundation Executive Director Seamus Kraft praised the foundation laid by the legislative bulk data task force, but added that the information currently available on Congress.gov is "far from sufficient."

Excerpt: In recent years, archivists, historians, and librarians have been asked to curate the aftermath of catastrophes: school massacres, a nightclub siege, a bombing, a rampage during a Bible study. The ease and speed with which the sprawling memorials appear belie the years of work that almost always follow. "Communities that get hit with one of these unexpected events, they have no idea of what to do with this unexpected material," said Sylvia Grider, an anthropologist who oversaw curation at Texas A&M University after a dozen people were killed in a bonfire collapse in 1999. "Every community has got a different set of problems that have to be resolved, and it's hard. It's terrible."

Introduction: The Denver Police Department has begun patrolling the Central Library, amid a spike in drug use and illegal activity that has been the focus of heightened scrutiny in recent months. Library officials are crediting the increased police presence and other safety measures with a significant decrease in illegal activity this summer. The downtown library has also added cameras, increased waste clean-up around the building and stocked overdose kits on site to treat patrons.

Excerpt: Had I thought that either of these professors might have tweeted or shared information about me (even anonymously) on some other social media platform, I would never have approached them in the first place. I approached these two professors because I trusted them. I find the idea of my professors complaining about me mortifying. But that's the world we seem to live in these days; a world where instructors take to social media to blow off steam about their students for infractions big and small or to share the funny things they say or requests they make. I call it "Dear Student" culture, for the truly awful blog that was a part of the Chronicle of Higher Ed for a while. 

Introduction: It's always better to assume that whoever you're emailing has more important things to do than reply to your message.

Excerpt: Dr. Sean Young is a medical school professor at UCLA who studies behavior change and he's helped people build good eating, sleeping and exercising habits. He sums up his work in the new book Stick with It: A Scientifically Proven Process for Changing Your Life-for Good. So what can we learn from Sean? Let's get to it...