Author: library

Freedom of Information Day

March 16 marks not only James Madison’s birthday but the celebration of Freedom of Information Day as well.  Madison, the nation’s fourth President and a major architect of the U.S. Constitution, believed strongly in citizen access to government information.  He once wrote “A popular government without popular information, or the means to acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy . . . .” (Letter to W.T. Barry, 1822, The Writings of James Madison.)  Freedom of Information Day honors the importance of the public’s right to know and of freedom of the press, speech, and information.

The day will be marked in Washington, D.C. by a conference hosted by the First Amendment Center and co-sponsored by, among others, the American Library Association.  Access advocates, government officials, judges, lawyers, librarians, journalists and educators will come together to discuss issues related to transparency in government.

Locally, Freedom of Information Day will be observed by the NYPL’s Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL) with a presentation by Heather Joseph, Executive Director of the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC).  SPARC is an international alliance of academic and research libraries working to create a more open system of scholarly communication.  A discussion will follow.  The program runs from 10:30 AM to 12 PM in Conference Room 18 on the lower level of the library, which is located at 188 Madison Ave in Manhattan.

Replenishing Your Print/Copy Fund

At the beginning of each Fall Semester, NYLS students are given 300 free copies/prints for use in the Library’s networked copier/printers.  This appears on your NYLS OneCard Account as a “Print/Copy Fund.”  If your “Print/Copy Fund” is getting low, you may now wish to replenish it, using your own funds.

The OneCard system does not allow you to deposit funds to your “Print/Copy Fund.”  But when this fund runs out, the system looks to your “FlexFund” Account to cover printing/copying charges.  So you may add funds for printing and copying by depositing to your “FlexFund” Account with cash or a credit card at the AMC machines located in 185 West Broadway on the first floor near the Coffee Bar, and the fifth floor vending area.

Mendik Library Research Skills Sessions

From March 1 through March 25, the Mendik Library’s Reference Staff is offering a number of Research Skills Workshops focusing on the practical skills you will need in order to do research for class or for the workplace.

All sessions will be held in Electronic Research Classroom L203.

Each session is limited to 16 attendees.

Advance Online Registration is required for ALL sessions.

Sessions for which no one has registered will be cancelled 24 hours prior to the scheduled start of that session.

To Register for a Research Skills Workshop:
1. Click on the name of the class in which you are interested.
2. The calendar will highlight the date or dates on which sessions for that class are offered. Click on date of the session you wish to attend.
3. Click on the Time Slot box.
4. Enter your name, e-mail and an easily remembered password. You will be sent a confirmation e-mail immediately and a reminder e-mail before your session.
5. Submit Your Request.
6. Click on SAVE.

If you discover you will not be able to attend a session for which you registered, please use the link contained in either the confirmation or reminder e-mails to cancel or re-schedule your appointment.

 

Agency Law: Rules, Regulations & More  March 3rd (Wed.) from 5:00 – 5:50 pm.

Not all law is made in Congress. Focusing on the CFR and Federal Register, learn the basics of researching Federal Agency rules and regulations. (50 minutes)

CALR: Bring in your Problems (Lexis, Westlaw or anything else)*
March 1st (Mon.), March 18th (Thu.) and March 22nd (Mon.) from 5:10 – 5:50 pm.
If you have any questions regarding Westlaw, Lexis or any other type of Computer Assisted Legal Research, you should definitely come to one of these sessions.
* Note: Attendance DOES NOT satisfy the1st Year CALR requirement.

Citation Workshop
March 2nd (Tue.), March 9th (Tue.) and March 25th (Thu.) from 5:10 – 5:50 pm.
Uncomfortable with the Bluebook? This workshop focuses on some of the common citation problems faced by people trying to use the Bluebook.

Encore: You Will be Surprised at What Is in Our Catalog
March 8th (Mon.) from 5:10 – 5:50.
The catalog used to just tell you what books a library owned. Now it is a sophisticated 21st century program that is the gateway to many kinds of electronic and paper resources. Find the catalog search secrets that will give you the research edge.

Getting Started on a NY Legal Research Project
March 4th (Thu.) and March 17th (Wed.) from 5:00 – 5:50.
What is the NYCRR, the Green Book, the CLS? Get a quick overview of the major sources used in researching New York legal questions.

Loislaw: A Low-Cost Alternative to Lexis and Westlaw
March 16th (Tue.) from 5:10 – 5:50.
While having fewer databases than Lexis or Westlaw, Loislaw can be a viable CALR alternative for the solo practitioner or small firm.


Power Googling
March 11th (Thu.) from 5:10 – 5:50.
Don’t restrict yourself to the tip of the Google iceberg! Learn to use wild cards, phrases, connectors. Set up electronic Google Alerts. Check out Google Scholar and Google Print.

Premium Databases for Specialized Research
March 23rd (Tue.) from 5:10 – 5:50.
A large number of very useful subscription databases can be accessed by members of the NYLS community. Learn what is available to you and how to use these valuable research tools.


