San Diego County Public Law Library E-Newsletter

SDCPLL Monthly E-Newsletter The San Diego County Public Law Library is pleased to announce that the E-Newsletter will resume a monthly schedule. You can now expect our E-Newsletter the first week of each month. We look forward to continuing to provide you with interesting and useful information about the Law Library, classes and events, research resources and legal news.

New Daylight Saving Time On August 8, 2005, President George W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 USC §15801 et. seq.). As part of this act, Daylight Saving Time will begin sooner and end later in order to make better use of daylight and conserve energy. Starting this year, Daylight Saving Time will begin on the second Sunday in March and end the first Sunday in November. Remember to turn your clocks forward one hour on Sunday, March 11 at 2:00am. For more information on Daylight Saving Time, including an interesting history, go to http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/index.html If you are using a calendaring system to schedule appointments and court dates, check with the provider for software updates that accommodate the new change in the law.

Local Court Forms Now in Fillable Format Online In February, the San Diego County Superior Court became the first in the State to implement the new California Case Management System for all civil cases. Earlier phased efforts of this new system were highly successful at the Small Claims divisions in both Kearny Mesa and North County. Perhaps the most significant impact on day to day practice is the ability to fill out numerous local forms online. Ultimately, attorneys and those representing themselves will be able to not only fill out but also file documents electronically with the court. All case documents will be available for viewing online. Gone will be the days of printing out documents and running to the court at the last minute on Friday. You'll be able to do it with the click of a mouse. Freeway and parking congestion will be eased during rush hours. Greater transparency may lead to increased efficiency in litigation. At least in theory. For today, however, you can access and fill out over 100 local court forms from the San Diego County Court website. Take a look at www.sdcourt.ca.gov and click on the "Forms" link on the right hand side of the screen. Remember that all California State Judicial Council forms are also available online at www.courtinfo.ca.gov/forms

Emancipation Day and Tax Law Changes The coming April tax deadline reminds us that there are many new tax law changes for 2007. Some of the changes have interesting origins. For example, have you ever heard of Emancipation Day? Emancipation Day is celebrated in many nations on many dates, depending on when slavery ended in that particular jurisdiction. According the DC's website, the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act was passed by Congress and signed by President Abraham Lincoln on April 16, 1862 to free 3,100 slaves in the District of Columbia. The Act was passed nine months before President Abraham Lincoln issued his famous Emancipation Proclamation, granting freedom to enslaved persons in the District of Columbia as the country's first people freed from the institution of slavery. Under a federal statute enacted decades ago, holidays observed in the District of Columbia have an impact nationwide, not just in D.C. Under recently enacted legislation, April 16 is a holiday in the District of Columbia. The IRS became aware of the intersection of the national filing day and the local observance of the new Emancipation Day holiday after most forms and publications for the current tax filing season went to print. Any IRS form, instruction or publication that currently shows an "April 16, 2007" due date should now be read as "April 17, 2007." The extended time to file and pay is because April 15 falls on a Sunday in 2007 and the following day, Monday, April 16, is Emancipation Day, a legal holiday in the District of Columbia. Emancipation Day will not impact filing deadlines next year because April 15 is on Tuesday in 2008. The normal deadline will apply. The next year that Emancipation Day could affect filing deadlines is 2011. For a list of the tax law changes, with complete information, go to the IRS website. For more on the District of Columbia's Emancipation Day celebrations, go to www.dc.gov .

Internet Resource of the Month Merck Manuals Online Medical Library is a quick and easy to use reference resource for attorneys to learn basic information about client injuries and terms used in medical reports. Merck & Co., Inc. one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, created the Merck Manuals, a series of healthcare books for medical professionals and consumers. As a service to the community, the content of the Manuals is now available for FREE in enhanced online versions as part of The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. The Merck Manual, The Merck Manual of Medical Information-Second Home Edition, The Merck Manual of Geriatrics, The Merck Manual of Health & Aging, and The Merck Veterinary Manual are available on Merck's internet site at www.merck.com/pubs/

News From the North San Marcos office of the County Assessor/Recorder has relocated! We recently learned that the San Marcos office of the county Assessor/Recorder has moved. Formerly on Via Vera Cruz behind Restaurant Row, the new office is located at 141 E. Carmel Street in San Marcos. For directions and information regarding services available call (760) 940-6868 or check the County Assessor/Recorder's website at www.sdarcc.com/arcc Local IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center The IRS has a Taxpayer Assistance Center in San Marcos. According to the IRS website, IRS representatives at the center can help you with inquiries or adjustments to your account, payment plans, questions about IRS letters and notices, and levies on your wage or bank account. Other services are available and some services are available on a walk-in, no appointment necessary basis. The Taxpayer Assistance Center is located at 1 Civic Center Dr. in San Marcos. For more information about the IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center, IRS forms, and publications call (760) 471-5940 or visit the IRS web site www.irs.gov.

