Category: Law Library of Congress

The Global Legal Information Catalog includes information about publications which reprint the laws and regulations of multiple jurisdictions on a particular legal topic. The purpose of the database is to provide additional identifying information about titles, beyond that which is provided in the Library’s online catalog. The database works as an interface with the Library of Congress’s online catalog and is searchable by jurisdiction, title, subject and keyword.

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The United States government, unlike Canada and many Western European countries, does not have legislation mandating universal health care coverage to its citizens. While the elderly, persons with disabilities, veterans, military service families and the poor are often eligible for government health care assistance, health insurance is often obtained through the work place. In a few instances, states have attempted to pass their own laws to provide health care to cover all residents or all uninsured residents. Four states–Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont–provide examples of differing legislative approaches to providing such broad based care.

For more details from the Law Library of Congress, click here.

Norman Oder of Library Journal reports that the Law Library of Congress has fiscal troubles. The Law Library has canceled at least $200,000 worth of subscriptions due to their increased costs, and further that funds need to be raised in order to reclassify approximately 675,000 volumes over the next ten years (over one-quarter of the Law Library’s collection).

Oder’s article goes on to discuss the wisdom of a proposed statutory change that would give the Law Library its own line item.

The ATS Corporation has been awarded a 5-year, $14 million Global Legal Information Network contract in support of the Law Library of Congress. Under this contract, ATSC will host, maintain and enhance GLIN.gov and a supporting distance learning program. Currently available in 13 languages, ATSC will add Hebrew and simplified Chinese language support for GLIN.gov in the first contract year.

For further details, click here.

On Monday, September 17th, the Law Library of Congress and the Constitution Project will celebrate National Constitution Day by hosting a bipartisan panel discussion on the subject of the American Constitution this coming Monday, September 17th, in Washington, DC.

For more information about the festivities, click here.