Tax Workshop
March 15th (Mon.) from 5:00 – 5:50.
An introduction to many of the tools with which the Federal Tax researcher needs to become familiar. Learn about Looseleaf Services, the tax databases on Lexis & Westlaw and internet tax research resources to which the library subscribes.

Using the West Digest System
March 24th (Wed.) from 5:10 – 5:50.
Using the West Digest System can make researching easier. Come to the session and learn how to use Headnotes, Digest Topics and Key Numbers to your best advantage.


What Is a Legislative History and Why You Should Care
March 10th (Wed.) from 5:00-5:50.
What is a Legislative History? Why is it important? How is one complied? Come to the session and see.

 

One-on-One Research Appointments

If you have a specific research question or problem that can’t be dealt with adequately within the time framework of a scheduled class, or, if you would like to spend some time talking with a Reference Librarian about any aspect of Legal Research, contact the senior reference librarian (Michael McCarthy or 212.431.2384).

 

 

NYLS Site Linked with First African-American Newspaper

Freedom’s Journal, founded in 1827 to provide a voice against racism and intolerance, was the first newspaper published in the United States by and for African-Americans.  A number of sources place its home at 236 Church Street, which is today encompassed by NYLS’ 57 Worth Street building. This neighborhood was home to a large number of free northern blacks who, at that time, constituted a small minority in the city.

Freedom’s Journal denounced slavery and lynchings and advocated for black suffrage. It also published articles on how the U.S. legal and political systems helped to perpetuate slavery.  But the publication itself was not long-lived. Founding editor John Brown Russwurm published the last issue in 1829, shortly before emigrating to Liberia.

Read more about Freedom’s Journal in the Fall/Winter issue of New York Law School Magazine. You can access a copy of the article here.

Upper-Class Students: Update Your Email Address!

If you entered NYLS before the Fall semester of 2008, you were assigned an email address ending in @nyls.edu.  In August 2008 NYLS changed email systems; all student email addresses now end in @law.nyls.edu.  For one year, all messages sent to a student’s old address were automatically forwarded to the new one.  But this automatic forwarding ended in April 2009.

Chances are that you used your original first-year email address to set up your Lexis and Westlaw accounts.  If you have not updated your Lexis and Westlaw account profiles, then email notices sent by these vendors to your old address are no longer reaching you.  This includes important communications, such as acknowledgements that are sent when you change your Lexis or Westlaw password, and notices from your Lexis and TWEN Webcourses.

Pease take a moment now to update your email address in your Lexis and Westlaw profiles.  Simple instructions for doing this can be found at http://www.nyls.edu/library/how_do_i/update_password_profiles.

Presidents Day Sale!

Now’s your chance to own this year’s hottest library accessory at half the usual cost. Wednesday through Friday of this week you can buy the official Mendik Library mug for just $1.00. It is a must-have (literally) if you want to enjoy your coffee or other beverage in the library. Pick yours up at the Circulation Desk.

Remember – the Library’s food policy prohibits all beverages other than water unless contained in a spill-proof mug. The full policy is available here. Some limits on the food and drink allowed in the library are necessary to keep it clean and comfortable for many years to come. We must respect our physical space and work hard to maintain it. Spills spread, stain, and leave behind a sticky residue attractive only to vermin. Food that is smelly or messy or noisy disturbs and distracts everyone around you. Messy items provide more food for local vermin. You wouldn’t bring food or drink into the courtroom, or to a client’s office, or on an interview.

A spill-proof mug is all it takes to enter the library with any beverage you like. If you don’t have a spill-proof mug, pick one up at the circulation desk for $1.00. Everyone will appreciate your cooperation.

Google-Bloomberg Tsunami Hits Lexis & Westlaw

Lexis & Westlaw, the long-time standard-bearers in online legal research, are now facing a Google-Bloomberg tsunami. Over the past several years, Lexis and Westlaw have both felt increasing competition from lower cost electronic legal research providers and from free government and public interest websites.  Now they are being hit hard by the emergence of two formidable competitors, Google and Bloomberg.

In November, Google began offering free access to all federal court opinions dating back to 1923 (Supreme Court opinions from 1791), state appellate court opinions back to 1950, and a range of law reviews and journals.  (See our previous post about Google here.)  Meanwhile, Bloomberg was already in the process of unveiling Bloomberg Law, which provides access to federal and state case and statutory law, case dockets, legal and business news and analysis, and a growing collection of secondary sources.  Along with its own citator (BCite), Bloomberg Law also introduces elements of web 2.0 to the research process.  Among other things, researchers can collaborate through shared “Workspaces,” and can annotate research results using a “Memo Pad.” Lexis and Westlaw appear primed to respond with their own new platforms:  Westlaw is debuting WestLawNext on February 1 and Lexis is expected to unveil its New Lexis product later this year. For additional details see this January 24, 2010 New York Times article.

Stay tuned for what are certain to be ongoing developments.