Author: library

Stay on Top of the NY Legal Scene

Stay on top of the NY legal scene with a free subscription to the NYLawyer.com’s Daily Buzz email newsletter. The Daily Buzz provides links to the full text of a variety of NYLawyer.com features, including an advice column covering topics such as finding a new law firm job, career crossroads, and balancing professional and personal lives.  It also includes News Watch, offering the latest stories about salaries,
law firms and prominent New York lawyers.   Many of the articles also appear in the New York Law Journal. We receive copies of the paper edition of the New York Law Journal (NYLJ) in the Library, so you can come by and read it daily. Selected NYLJ news and editorials and all “Decisions of Interest,” dating back to 1989, are available via Westlaw.

 

Westlaw on Internet Explorer in Library Labs

Technical problems are preventing users from accessing the Westlaw research website from computers in the Library’s lab rooms.  The NYLS Office of Information Technology is currently troubleshooting the problem.  Until it is resolved, lab users should launch the Firefox browser to access Westlaw.

Library Closed on Labor Day

All Library services and areas at 40 Worth Street will be closed on Monday, September 1, the Labor Day holiday.  But the Library is open regular hours, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, August 30 – 31.

Welcome to the entering classes of 2011/12

On behalf of the entire staff of the Mendik Library, I want to extend my welcome and congratulations to the entering classes of 2011/12. The library staff is looking forward to meeting you. You are about to begin a challenging and exciting journey. For most law students, the law library quickly becomes a constant feature of their lives. We welcome the opportunity to work with you throughout your law school career.

You are entering NYLS at a special time for us. Before you graduate, we will have moved into the new law school building and the new Library. This means that you will have the benefit of two “new” libraries—our temporary space on the 4th, 7th and 14th floors of 40 Worth St., and our permanent new home on West Broadway. Though we are not yet in our permanent quarters, you should be assured that you are already getting the benefit of an outstanding library collection, an extensive package of services, and an excellent library staff.

We describe our large collection and our services in great detail on our web pages and numerous handouts. What you might not realize from these publications is the outstanding quality of each and every person on the staff of the Mendik Library, and why that is important to you. Our staff of 26 includes fourteen professionals with master’s degrees, eight of whom also have J.D. degrees from law schools both in the region and around the country. They all have many years of experience working in law libraries and most have also been at New York Law School for several years. They can all help you with your library and research needs, of course, but their value to you goes far beyond that. Do not hesitate to ask your librarians questions about the law school, particular courses, or any of the extracurricular activities available. We can help you, or we will direct you to the best person to give you the help you need.

We all realize that law school is a new experience for each of you, and we are committed to making that experience a rewarding one.

Sincerely,

Professor Camille Broussard Library Director

Candidate Issue Index from the Brookings Institution

The Brookings Institution makes available a series of detailed charts, prepared by Brookings experts, outlining the presidential candidates’ positions on the most critical topics facing America’s next President. The topics, which include Fiscal Responsibility, Children, Iraq, Health Care, Immigration, Climate Change, and Trade, were chosen by Brookings staff and the indices will be published throughout the 2008 Presidential election cycle.  Access the charts here.

About the Portal’s Link to the New York Law Journal

Among the Quick Links on your NYLS Portal Homepage you’ll see a link to the Website of the New York Law Journal. If you’re not already familiar with the NYLJ, you should take a look. It’s the daily newspaper of record for New York lawyers, providing unique coverage of both local legal issues, and the practicing bar. But the NYLJ contains more than just reportage, it also includes news of recent court decisions, which are often reprinted in full text. All of this is invaluable to New York lawyers, and to students who plan to become New York lawyers.

There’s also something else you should know about the NYLJ Website. Not all of the information presented there is free. The headlines, and the text of many of the major articles are free content for anyone who visits the site. But there are other categories of content on the site, and access to “premium content” is limited to individual paid subscribers. The premium content is clearly identified on the site, with a key icon sitting next to the link. If you click on a link that’s next to a key, you’ll be asked for a subscriber’s username and password.