New Employee Welcome The San Diego County Public Law Library welcomes two new employees. New Reference Librarian at North County: We would like to welcome our new Reference Librarian, Debra Morse. Debra started at SDCPLL as a substitute Reference Librarian and recently was appointed the full-time Reference Librarian at the North County branch. Becoming a law librarian is actually Debra's third career. Upon graduating from the University of Maine as a registered nurse, she worked the emergency and operating rooms at a rural Maine hospital. After moving to California, she continued to practice nursing with an emphasis on ER, OR, and surgery centers. Debra's second career began after getting her JD from the University of San Diego School of Law. After passing the Bar, she began practicing civil litigation doing plaintiff's elder abuse and medical negligence cases. When asked how she found her way to librarianship, Debra says "After ten years in practice I wanted to effect a shift in focus, and surround myself with books while continuing to serve the public, and wound up here. The library is perfect." In her spare time, Debra is a writer and a patron of the arts. New Catalog Librarian at Main: The Law Library also welcomes Chris Pickford. Chris was hired in February as the Catalog Librarian at the Main branch. Prior to working at SDCPLL, Chris was a cataloger at California State University, San Bernardino. Chris holds a Masters degree in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University. Chris was born in Arizona and has lived in California, Washington, Illinois and Georgia. He enjoys photography, travelling, and bicycling. His favorite TV show is Rome, and his favorite book is Lord of the Rings. Chris currently lives with his two cats, Parmenio and Bean.

Upcoming Classes The Law Library is offering the following legal research classes in March and April at the downtown branch: Practical Legal Research, Saturday, March 10, 2-4pm Legal Research Using Free Websites*, Friday, March 23, 10-11am Using Lexis*, Tuesday, April 10, 12:30-1:30pm Law Made Public, Saturday, April 21, 2-3pm Focus on Forms*, Thursday, April 26, 3-4pm For descriptions of the classes and the most up-to-date scheduling information, click here or go to the "Classes" link on our website at www.sdcpll.org. Pre-registration is required as seating is limited. Please call (619) 531-3900 to register. * MCLE credit is available for these classes. The San Diego County Public Law Library is a State Bar of California Approved MCLE provider.

New Books Added To The Collection The following is a selection of books or new editions recently added to our collection: CALIFORNIA COURTROOM EVIDENCE JOSEPH W. COTCHETT, FULTON HAIGHT. Charlottesville, VA: LexisNexis, Matthew Bender, c2006- KFC1030.A333 C67. Main branch only. CALIFORNIA WORKERS' COMPENSATION CLAIMS AND BENEFITS BY DAVID W. O'BRIEN. 12th ed. Carlsbad, Calif.: FS&K Publishing, c2006. KFC592 .O27 2006. All locations. FEE AGREEMENT FORMS MANUAL BY BOB PICKUS. 2nd ed. Oakland, Calif.: Continuing Education of the Bar, California, c2007- KFC77.5.F43 P52 2007. All locations. LEGISLATIVE LAW AND PROCESS IN A NUTSHELL BY JACK DAVIES. 3rd ed. St. Paul, MN: Thomson/West, c2007. KF4933.Z9 D38 2007. Main branch only. TRIAL ATTORNEY'S EVIDENCE CODE NOTEBOOK Oakland, Calif.: California Continuing Education of the Bar, c2007. KFC1030 .T74 2007. Main branch only.

We hope you've enjoyed our newsletter! If you are a guest and would like to subscribe, please click here. We're hard at work on the next edition. In the meantime, please see us online at www.sdcpll.org or visit us at one of our four locations. For more information, or to send comments about this newsletter, contact Gina Catalano, Reference Librarian.