The Bluebook is now available for iPad and iPhone users for $40 to download for use in the app called rulebook, from Ready Reference Apps. This contains the full text of the entire 19th edition of the book, which is fully searchable.  You can bookmark sections, add notes and highligt sections. There's been an online version of the Bluebook for a while, but this is the first time this content is available in a native mobile app.  You can't get it on an Android or Windows Phone device, but if you own an iPhone and an iPad, you can get it on both devices with a single purchase, as long as they share the same iTunes account.

Because it's available as an app, this version of the Bluebook gets you easy access to the book's contents.  Searches are quick, and it should be easy to get to find what you need. Following is a view of the search results for "parallel citation" with the iPhone and iPad results shown together. Text in the iPhone display is understandably truncated, but it shows rule number or bluepage reference.  By comparison, the web-based version of the Bluebook lets you sort search results by table, rules, bluepages and personal notes.  Both are pretty easy to scan.

In terms of pricing, the Bluebook app cost is comparable to the other electronic version.  For $40, you get the 19th edition to keep. By comparison, current price for the other version is: $32 for 1 year, $42 for 2 and $50 for 3 years. On that system, you get access to the 18th and 19th edition, and there are differences to the way materials are browsed and searched. In print, it costs around $34.

The app version is very useful, but there are a few small features not yet fully implemeted. Though you can highlight text, you cannot copy and paste it yet.  The app designer says that this feature is expected in an update soon. This will be especially helpful if you use this app platform for other content, such as court rules.

One quirk to the rulebook app is that moving from section to section isn't a smooth reading experience, like you find in a Kindle or iBooks.  Sometimes it works to browse from one section to the next, but the app is a bit finicky right now. Admittedly, the Bluebook isn't exactly a "pager turner" kind of publication, so this is probably okay.   Also, this might be something addressed in a future update to the rulebook app.

If you use an iPhone or iPad and have to reference the Bluebook, consider this app as an option.  To explore the rulebook app platform before buying, you can dowload the free app and get a version of the Federal Rules of Evidence for free to try the platform.

Georgetown Law students are reminded that we've got a comprehensive Bluebook Guide to help understand many of the features of this citation resource.

Recent changes to interface and sorting options make it easier to find and evaluate documents in Google Scholar’s ever-growing free database of court opinions and legal materials.

Earlier this month, Google Scholar added the option to sort legal search results by date, with the most recently published cases and articles appearing first. The new sorting option can be used in combination with jurisdiction and date restrictions, so you can view only results from specific time ranges or courts.

And in case you missed it, since March, Google Scholar has included graphical indicators in the “Cited by” list of subsequent opinions citing a case – from zero to three bars, depending on the depth of treatment – and like the general results list, the “Cited by” list can now be limited by date and jurisdiction. As before, the “How cited” feature also displays excerpts from the most relevant parts of the citing cases.

Longtime Google Scholar users may have also noticed enhancements since May to display and print options, including a cleaner, streamlined look and improved browser-based printing for legal opinions.

Not new but worth noting is the “Create email alert” link at the bottom of any Google Scholar search results page – click it to set up notifications for newly added documents citing any case or article, or corresponding to a specific search you’ve run.

You can access Google Scholar through the Law Library catalog. To get the most out of your searches, remember to log in to your Library Account before using Google Scholar off campus – this allows direct access to article results from Georgetown’s subscription databases.

The screenshot below highlights useful features on the “Cited by” page for Ferguson v. Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, 69 P. 3d 965.

LexisNexis recently released a new version of Lexis Advance.  The new version includes a number of significant updates, such as the ability to browse sources and search a specific source.  New content was also added, including American Jurisprudence 2d and state legal encyclopedias. 

To learn more about Lexis Advance, visit http://www.lexisnexis.com/lawschool/ and log in to view videos, tutorials, and research guides.

WestlawNext has now launched an Android version of its mobile app, which works on both Android phones and tablets. It is available from http://store.westlaw.com/westlawnext/mobile-ipad/android-app/default.aspx

In collaboration with the Lauinger undergraduate library, members of the Georgetown Law Library community now have access to the Mergent Archives Annual Report Collection. This collection features the annual reports of both U.S. and International companies. Researchers can search by a corporation's name or address to retrieve the available reports in a PDF format.

