Blog Archive: 2010

12 Ways Libraries Are Good for the Country

American Libraries (the Magazine of the American Library Association) has a new article entitled 12 Ways Libraries Are Good for the Country. "To library supporters everywhere...American Libraries magazine offers this gift of 12 ideals toward which librarians strive as they provide comprehensive access to the record of human existence. It will take all of us, in a spirit of pride and freedom, to maintain libraries as a living reality in a free nation through the 21st century."

New Civil Rights Bibliography

The UNC Center for Civil Rights recently hosted a conference, "The Unfinished Work": Advancing New Strategies in the Struggle for Civil Rights, to honor the work of Carolina Law Professor Julius L. Chambers. In connection with this event, the Law Library provided an annotated bibliography of selected books, articles and essays written by leading civil rights advocates who participated in the conference's workshops.

Donate @ Your Library

Want to do good for the holidays? The law library invites you to donate to 2 great community causes, feeding the body and the mind. Separate donation boxes near the library entrance invite gifts of food to struggling families and books to children in UNC's pediatric oncology clinic.

New North Carolina Digital Preservation Website

The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources' State Library and State Archives have created a new website to guide local and state government employees responsible for the preservation of North Carolina's public record.  The site, Digital Preservation Education for NC State Government Employees, provides specific preservation information for North Carolina government employees as well as helpful resources for anyone interested in digital information preservation.

A New Way to Search for Government information

The Government Publications Office (GPO) has launched a new federated search engine that searches multiple U.S. Federal government databases all at the same time. The new search engine is called MetaLib and retrieves reports, articles, and other citations and provides direct links to resources that are available online.

Open Access Week

Open Access Week is October 18-24. This global event, now in its 4th year, promotes Open Access as a new norm in scholarship and research. UNC is hosting several events designed to raise awareness of open access at UNC and to assist researchers who wish to publish in open access venues. Visit the UNC Libraries website for a calendar of UNC events and more information on Open Access Week events throughout the Triangle.

Problems with Wireless

We are seeing an issue with connectivity from 802.11n clients (802.11 a/b/g - pre-n - are fine) to about 15% of UNC campus wireless access points using the UNC-1/WEP SSID. If you find that you are unable to connect to wireless in an area where you could before with UNC-1, there are two options: (1) disable 802.11n mode (should be in your adapter's properties setup) or (2) configure your machine for UNC-Secure (per help.unc.edu). Either of those workarounds should work.

The Campus IT are working with the vendor on this issue but have no expected time of resolution at this point.

The Roberts Court

The New York Times has a new series called "The Roberts Court." Articles in this occasional series explore the inner workings of the current Supreme Court and the little-understood forces that influence it. The third article, entitled "New Breed of Lawyers Races to Argue Before the Supreme Court," focuses on attorneys and law school clinics specializing in Supreme Court practice.

Free N.C. Constitution iPhone App

To commemorate Constitution Day, the North Carolina Institute for Constitutional Law has released a new iPhone app that puts the entire NC constitution into the palm of your hand. The free app is available at iTunes.

Supreme Court Virtual Tour

Monday, October 4th began a new term of the United States Supreme Court.  With a new justice and a new calendar of cases to consider, it is an exciting time.  Even if you can't be there in person, you can experience the court vicariously, including a virtual tour of the courtroom and some of the justices' chambers (http://www.oyez.org/tour/).  And of course, you can hear oral arguments and read transcripts of cases heard as they are posted (http://www.oyez.org).

To get information on the cases being heard and considered this term, visit the Court's website (http://www.supremecourt.gov) or Oyez (www.oyez.org).