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Daily Archives: January 3, 2019

My Year of Citation Studies, Parts 1-4

Whisner, Mary, My Year of Citation Studies, Parts 1-4 (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall 2018). Law Library Journal, Vol. 110, Nos. 1-4, Pp. 167-80, 283-94, 419-28, 561-77 (2018). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3303495

Have you ever wondered about citation rates for law review articles? I have, and it led to a series of four pieces in Law Library Journal‘s “Practicing Reference” column.  It started with a professor who asked for lists about frequently cited student notes and comments, thinking that those would be good examples to show students in a journal seminar. That led me to investigate different tools for tracking citations—HeinOnline, Shepard’s, KeyCite, and Web of Science—looking at pieces published in a sample of journals in 2012. Parts 3 and 4 studied citations to articles from a sample of journals in 1982, 1992, and 2002. Here I consolidate the four parts into one PDF, for readers’ convenience. Part 4 concludes with a summary of findings and comments on what I learned by undertaking the project.

New Online: Congressional Web Archive Adds Content

The Library of Congress Blog: “The Library of Congress Web Archiving Program is dedicated to providing reliable access to historical web content from the legislative branch. To that end, the Library has just released an update to the United States Congressional Web Archive. The archive, which includes member sites from the House and Senate, as well as… Continue Reading

LIVE Eagle Cam – Washington, DC – Earth Conservation Corps.

“Liberty and Justice are a pair of bald eagles who have raised young for eleven years in a nest one hundred ten feet up an oak tree at the Metropolitan Police Academy in SE, Washington, DC. Liberty, the female, has primary responsibility for incubating her eggs and caring for the young chicks (once they hatch!). Justice, the male,… Continue Reading

Age discrimination is more common than you think. Why aren’t we doing anything about it?

Washington Post: “When you dive into popular literature on retirement, you could be forgiven for thinking there are hordes of Americans in their late 50s or early 60s, desperate to leave the paid workforce as soon as they can. Blog posts and academic studies beg people to hold off on collecting Social Security until the… Continue Reading

New Out-of-Copyright Works and Where to Find Them

Fortune: “As for getting your hands (or smartphones, e-readers, etc.) on the works themselves, websites are highlighting some of the best cultural goodies. These include Duke University’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain, which has a list of prominent 1923 books (such as Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet), films (The Pilgrim by Charlie Chaplin)… Continue Reading

A Lot of Government Information Is Freely Available

GAO Watchblog: “From health and education statistics to budget and spending information, the federal government produces a lot of information, or data. Agencies are making more and more of this data open for everyone to use. Our recent report identified 5 key practices that can help the government’s open data reach a wide range of… Continue Reading

Searching for images of CEOs or managers? The results almost always show men.

Washington Post: “Men dominate Google image searches for most jobs — even for bartender, probation officer and medical scientist, roles in which women outnumber men. In 57 percent of occupations, image searches indicate the jobs are more male-dominated than they actually are. There’s evidence this skewed picture discourages women from aspiring to dozens of careers… Continue Reading

A day of historic firsts in Congress – don’t miss the photos!

NBC News:  “The 116th Congress is the most diverse in U.S. history, with new House members breaking ground for women as well as for minority and LGBTQ representation…” Washington Post – The new Congress is known for its youthful, digital-savvy members. The last Congress? Not so much. “In hearings with Mark Zuckerberg and other tech… Continue Reading