This Week in the Law Library ... June 16, 2025

This week in the Law Library we’re learning about Juneteenth, looking at bar exam resources, reviewing basic legal research skills for summer, reminding you about library services during our migration to a new library services platform, and celebrating Pride Month and National Caribbean-American Heritage Month.

Please note that the Law Library will be closed Thursday, June 19th.

Juneteenth marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, TX in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people in Texas were free. Troops did not arrive until two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Union general Gordon Granger issued General Order Number 3, which read, "The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freed are advised to remain at their present homes, and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts; and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere." 

Local celebrations were organized in African American communities to remember the significance of June 19. Texas House Bill 1016 passed in the 66th Legislature, Regular Session, declared June 19, "Emancipation Day in Texas," making it the first state to make Juneteenth a state holiday.

On June 17, 2021, Former President Joseph Biden signed into law a bill creating Juneteenth National Independence Day.

• Digital Public Library of America, Juneteenth
  • The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) links to over 6,000 reels of old news footage, photographs, and other primary source documents about Juneteenth celebrations.
• National Museum of African American History & Culture, Juneteenth
  • Join the museum’s Juneteenth celebration – during the entire month of June – and embrace the rich history of Freedom Day each week. Explore the first Juneteenth, Sounds of Freedom, Tastes of Resilience, and more.
• PBS, Juneteenth: The Long Road to Freedom
  • A documentary from 2024 looking at the history of Juneteenth, the then social climate, and the hope that comes from this holiday.        
• Saba Samy, Juneteenth: The First Commemoration of Abolition, National Archives (June 12, 2024)
  • A post looking at the history of the federal holiday, including links to archived documents.
• Neely Tucker, The Birth of Juneteenth; Voices of the Enslaved, Library of Congress (June 19, 2020)
  • A Library of Congress Blog post about the actions of Logan Stroud, one of the largest enslavers in east Texas, as he announced to his more than 150 enslaved workers the provisions of General Order No. 3.

Congratulations! You have made it through law school but now the bar exam looms. Don’t worry, the Law Library’s got your back. When you’ve caught your breath and you’re ready to start your bar studying, we have resources that can help. Check out our Bar Exam Research Guide.

The July 2025 bar exam will be held in three locations: Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland. 

Examinees will be tested at the following locations:

• Cincinnati: University of Cincinnati College of Law, 2925 Campus Green Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45221
• Columbus: Ohio Union, 1739 N. High St., Columbus, OH 43210
• Cleveland: Cleveland State University College of Law, 1801 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115

Accommodations testing will be located at OSU Moritz College of Law (Drinko Hall, 55 W. 12th Ave., Columbus, OH 43210).

Learn more: Ohio Bar Exam

The Bar Exam is not a sprint, it’s a marathon so pace yourself! Check out this week’s Bar Exam Resource highlights below.

• Assessing Your Own Work
  • Although this CALI Lesson references law school exams, students studying for the bar exam will find it useful. Throughout law school, students will be asked to assess their own essays by comparing them to a model or sample student answer provided by their professor. It can often be difficult to distinguish one’s work from the model. Sometimes it is hard to distinguish what a student knows, from what they wrote down. Experienced legal writers understand that subtle differentiation in language changes the meaning of what was written. This lesson will provide students with strategies for self-assessment, so that they can become critical judges of their work, and consequently precise legal writers. If using CALI, you will need to create an account (if you have not already done so) using a Cincinnati Law authorization code. You can obtain this code from a reference librarian.
• How to Learn from Exams
  • Although this CALI Lesson references law school exams, students studying for the bar exam will find it useful. In the course of your bar studying, you will be taking many practice exams. This lesson explores one of the fundamental lawyering skills, which is self assessment. This lesson looks at how to learn from success and failures. Primarily, it focuses on what to do after a quiz, midterm, or final exam, and how to continue learning from those assessments. If using CALI, you will need to create an account (if you have not already done so) using a Cincinnati Law authorization code. You can obtain this code from a reference librarian.
• Issue Spotting
  • Although this CALI Lesson references law school exams, students studying for the bar exam will find it useful. This lesson explores one of the fundamental lawyering skills, which is to be able to spot issues. This lesson looks at what an issue is, and best practices in spotting them in cases, with clients, and on exams. Students will go through basic issue spotting exercises to better prepare for exams. If using CALI, you will need to create an account (if you have not already done so) using a Cincinnati Law authorization code. You can obtain this code from a reference librarian.
• Multiple-Choice Questions: Wrong Answer Pathology
  • Although this CALI Lesson references law school exams, students studying for the bar exam will find it useful. This CALI Lesson teaches you how to select the right answer in a multiple-choice question by better understanding how to identify wrong answers, based on nine specific types of wrong answers. If using CALI, you will need to create an account (if you have not already done so) using a Cincinnati Law authorization code. You can obtain this code from a reference librarian.
• A Methodical Approach to Improve Multiple Choice Performance
  • Although this CALI Lesson references law school exams, students studying for the bar exam will find it useful. This CALI Lesson teaches a methodical approach for all law school multiple choice questions. The step-by-step approach provides a framework to work through questions so students can more easily eliminate distractor answer choices. The lesson will thoroughly explore each step in this analytical approach. If using CALI, you will need to create an account (if you have not already done so) using a Cincinnati Law authorization code. You can obtain this code from a reference librarian.