Mergent also provides access to over two dozen industry reports covering global industries such as Finance and Real Estate. Reports on the Legal Services industry are available back to 2005.

Going abroad this summer? Interested in learning a new language? The library now subscribes to Mango Languages, an online language learning center, providing basic courses in over 40 languages. Whether you're interested in Russian, Mandarin Chinese, Arabic or others, Mango Languages allows you to create your own account to track your progress. It also includes a translation tool based on Google translate.

Login to Mango and create an account. You'll be able to learn more than one language at a time, use your mobile devices for access and learn at your own pace.

Lexis and Westlaw both restrict student access over the summer, but continuing students may request an extension of their passwords if they meet certain conditions.  Examples of these conditions include:

• Taking summer law school classes that require access for their course preparation and assignments;
• Doing research associated with law review, law journal, or moot court work over the summer;
• Serving as a research assistant for a faculty member; or
• Working in an unpaid, nonprofit public internship or externship position for school credit or to fulfill a graduation requirement.

Note that this continued access must be for academic purposes only.  Using a Lexis or Westlaw password for a commercial purpose is in direct violation of our academic subscription terms.

The extension of student passwords needs to be done separately with each vendor, and we have prepared a page with information on how to do so at http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/students/research_assistants.cfm.  (Scroll down to the section entitled "Summer Use of Lexis and Westlaw.")

If you have additional questions regarding summer password extensions, please direct them to Pedro de Lencastre at Westlaw (pedro.delencastre@thomsonreuters.com) and/or Lori Sorenson at Lexis (lori.sorenson@lexisnexis.com).

If you’ve recently used the Encore catalog interface to search for library materials, you may have noticed a helpful new feature: Direct links to relevant journal and newspaper articles now appear along with books and other resources in your search results.

Synergy, a new software add-on to the Encore search platform, works to retrieve full-text and summaries of individual documents and articles from over 25 of the Law Library’s most popular databases, including HeinOnline, ProQuest Congressional, LexisNexis Academic, ProQuest Newspapers, JSTOR, and LegalTrac.

In most cases, finding a specific law review article in PDF is now as easy as entering the article’s title or citation in the search box at http://discover.ll.georgetown.edu/iii/encore, or in a Keyword search under “Find Books, Journals and e-Resources” on the Law Library homepage at http://www.ll.georgetown.edu.

True to the resource discovery concept behind Encore, Synergy also offers enhanced options for more general article-level research on a topic.

For example, you can find articles related to any Encore search by clicking the Articles link at the top left of the results page. From there, browse and select from the corresponding documents in Hein Core Collections of legal periodicals listed by relevance, or choose another folder at left to see only articles within a certain topic or source category. Click the PDF or Full Text links to open the articles in new browser tabs. (See screenshots below.)

For more information or assistance using the new Encore Synergy feature, please get in touch with a reference librarian. We’ll be happy to help you out at the Wolff or Williams reference desks, by email, Live Help chat, or by phone.

Member of the Georgetown Law community can now use HeinOnline to access State Attorney General Reports and Opinions for all 50 states, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. This material is searchable by keyword or by Opinion Number. At this time, opinions and reports from 1980 to the present are available online and Hein is adding earlier opinions with the anticipation of making opinions from all years accessible over the next twelve months.

If you have any questions when using the HeinOnline database, feel free to ask a reference librarian.

In collaboration with Georgetown's undergraduate library, the law library provides access to Credo Reference, featuring electronic access to hundreds of encyclopedias, dictionaries, biographical sources and other reference resources from 80 publishers. Some of the ebooks featured include:

• Dictionary of Spanish Law
• Business German Dictionary
• Financial Times World Desk Reference
• Ripples of Hope: Great American Civil Rights Speeches
• Marquis Who's Who in America
• National Gallery Image Collection

Credo Reference is searchable by keyword, subject, phrase and date. If you need any assistance making use of this resource, please contact a reference librarian.