Moritz Legal Information Blog

The death of a loved one can be difficult, especially when their online life continues to exist. A British funeral service called R Hyde Chambers has created an infographic to help the bereaved know what's what on social media sites if you're trying to wrap things up for someone or if you're planning for yourself. More on the infographic can be found here . Also, apparently services in some countries offer more for those who wish to close out their online lives. Japan's Yahoo! is now offering Yahoo Ending. Once the search engine receives an official notice of death for a user, it will delete all his or her Yahoo Japan data, cancel any charges to Yahoo’s digital wallet, expunge files from Yahoo Box online storage and send farewell messages to loved ones." The search terms "estate planning" and "social media" used together don't bring up much in the library catalog---consider whether this is because no book exists on the subject or no la

Now through August 27, 2014, you can help the law library test-drive a new database! We're always looking for more content for our patrons, and the latest is ProQuest Legislative Insight . Access is good through August 27, 2014, so please give it a try and let us know what you think. What is ProQuest Legislative Insight? In a nutshell, it's extraordinarily comprehensive federal legislative history in PDF form (i.e., a form acceptable for most law journal acc checks). From ProQuest , The following document types may be included in a legislative history: bills, reports, documents, hearings CRS reports, committee prints, Congressional Record sections), Presidential Signing Statements, and Statutes."

We wrote about Casetext in April; now there's new news: Casetext is transitioning to a new site, currently available at http://beta.casetext.com . As part of the transition process Casetext has temporarily frozen the old database of cases. In other words, they are not being updated, which is why you can't find the US Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision on the old site. This information serves as a helpful reminder to always know the coverage of the database you are searching. You might think you've found all there is to know on a subject, but your research is only as comprehensive as the source you are searching.

As the bar exam nears, stress often increases .  We have posted about mindfulness as a way to cope with exam stress.  The Moritz Law Library is developing a collection in the reserve room with a variety of health and wellness titles, from Jiu Jitsu Jurisprudence to Becoming a Joyful Lawyer . Your title suggestions are welcome! If you're working form home or your local coffee shop, OSU's Center for Integrative Health and Wellness offers a number of free recordings to help you relax.  The Quick Links box on the Center's website  will lead you to recordings on guided imagery, heart-centered practices, mindfulness, and relaxation response.

Is there a difference between a web service that tracks Internet use to target ads and a service that tracks use and ties the use to a person's name or other personally-identifying information? Does the question actually come down to what constitutes one's "identity?" The Pew Research Center recently reported  "86% of internet users have taken steps online to remove or mask their digital footprints—ranging from clearing cookies to encrypting their email, from avoiding using their name to using virtual networks that mask their internet protocol (IP) address." But those phishing for information can simply rely on human nature to learn more about Internet users. The typical example one hears about is someone posting loads of vacation pictures with a time and date stamp indicating the person is not at home. In other words, any technological steps we might take to maintain our privacy may not be sufficient to protect us from ourselves. The latest online tra

The Moritz Law Library has had a few changes; our previous director, Bruce Johnson, retired in December after almost 20 years of leadership; our interim director, Mary Hamburger, ably helped us navigate the last six months; and we now welcome Sara Sampson ! Sara joined us from University of North Carolina School of Law where she was Deputy Director of the Law Library and Clinical Assistant Professor of Law. Prior to that, she was Head of Reference at the Georgetown University Law Center. Sara's directorship here is a homecoming: before working at Georgetown, she was a reference librarian here at Moritz. Welcome Sara!

By now, the Columbus, Ohio, resident with the potato salad Kickstarter campaign is legendary. But where there's money, there are interested parties. Per the New York Daily News , Mr. Brown will lose approximately 5% of all money raised as part of Kickstarter's fee. The IRS may also take a cut...perhaps as much as $10,000.