Be sure and take a look at our previous june 9,  June 2, May 27 and May 19 posts on Bar Exam Resources.

Previously, we covered basic tips to think about before starting a research project, the initial steps to take, and using secondary sources to jump start your research. Last week we covered annotated codes.  This week we will look at statutory finding tools. Learn more about researching statutes in our Researching Statutes Guide or watch our videos on finding and searching within annotated codes.

There are several useful statutory finding tools that you can use when researching statutes.

Indexes

All print codes and some online codes will contain separate subject indexes. An index is a great finding tool. Topics are listed alphabetically and will refer you to the codified statutory sections pertaining to that topic. If you see an index entry for a topic that gives you another term and then states generally this index; generally, post; or generally, ante; it is telling you to search for that other term in the index either in another part of the index, after the entry you are looking at (post), or before the entry you are looking at (ante). If you see a statutory citation in the index that says et seq., this is Latin for “and the following ones.” In other words, multiple sections — it is just giving you the first one.

Tables of Contents

It is always a best practice to look at your statutory section in context by looking at the table of contents. This will allow you to find related statutory sections such as preambles, definition sections, etc. With codes, you will often find a table of contents for the different divisions in which the code is organized. For example, in the United States Code, you will get a table of contents for the code, the title, and one for the chapter.

Popular Names

Sometimes a statute will have an official or popular name. If there is a well-known name for the law you are interested in, consult the “Popular Names Table” in one of the code versions. This will provide you with the session law number and the session law citation for the original act, as well as providing references to where the act has been codified. In print sources, the “Popular Names Table” may be a separate volume or be a section within the last volume of the general index. Westlaw contains popular names tables for all of its statutes. Bloomberg Law provides a popular names table for the United States Code. HeinOnline provides a popular names table for the United States Code. Lexis does not generally provide a popular names table for its state statutes but it does for USCS.

Parallel Reference Tables

Each code includes volumes that contain tables for parallel references. Locate the session law citation or public law number you are interested in on the table, and it will provide you with the title and section numbers where the statute has been codified. Codes will also contain tables that relate older state codifications to the current code.

Online Searching of Statutes

If you don’t have a popular name or citation, you can search for keywords based on your topic of research. This can be difficult. Using indexes instead will often save you time. Statutory language is not always intuitive, and the language used can appear in multiple statutes so it’s easy to pull up references to statutes that are not relevant to your research. If searching statutes by keyword, take advantage of the fields and segments and create a more advanced search. Some useful fields for statutes in Westlaw are: CA, the caption field which includes the section and heading for a statute; and PR, the prelim field which includes headings and chapters assigned to the statute. In Lexis use the section segment which contains the section number and section heading of the statute; and the heading segment which contains the headings and subheadings before the subject.

The OhioLINK consortium, which includes the University of Cincinnati Libraries, is upgrading the Library Services Platform (LSP) in summer 2025 to Ex Libris Alma/Primo VE. Although we are working to minimize any disruption to services, the cut over to the new system will impact acquisitions and summer borrowing of print materials among other OhioLINK institutions.

Currently

OhioLINK and Search Ohio borrowing and renewals are unavailable. Physical books from other Ohio universities, as well as materials from public libraries, are not able to be requested through the catalog nor will previously borrowed materials be able to be renewed. While OhioLINK and SearchOhio services are unavailable, work with us to find alternatives that fulfill teaching and research needs.

June 25, 2025 

We go live with Alma, Primo and Rapido (replaces OhioLINK requesting)

The Library LSP upgrade website includes more information on the project, including a FAQ and a preview of the new OneSearch, the user discovery interface.

About Pride Month

Pride Month is commemorated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City. The Stonewall Inn was a popular gay bar that police raided on Jun 28, 1969. The raid resulted in days of protest and the uprising is often cited as a catalyst for LGBTQ+ activism. Former President Clinton issued the first presidential proclamation designating June “Gay and Lesbian Pride Month” in 1999 and issued the second proclamation in 2000. Former President Obama expanded the scope to include bisexual and transgender people in his proclamations. In his first term, President Trump issued a Statement on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. President Biden issued annual proclamations during his term. 

UCBA Library Pride Month Display

This display of select books celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community. Topics include: memoirs, parenting, poetry, and even popular culture icons. There is something for everyone! 

UC Clermont, Frederick A. Marcotte Library Digital Display Pride Month

This display of selected books celebrates Pride 2025.

Cincinnati Pride Parade and Festival

Cincinnati's Pride Parade will take place Saturday, June 28, 2025 at Sawyer Point & Yeatman's Cove.

