Internet Legal Research Weekly -- August 4, 2002

Welcome to Issue #77 of the Internet Legal Research Weekly, a newsletter that delivers relevant and timely legal research information, and other fun stuff, to your inbox every Sunday. If you like what you read, please forward this newsletter to anyone you think might be interested, and encourage him or her to do the same! To subscribe, all you have to do is send an e-mail to ilrw-subscribe@topica.com. It’s free!

Wow – I feel like I’ve been gone forever! I’m glad to be back, and I want to thank all of you who responded to my “name change” poll. Look for big changes in the coming weeks….

MSN Search Adds Pretty Pictures
If you have IE 5.0 or above and you use MSN search, you can see screen shots of websites in its results page. You have to use the Search Assistant that is part of Internet Explorer (for some reason I wasn’t able to get it to work with mine).

A Victory for Anonymous Posters
One of the first Internet defamation cases to go to trial ended in a defense verdict, with a jury finding that the Plaintiff’s company was not harmed by negative anonymous messages posted on the web.

Google Toolbar Lets in Hackers
If any of you followed my advice and downloaded the Google Toolbar, make sure you go download the newest version – an old version has a vulnerability to hackers.

This week, the Medical Library Association announced its “Top Ten Most Useful Websites,” evaluated by the organization’s Consumer and Patient Health Information Section. The section judges these websites based on credibility, sponsorships/authorship, content, audience, currency, disclosure, purpose, links, design, interactivity, and disclaimers. Here are the top ten sites chosen by the section, in alphabetical order:

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- The Centers for Disease Control is not just about disease control – you can find information here on just about any health topic. Just check out the A-Z Health Index if you don’t believe me. The home page also provides links to Traveler’s Health, Publications, Data and Statistics, Training and Employment, a page to subscribe to free newsletters, and more.

2. healthfinder -- another resource from the U.S. Government, I have mentioned this site before as a good place to find reliable medical information. You can use the search function if you know what you’re looking for, or browse the general topics, including Health Library, a Just for You area organized by age, race, and sex, a Health Care locator, and a directory of “carefully selected” websites.

3. HealthWeb -- if it wasn’t recommended by the MLA, I would have second thoughts about this website, because it doesn’t show who is behind the content. In fact, it doesn’t even have a title at the top of the page. The home page has a directory listing of health issues, all of which lead to a wealth of great sites. I think that each category is compiled by a different medical school library, judging from the link to different libraries at the top of every Category page. I chose Neurology, which took me to a page of Meta-Sites specializing in that area of medicine; to the left were other sub-categories such as Academic Institutions, Associations and Foundations, Communication, Conferences and Events, Online Journals, and more. A terrific resource – just tell us who you are

4. HIV InSite -- presented by the University of California at San Francisco, InSite is the premier website for HIV and AIDS information. Everything you need can be found under the five category headings: KnowledgeBase (a reference text for HIV prevention, cure, and policy), Medical (with treatment information for providers and persons with HIV), Prevention, Policy Analysis, and Countries and Regions (with worldwide information on the HIV/AIDS crisis).

5. Mayo Clinic -- – this page is primarily directed at consumers, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find useful information here. Like the CDC, the Mayo Clinic has an A-Z Disease and Condition List, as well as Condition Centers, Healthy Living Centers, Drug Information, and a First-Aid Clinic. You can also create a My Mayo personal page with items specially tailored to your interests.

6. MEDEM -- this link actually gets you to the MEDEM Medical Library, but that’s probably all you will need. MEDEM bills itself as the nation’s premier physician practice communications network, and is “empowered by leading medical societies.” The Library provides a collection of links in four areas: Life Stages, Diseases and Conditions, Therapies and Health Strategies, and Health and Society. A valuable collection of links for your medical research.

7. MEDLINEplus -- yet another fantastic government website, MEDLINEplus provides documents and other information from the National Library of Medicine. As with the other sites, there are several categories from which to choose, which include Health Topics, Drug Information, Medical Dictionaries, and Physician Directories. The website is updated on a daily basis; when I went to the area for Legionnaires’ disease, I found a news story written yesterday about a new outbreak of the illness.