Since NYLJ markets its subscriptions to individual subscribers only, NYLS Library is not permitted to distribute subscriber usernames and passwords to the NYLS community. If you bring your laptop to the 4th floor Reference Desk, the librarian there can log you on so that you have free access to everything. But the Library cannot help you gain access to premium NYLJ content if you’re outside the Library.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that you have other ways to get NYLJ content. First of all, we receive copies of the paper edition in the Library, so you can come by and read it daily. Also, selected NYLJ news and editorials and all “Decisions of Interest,” dating back to 1989, are available via Westlaw. So if you have a Westlaw password, and Westlaw searching skills, you can easily access the premium materials that the NYLJ Website won’t let you see.

Beyond the NYLJ, the Library recommends another Website: New York Lawyer http://www.nylawyer.com. Produced by the same company that publishes the NYLJ, New York Lawyer is a free news site geared toward students and lawyers who are just starting out in practice. It’s the home of the New York Buzz, a free email service that delivers a daily summary of local legal news to your email box. If you have questions about the New York Lawyer, the NYLJ, or if you need any sort of research help, just contact the Library Reference Desk at 212-431-2332.

Library Intersession Schedule

The Summer Intersession runs from Wednesday, July 30 through Sunday, August 17. During this period Library spaces on the 14th floor are closed, and all Library areas and services are closed on weekends.

The rest of the Library runs on reduced hours. Study spaces and computer labs on the 7th floor are open 9 am to 6 pm on weekdays. The 4th floor Library, including Reference, Reserve, Circulation, computer labs and study spaces are open 9 am to 8 pm on Monday through Thursday, and 9 am to 6 pm on Friday

Good Luck on Bar Exams!

The Mendik Law Library wishes the very best of luck to all New York Law School graduates who will be sitting for a bar exam beginning on July 29, 2008.

Categories: Bar

Reminder: Quiet Study Rules in the Library

Please remember to abide by the Quiet Study Rules in Mendik Library reading rooms.  Even if you are the type of student who can study well in noise and commotion, remember that not everyone else feels the same way.  Note that all reading rooms and stack areas in the Library are Quiet Study Zones.  The only exception is the reading area next to the 4th floor Reference Desk.  Within Quiet Study Zones:

• Never engage in conversation.  A few words at a whisper should always suffice.  If you must engage in conversation, take it to the Library stairwells or outside.

• Don’t ever use your cell phone, and don’t put it on vibrate – mute it completely or turn it off.  Even a humming cell phone can disrupt your neighbor’s study.  If you’re waiting for an important call, you can study someplace else until you receive it.

• Cell phones aren’t the only electronics that make noise.  If your laptop has a sound card, don’t forget to mute it.  If you’ve got an IPod, make sure to keep the volume at a level that others can’t hear.

• When you enter or leave a Group Study Room, remember to close the door behind you.

• If you become aware of a noisy facilities condition – a squeaky door, a thumping photocopier, a rumbling equipment room – report it immediately to the Library staff at ext. 2332; on AIM at nylslib, or to Maintenance at ext. 2820.

As the bar exam approaches, the Library gets more crowded, and tensions can mount.  The only way to maintain an appropriate study atmosphere is through student cooperation under these simple rules. 

Still Time to Register for Legal Research: Labor and Employment Law

The class provides a great opportunity for anyone with an interest in labor and employment law to develop and hone the practical research skills necessary to hit the ground running as a practitioner. The seven-week class (from September 8, through October 20, 2008) will emphasize statutory and administrative/agency materials as well as specialized secondary sources, including forms, pleadings, court/agency rules and procedures, and some of the most important current awareness tools.

A few slots remain open for Legal Research: Labor and Employment Law, a one-credit, fall semester class that will meet on Mondays from 11:00-12:40.