• Digital Transgender Archive
  • The Digital Transgender Archive is a curated collection of pre-2000 archival materials relevant to global transgender history.  By digitally localizing a wide range of trans-related materials, the DTA expands access to trans history for academics and independent researchers alike in order to foster education and dialog concerning trans history.
•  
• Library of Congress, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Pride Month Audio & Video
  • This guide page offers links to audio and video productions related to LGBTQIA+ books, poetry, literature, history, and more.
• National Archives, LGBTQI+ Pride Month
  • The National Archives and Records Administration engages, educates, and inspires multiple audiences to discover and explore the records of the American people. They hold extensive records created or received by the U.S. Government on issues of sexual identity and rights.
• People with a History: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trans* History Sourcebook
  • People with a History presents the history of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgendered people [=LGBT]. It includes hundreds of original texts, discussions, and images, and addresses LGBT history in all periods, and in all regions of the world.
• Pride Collection on Kanopy (UC students, staff and faculty only)
  • University of Cincinnati Libraries subscribes to Kanopy Streaming video titles. All currently licensed films are available for immediate viewing.

Be sure and check out our June 2nd and June 9th posts for more resources.

About National Caribbean-American Heritage Month

The Institute of Caribbean Studies’ (ICS) led the effort to establish the National Caribbean American Heritage Month (NCAHM) in 1999 which resulted in the first White House Caribbean American Community Briefing being held at the Clinton White House in 1999. In 2004 an official campaign for June as National Caribbean American Heritage Month was launched and a bill passed the House in June 2005, and the Senate in February 2006. President George Bush signed a proclamation on June 5, 2006 and there have been proclamations annually up until this year.

Resources to Learn More

• Law and Employment: Lessons from Latin America and the Caribbean (James J. Heckman & Carmen Pagés eds.,  2004).
  • Langsam  HD5730.5.A6 L38 2004  
  • Law and Employment analyzes the effects of regulation and deregulation on Latin American labor markets and presents empirically grounded studies of the costs of regulation. Along with in-depth studies of Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Jamaica, and Trinidad, Law and Employment provides comparative analysis of Latin American economies against a range of European countries and the United States. The book breaks new ground by quantifying not only the cost of regulation in Latin America, the Caribbean, and in the OECD, but also the broader impact of this regulation.
• Latin American and Caribbean International Institutional Law ( Marco Odello & Francesco Seatzu eds., 2015)
  • eBook
  • This book is one of the few comprehensive works focusing on the sub-regional institutions in the Latin American and Caribbean region. These organisations and institutions enrich the co-operation at sub-regional level, but, in most cases, are neglected in legal literature. They have mainly economic purposes but they also contribute to new forms of institutional co-operation in other areas, including financial, political and social matters. The volume addresses some of the most representative of these institutions, such as the Mercosur, the Andean Community and sub-regional financial organizations (e.g. Central American Bank for Economic Integration and Andean Development Corporation) as well as new developments including the UNASUR and the Alliance for the Pacific. It provides updated information on the structure and changes of the institutions.
• Simeon C. R. McIntosh, Fundamental Rights and Democratic Governance: Essays in Caribbean Jurisprudence (2005)
  • Law Urban Morgan Human Rights Collection KGJ574 .M39 2005 
  • The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has assumed a greater role in guiding and coordinating the affairs of its member states. The introduction of the CARICOM Single MArket and Economy (CSME) and the CAribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) bring the quest for democratic governance into sharp relief. Using Caribbean cases, McIntosh discusses the fundamental rights and freedom from inhuman and degrading punishment. He examines the protection of these rights and freedoms in the light of changes in society, social progress and other developments in the Commonwealth Caribbean within the context of the CSME and the CCJ.
• Velma Newton, Commonwealth Caribbean legal systems : a study of small jurisdictions (1988)
  • Law  KGJ96 .N48 1988 
  • The book examines the legal systems of the Commonwealth Caribbean, detailing the historical and social contexts that shape its diverse legal institutions.
• Jacqueline H. Stephenson et al., Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion in Caribbean Organisations and Society (2020)
  • eBook
  • This book focuses on equality, inclusion, and discrimination within the English-speaking Caribbean region, specifically as it relates to employment, education, society, and the law. Though anti-discrimination laws have recently been enacted in the Caribbean, this, in and of itself, neither translates to societal changes nor changes within the organisational context. The authors examine racial diversity in public sector organisations in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, gender diversity in organisations across the Caribbean region, sexual orientation and its impact on employment, disability and access within organisations, and equality and inclusion within Caribbean institutions of higher education. Further, the book explores the region’s equality laws and compares them with legislation from selected developed countries. This interdisciplinary text provides researchers in HRM, organisational behavior, sociology, and public policy with an overview of the types of discrimination prevalent within the Caribbean as well as the varied institutional frameworks in place that encourage equality.

Posted June 16, 2025 by Susan Boland

View Previous 2025 Blog Posts