Library Information

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.