Library Information

FAQs ABOUT THE 40 WORTH STREET LIBRARY

(Current as of Wednesday morning, January 11.)

Where are the books and the librarians?
ALL of the Library’s book collections are now on the 4th floor of 40 Worth St.  The Reference Librarians are on duty there too.  Course reserves too.  Interlibrary loan department too.  If you have a library question, or you want to check out a book, come to the 4th floor of 40 Worth St.

Where are the best study spaces?
Although there are some tables and study carrels on the 4th floor, most of the study space is on the 14th floor.  This floor has the best views, too.

Where are the group study rooms?
There is currently only one group study room at 40 Worth St., and it’s on the 14th floor.  All of the group study rooms in the old library building are still open, except for the rooms on the 4th floor of the old library, which are temporarily closed.  When the 7th floor space in 40 Worth St. becomes available to us, there will be many more group study rooms there.

Where are the computer labs?
There are twelve PC computers in the Training Room on the 4th floor.  These machines print to the Océ printer in the Copier Room, which is just down the hall from the Training Room.

The Training Room will be used for 1L Westlaw training sessions between January 23 and February 14.  During other times, the PC’s are available for student use.

There are no computer labs on the 14th floor.  All Library computer labs will move to the 7th floor of 40 Worth St. when this becomes available to us.  In the meantime, all of the labs in the old library building are still functioning, with printers, except for the lab on the old library’s 4th floor.

Is there wireless network access?
Yes, in all library spaces on the 4th and 14th floors.

Where are the printers, and can I send jobs from my laptop?
There’s an Océ printer on the 4th floor, and another one in the reading room in the southwest corner of the 14th floor.  But the 14th floor printer is not functioning yet.  The Office of Information Technology staff is working to get both printers functioning, and to post instructions for how to send print jobs.

Where are the photocopiers?
There are two Océ photocopiers on the 14th floor, and one in the Reserve Room on the 4th floor.  But one of the 14th floor photocopiers is not functioning yet.  Remember that the Océ printers can also be used as photocopiers.

How do I report a malfunctioning printer or photocopier?
Call or visit Library Circulation, just as you’ve always done, no matter where the machine may be in the new or old library.  As we now have machines in two different buildings, it may take our staff a bit longer to clear out a paper jam.  Please consider moving your work to a functioning machine.  If you’re in a 14th floor area temporarily without an interoffice phone, you can use a cell phone to call 212-431-2333.

How do I report an emergency if I’m in an area that’s temporarily without an interoffice phone?
REPORT THE EMERGENCY TO THE SECURITY GUARD ON DUTY ON YOUR FLOOR.  Both the 4th and 14th floors are staffed with security guards every hour they are open.

Can I bring food or drink into the Library?
On the 4th floor: no food, water or drinks only in the approved mug.  On the 14th floor: food and drink are permitted, within reason.

Why are there so few trash receptacles?
We’re working with the Office of Facilities Management to get more.  Please be patient.

I need to watch a video for class.  Where do I go?
If the video is on Reserve, you can borrow it from there.  The video stations are also on 4, in the Audiovisual Room, which is just opposite Reserve.

The material I need is held in microform (microfilm or fiche.)  How do I get it?
The Library’s microform collections are now kept in a storage room in the 40 Worth St. building.  Ask at Reference, and your microform will be retrieved for you.  There is a microform reader/printer in the 4th floor Audiovisual room.

In the On-Line Catalog, the book I’m looking for says “Off-Site/Ask at Circulation.”  What does this mean?
Your book is in remote storage.  We can retrieve it for you in a few days.  Ask the Reference or Circulation staffs on the 4th floor.  Your book will be delivered to and held at the Circulation Desk.

How do I get from the 4th floor library space to the 14th floor library space?
You have two options:  (1) Take the elevator down to the lobby, walk through the security area to the elevator bank on the other side of the building, and take the elevator up to 14, or  (2) Take the elevator up to 7, walk to the opposite elevator bank and take an elevator to 12, and then walk down the hall to the elevator bank that goes up to 14.  To go from 14 to 4, reverse the process.  Neither option is faster than the other.

Are Library hours the same at 40 Worth St. (the new library) and 240 Church St. (the old library)?
Yes, the scheduled hours of operation are identical at both sites.

Is the Library open on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, January 16?
No, it is closed, but open regular hours (10 a.m. to 10 p.m.) on the weekend before.

WHAT’S NOT READY YET at the 40 WORTH STREET LIBRARY?
Current as of Wednesday morning, January 11.

Wireless printing, and the printer on the 14th floor.
Wireless printing will work the same as it did in the old library. The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is setting up the print queues; watch the OIT Web page for specific information.  The printer on the 14th floor needs electrical work; this may take a few …

LIBRARY SPACES ARE OPEN!

