Another Semester

This last week was the first of the Fall semester. My classes are Legal Research and Introduction to Psychology. The psych class is a general education requirement for the associate degree. It looks to be the more challenging of the two.

There are quite a few people in my Legal Research class. I'm hoping that there will be some interesting discussions. The course is taught by a certified paralegal with a masters. I had no idea there were graduate degrees for paralegals (George Washington offers a Masters in Paralegal Studies.)

My mi leage is over 40 per week now. I should peak somewhere around 45 and then taper for the Chicago Marathon on 10/10/10. I'm really looking forward to this exciting event.

Summer Classes Finished

I've finished the first two classes in my Paralegal Studies program. They've both already been useful in my job as a public librarian in a department with a sizable law collection.

The most enjoyable aspect of the last term was when the lawyer-instructor for my Introduction to Paralegal Studies class talked about her personal experience with the law. The material really came alive at those moments.

Next semester I will be taking Legal Research and Writing. It should be especially useful for work.

Oh, I also discovered I qualified for the "B" starting corral for the Chicago Marathon this fall using my time from the Carrollton Festival of Races.

Interesting Project

There is an article on the WSJ about a new project that is a partnership between some libraries and the Internet Archive to e-loan books that are no longer in print. Through the Open Library Web site, users can check out the e-version. The print version becomes unavailable for check-out while its e-book copy is circulating.

The e-version is automatically returned after two weeks (the license expires) so there are no overdue fines to worry about:

"If a desired book is a commercially available book, then the user is directed to a page on overdrive.com where they can borrow it from their local library using their library card. If the book can be provided without restriction, then it is offered in a variety of formats for laptops and mobile devices. If the book is not commercially available and no one else has checked out the book, then the user can borrow it for a 2 week period." (Internet Archive announcement)

Lots of Reading

Five chapters to read this week from my two classes:

• Torts and Privacy;
• Warranties, Product Liability, and Consumer Protection;
• Agency and Employment;
• Wills, Trusts, and Probate;
• Contract, Real Property, Intellectual Property, and Employment Law.

There is significant overlap between the two classes and both are focused on giving a broad survey of their subjects. This is both tedious and helpful in that it reinforces the material.

I've been staying up later than I should in an attempt to fit in side work for the Digital Humanities Quarterly and play time with my new iPhone 4. I'd like to keep learning Objective-C and Cocoa, but there just aren't enough hours in the day right now.

Business Law

I just finished the first week of my Business Law class. It's more enjoyable to take these both at the same time. There have been several times when doing classwork that I think of something from the other course. It adds a bit more depth at the same time making both classes more interesting.

Completed an initial draft of my first case brief. The case is Employment Div. v. Smith, 494 U.S. 872 (1990) and deals with whether there is a religious exemption for sacramental peyote use from controlled substance laws. According to SCOTUS, while the State may legislate an exception, it is not required to do so under their reading of the Free Exercise Clause.

I really enjoyed using SCOTUS' Web site, Oyez, to listen to the reading of the majority opinion of my case. It has some nice features, including a searchable written transcript that you can follow along with while listening.

In School Again

I've started working on a degree in Paralegal Studies from the local community college. My plan is to take two courses per semester. The hope is that what I learn will help me better serve the many patrons who come to my department looking for legal forms and research materials.

My first two classes this summer are Introduction to Paralegal Studies and Business Law. The first class was last Monday. It appears that we won't be using any primary materials that aren't already edited and included in the text. I discovered that the "Paralegal Fee" added to my school account is for Westlaw access.

The school has no law library. Students in the program end up using the materials in my own department. I believe ours is the largest legal collection in the county.

From my IU transcript:

- - - - - Degrees Awarded - - - - -

Indiana University Degree

Indiana University Bloomington

Master of Library Science

Major: Library Science

06-30-2009