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Wisconsin State Law Library > Newsletter archive > This issue
Come celebrate spring at the library with our April open house! Enjoy a dessert reception over the lunch hours on Thursday, April 23rd, from 11:30-1:30. Take a self-guided tour of the library, check out our latest displays, and enjoy delicious sweet and savory treats.
The open house will take place in the Lavinia Goodell State Law Library, located on the second floor of 120 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Madison. All are welcome to join the celebration.
When: Thursday, April 23, 2026 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Where: Lavinia Goodell State Law Library, 120 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Madison
by Daphne Goldfinch
Around this time of year, libraries around the country promote National Library Week - an annual celebration of library spaces, services, and professionals. The theme this year is “Find Your Joy.”
This year also happens to be the Wisconsin State Law Library’s 190th birthday. Established on April 20, 1836 alongside the Territory of WI, the WI State Library did not become the WI State Law Library until 1866 (Laws of 1866, Chapter 119, Section 3).
Part of the joy of working in a library with such a long history is exploring 100+ year-old documents. The library has many of these, most produced by other court departments or the legislature. But, as a celebration of the library itself, we want to highlight a couple resources that are part of the library’s story.
Before digital cataloging systems, the library kept yearly cataloging books featuring a mix of typed and handwritten entries to keep track of the books present in the library in any given year. The photo on the left is the inside cover of the catalogue from 1858, ten years after Wisconsin became a state. The photo on the right shows the beginnings of a collection that has grown each year - print copies of Wisconsin’s laws.
This next photo is of the “W” entries in the “Order Book” covering texts ordered for the library beginning July 1, 1938. Although there is no end date listed, the entries suggest this book was used through most of the 1940s. What is especially notable about this page is the entry of Wigmore on Evidence, a treatise used by attorneys today. All ten volumes of the 1940 edition of Wigmore on Evidence are on the shelves at the present-day library (see the catalog record). We have the most recent edition of course, which can be accessed in print and via VitalLaw.
We would love to celebrate national library week with you! We are having an open house from 11:30am-1:30pm on Thursday, April 23rd. We hope to see you there!
by Noelle Brasch
Check out this month’s display on library resources! In honor of National Library Week, April 19-25, our display is highlighting new books as well as the Wisconsin State Law Library’s history and services. Stop by our open house on April 23 to see the display in person or click below for some of our newest materials.
In this display
New perspectives on the legal treatise
KF 240 .Y35 2025
The law of business on the internet
KFW 2613 .L39 2025
Animal law handbook
KFW 2770 .A3 A55 2025
The digital fourth amendment: privacy and policing in our online world
KF 9630 .K47 2025
The state of Wisconsin blue book
KFW 2418 .B58 2025-26
First amendment law handbook
KF 4770 .A15 F57 2025-2026
Fiancé & marriage visas: a couple’s guide to U.S. immigration
KF 4819.85 .B73 2025
Artificial intelligence: law & litigation
KF 390.5 .C6 A15236 2025
Artificial intelligence: legal issues, policy, and practical strategies
KF 390.5 .C6 A78 2024
by Noelle Brasch
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New Book! New perspectives on the legal treatise, edited by Femi Cadmus & Nicholas Mignanelli
Call number: KF 240 .Y35 2025
This book is a collection of essays by legal scholars and law librarians on the academic legal treatise. Tracking its historical development through to AI’s influence today, the legal treatise has a legacy in Anglo-American law. Altogether these essays attempt to offer a deeper understanding of the changing legal information environment.
Topics include:
- Citation of treatises
- Decline of legal-academic treatise writing
- Revolution and the treatise
- Importance of the legal treatise in history
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New Book! The law of neighbors, by Donald J. Kochan & James Charles Smith
Call number: KF 639 .N45 2025
Law of Neighbors’ 2025 update continues as a tool for examining issues and conflicts with neighbors. Authors Kochan and Smith focus on the residential neighborhood and the doctrines of real property law. This single volume discusses federal, state, and local regulations in relation to several pertinent issues.
Topics include:
- Zoning
- Airspace
- Easements
- Water law
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Check out our monthly list of new and updated books to find more materials to add to your to-be-read list!
by Heidi Yelk
Creating "jumps" in a Microsoft Word document
If you are creating a Microsoft Word document with a table of contents or several sections, it's easy to add jumps within the document so your users can move around or skip to important content quickly.
The first step is to create "bookmarks" within the document you have written.
- Place your cursor where you want users to "jump.”
- Go to the Insert menu and choose Bookmark.
- Name your Bookmark and click Add.
The second step is to add the hyperlinks.
- In your document's Table of Contents, outline, or introductory paragraph, etc. select the words that should "jump" to the bookmark in the document. (To select the words, hold the right mouse button down and drag the cursor over those words, highlighting them.)
- From the Insert menu choose "link" to open the dialog box which will enable you to create the hyperlink.
- In the dialog box, select "Place in this Document" (second choice on the left) and choose the bookmark name you previously created.
Now you have a created "jumps" to help readers navigate your document.
If you would like to convert the Word document to a PDF document, the free website ilovepdf.com will convert the document to PDF and keep the hyperlinks intact.
by Carol Hassler
Spring webinars from your library
Sign up for our spring webinars! Classes are free, and qualify for CLE credit. Please reach out to Michael Keane with questions about the class and Jaden Henneman with questions about registering.
Introduction to Wisconsin Legislative History
Wednesday, April 22, Noon - 1:00 PM
1 CLE credit
Register for Introduction to Wisconsin legislative history
Wisconsin Legislative History - Budget Bill Calamities
Wednesday, May 20, Noon - 1:00 PM
1 CLE credit
Register for Budget bill calamities
Welcome new staff!
Please join us in welcoming Molly Foye to the Milwaukee County Law Library. Molly is the new Library Associate at this busy courthouse library. Welcome, Molly!
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