240 Church St. (the old library)
4th floor: TEMPORARILY CLOSED
3rd floor: Quiet Study Spaces, Westlaw Lab w/network printer, Group Study Rooms, Photocopier
2nd floor: Quiet Study Spaces, Lexis Lab, PC Lab w/network printer, Group Study Rooms, Photocopier
1st floor: Study Spaces, PC Lab w/network printer, Photocopier
Lower Lvl.: Quiet Study Spaces, Group Study Room

40 Worth St. (the new library)
14th floor: Quiet Study Spaces, Group Study Room, Network Printer, Photocopier
4th floor:  Reference, Book Collections, Reserve, Interlibrary Loan, Network Printer, Photocopier, Study Space

40 Worth Street Library Will Open January 9th

The 40 Worth Street Library space will open Monday, January 9th.  As of now, the 40 Worth Street library consists of space on the 4th and 14th floors.  Additional space on the 7th floor is expected to be ready later in the semester.

All floors have printers and photocopiers.  Wireless internet access is available throughout the library space, and wireless printing capability will be up and running soon.  You do not need to reconfigure your computers.

4th floor:  reference desk, circulation desk, all book and periodical collections, course reserves, interlibrary loan department, computer training room, video stations, microform reader, limited study space. The reference, circulation, and interlibrary loan staff are also located on the 4th floor.

14th floor:  the bulk of student quiet study space. Food and beverages are permitted without restriction in the 14th floor study spaces.

Note about bathrooms:  bathrooms are located on the 4th, 7th, and 14th floors. However, the 4th floor bathrooms are still being renovated; temporarily, the closest bathrooms to the 4th floor are on the 3rd floor.  Please ask the staff on the 4th floor for the combination to the 3rd floor bathroom.

New York Law School security guards are located at the entrances to the library spaces.

The old library space will remain available as a study space until further notice.  Some library staff offices will remain in the old library temporarily.  All library books and other materials, however, are housed at 40 Worth Street. In order to accommodate students studying for exams, the old library space will remain open as a late night study hall until 2:00 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights, January 9, 10, and 11. The space will be monitored by security staff. The Library space at 40 Worth Street will close on these evenings at 11:00 p.m.  The Stiefel Room and the Broad Student Center will remain open 24/7.

Library Hours for January Exam Period

On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights, January 9, 10, and 11, the old library space will remain open as a late night study hall until 2:00 a.m. in order to accommodate students studying for exams.  The space will be monitored by security staff. The new Library space at 40 Worth Street will close on these evenings at 11:00 p.m. The Stiefel Room and the Broad Student Center will remain open 24/7.

Library will be closed Dec. 23, 2005 – January 9, 2006

Please note that the Library will be closed for its move across the street to 40 Worth Street.

Please check the NYLS Building Blog for information about building hours and study spaces over the Winter Break.

If you have a reference or other question, you can contact the Librarians by sending an email to: reference@nyls.edu. We will be checking it periodically and will get back to you as soon as we can.

We wish you a happy and healthly New Year and look forward to welcoming you to our new Library space at 40 Worth Street in January, 2006!

Microforms on the Move

As of November 11, 2005, the Library’s microfiche/microfilm collection has been moved to 40 Worth Street as part of the Library’s temporary relocation. However, all microfiche and microfilm remain accessible to members of the law school community.  Anyone requiring access to microfiche or microfilm should contact a Reference Librarian (reference@nyls.edu 212.431.2332).  Requested materials will be brought to this building for your use.

Library Users Asked to Honor Quiet Study Rules

A message from the administration and staff of the Mendik Library:

As final exams approach, all students must keep in mind the importance of abiding by the Quiet Study Rules in the Mendik Library. 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. At this time of year, the number of student noise complaints to library staff always rises dramatically. Making noise, even a little noise for a short time, can be extremely disruptive to your fellow students who are trying to study.

The library administration and staff, in concert with the Office of Facilities Management, does what it can to cultivate a quiet environment at finals time. Construction and maintenance work are avoided in the library, and we make sure that the group study rooms are kept free for student use. We also walk around and “shush,” as good librarians must. But we can’t be everywhere, and we can do only so much enforcement. We count on the cooperation and collegiality of students to keep the peace.

In particular, we ask that students take note that all reading areas, stack areas and public corridors in the library are Quiet Study Zones, with the exception of the first floor. 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.
  • Do not 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, please find a place to study outside the Quiet Study Zones until you receive it.
  • Cell phones aren’t the only electronics that make noise. If your laptop has a sound card, mute it so that its noises are not audible to your neighbors. If you’ve got an IPod or a Walkman, make sure to keep the volume at a level that others can’t hear.
    When you enter or leave a group study room or computer lab, 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 (extension 2332, or you can push the “Library Help” button on any of our interoffice phones). We’ll do what we can to get the problem resolved as quickly as possible.

During the finals period the library gets very crowded, and tensions can sometimes mount. The only way to maintain an appropriate study atmosphere is through student cooperation under these simple rules. We ask that you keep them in mind always, and especially at this time of year.

If you have any questions, please contact Bill Mills, associate librarian for information services, at extension 2380 (212.431.2380) or wmills@nyls.edu.