8. National Women’s Health Information Center -- and the government sites keep coming! This site is affiliated with the Office on Women’s Health, which is a part of the Department of Health and Human Services. As you might expect, the content you find here is limited to women; unfortunately, the layout of the site is not as friendly as the sites previously mentioned. Down the center of the page is a listing of recent news, and the left hand column has links to a large number of women’s health topics. Try the Site Index for a more organized view of this website.

9. NOAH: New York Online Access to Health --fortunately, this website is not just for New Yorkers. Its “pretty” design may make you think there’s nothing of value here, but think again: clicking on Health Topics will take you to a page packed with links on various medical conditions and other health issues. Clicking on Diabetes took me to a page with dozens and dozens of links on the topic, both medical and otherwise; for example, I was able to find information on discrimination against employees with diabetes, and several links with exercises for diabetics. Despite its peachy colors, this site is quite substantial.

10. Oncolink -- last but not least, Oncolink features some great cancer resources from the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center. You can find constantly updated news on the home page, or check out information in one of the categories, which include Types of Cancer, Treatment Options, Coping with Cancer, Clinical Trials, Cancer Resources, Ask the Experts, and the Oncolink Library. The Ask the Experts page is especially interesting, because you can actually choose a specific doctor (based on specialty and qualifications) to ask your question.

The Medical Library Association sure had it right when it selected these sites as the most useful medical websites on the Internet. These days, finding accurate, quality health information on the Internet is a challenge, given the proliferation of less-than reputable medical sites over the years. But these ten sites may just be all you need to get started on your research.

A website my firm’s lawyers use regularly suddenly began asking some of us for a password that we hadn’t used in months, prompting panic among those who couldn’t remember theirs. So I thought it would be a good time to discuss a few password tips you may find helpful:

Do you have a question about searching the Internet or your computer in general? Drop me a line at tmighell@swbell.net– I’ll post your question (don’t worry, I won’t use your real name) and try to get an answer for you!

One of the best ways to market your law practice nowadays is through the use of e-mail newsletters – if you’re not already doing it, you should. Baker & McKenzie’s Employment Law Alert offers free information on employment law issues; all you have to do is sign up. Not only are these good marketing tools, but other lawyers can also benefit from information in areas of law with which they are not familiar.

Compliance Headquarters bills itself as “the information crossroads where you'll find the most comprehensive compliance knowledge and solutions for the financial services industry.” You can get up-to-date news on financial services issues, search for codes, regulations, and court opinions, communicate with compliance professionals, and receive e-mail notification of state and federal legislative activity. Major categories of information include Lending, Residential Real Estate, Deposits, IRA, and Privacy.

As you might imagine from the title, this site helps you find government benefits – no more, no less. Just select your status (Dependent, Disabled, Disaster Victim, Home Owner, Parent/Caregiver, Veteran, Widow(er), etc.), answer a few questions, and you’ll be presented with a list of benefits that may be available to you. A nifty site, with some programs you may not know about.

Sorry, but I couldn’t resist one last medical site this week. Lab Tests Online is the work of a number of medical societies that aims to provide information on a wide number of diagnostic tests. Just select the test you want to learn more about, or select a condition, and you’ll be taken to a page with applicable lab tests. There you’ll learn about the test at a glance, what type of test sample is taken, information about the test itself, answers to common questions, and related links. If you’re about to go to the doctor for an important test, this site might provide information your doctor isn’t telling you.

A part of the Bancroft Library at Berkeley, the Meiklejohn Archives include the best legal briefs, transcripts, and motions in civil liberties cases dating back to 1955. The online website is mostly just a description of the contents of the Archives collection, but you can access Dockets from 1955 to 1966 (no idea whether they are going to include later years).

Finally, some fun and useful sites for you. First, a site that reads your mind. I must be slow today, but can anyone tell me how this thing works?

And if you’re planning on traveling this late summer to a town with a subway system, you might want to consult the Subway Navigator first. The Navigator offers interactive maps of over 30 of the world’s largest subway systems, and even puts together a set of directions for you if you’re totally confused by subway maps.

Well, that’s it for Issue #77– I hope you liked it! If you did, pass this along to anyone you think might be interested, and encourage him or her to subscribe. Also, feel free to drop me an e-mail any time if you have questions, or if you have websites or other topics you want included in a future issue.

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Questions? New websites? Just want to talk? Send me an e-mail at tmighell@swbell.net.