Swine flu notice and resources

This came across my email today:

Wed April 29th

Earlier today Brookfield Properties was advised
of a rumour involving the swine influenza in the Bankers Hall Complex. Upon
investigation we have discovered that the child of an employee in the building
has a confirmed case of swine influenza contracted while in Mexico. This
employee has no symptoms but has been sent home by the employer as a precaution,
until further notice. Janitorial staff will be conducting extra sanitising of
this employees work area, floor, and washrooms this evening - again as a
precaution only.

Please be reminded once again that the Public Health Agency of Canada
advises vigilance and good common sense sanitary practices. Good health habits
to help prevent the flu include:
1. Avoid contact with people who are sick
2. Stay home when you are sick
3. Cover your mouth and nose when
coughing or sneezing
4. Wash your hands frequently
5. Avoid touching
your eyes, nose or mouth as much as possible

Symptoms usually include those similar to seasonal influenza (flu)
including headache, chills and cough followed by fever, loss of appetite, muscle
aches and fatigue, runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes and throat irritation.
Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea may occur in
adults as well as in children. In
more severe cases, or in people with chronic conditions, complications such as
pneumonia may develop.
(Source: The Public Health Agency of
Canada)

Some other good resources for information on Swine Flu:

• Centre for Disease Control
• World Health Organization
• WHO Swine flu site

Free vs Fee Legal Research

There is a web version of a Lawyers Weekly article on the interesting topic using free legal resources for legal research. This article was cited by the Library Boy blog with the following interesting bit highlighted:

"Cost-conscious lawyers may ask themselves: Can we get by using only freely available research tools?"

"Chances are, the answer today is no. But free legal research tools continue to improve as new ones emerge and legal researchers everywhere are better off for them."

The ELLA Head Start program will once again highlight cost effective case law retrieval as part of the seminars on the legal research process. Free resources and for fee resources will be covered as they have been in past programs.

As the web evolves, free resources emerge, disappear, and sometimes reappear. It is important for researchers to stay current with what is happening in the legal information landscape.

The purpose of the library

This lovely purpose statement articulates the why of a library:

The Purpose of the Library

The purpose of the Library is to preserve the integrity of civilization.

The Library has a moral obligation to adhere to its purpose despite social, economic, environmental, or political influences. The purpose of the Library will never change.

The Library is infinite in its capacity to contain, connect and disseminate knowledge; librarians are human and ephemeral, therefore we must work together to ensure the Library’s permanence.

Individual libraries serve the mission of their parent institution or governing body, but the purpose of the Library overrides that mission when the two come into conflict.

Why we do things will not change, but how we do them will.

A clear understanding of the Library’s purpose, its role, and the role of librarians is essential to the preservation of the Library.

From The Darien Statements on the Library and Librarians
Written and endorsed by John Blyberg, Kathryn Greenhill, and Cindi Trainor

How does this apply to our library? It is my job to ensure that continuity of policy is possible through documentation of the why of procedures, not just the how. It is also my job to ensure that the library remains woven deeply into the fabric of this firm so that its value is always transparent, its service is always exceptional, and its staff is always valuable and valued.