Research

Don’t Be Legally Prizeless!

There’s no need to be legally clueless or legally prizeless anymore.  All you need to do is turn in your completed Legally Clueless Info Hunt answers at the Library Reference Desk before Thursday, August 29 at 5:00 p.m. and you could win one of more than a dozen valuable study aids, texts and other fun prizes we will be giving away.  In addition to Barnes & Noble gift cards, winners can choose from the following list of titles:

 Acing Criminal Procedure
Criminal Procedure: Quick Review
Federal Criminal Practice: A Second Circuit Handbook
Five Chiefs: A Supreme Court Memoir
Foundations of Labor and Employment Law
Foundations of Tort Law
Habeas Corpus in America: The Politics of Individual Rights
Leading Constitutional Cases on Criminal Justice
Mastering Statutory Interpretation
Plain English for Drafting Statutes and Rules
Principles of Business Organizations
Property: Examples and Explanations
Questions and Answers: Business Associations
Questions and Answers: Civil Procedure
Questions and Answers: Contracts
Questions and Answers: Criminal Law
Questions and Answers: Torts
Understanding Constitutional Law
Understanding Islamic Law
Understanding Lawyers’ Ethics

If you can’t find your copy of the Legally Clueless Info Hunt form, pick up another one at the Reference Desk.  Remember, you can work with a partner or a group and you should always feel free to ask one of the reference librarians for help.

Good luck to all!

The Bluebook App

Have you tried the Bluebook app yet?  It’s available for iPads, iPhones, and iPods (with an Android version probably in the works we’re told). The app supports full-text searching, browsing, highlighting, bookmarking, and annotating.  Among its features, the continuous display of the Table of Contents and hyperlinking of cross-references make navigation a breeze.  You don’t have to worry about losing your Internet connection either.  Once downloaded, the rules reside on your device for offline use.  Give it a try!  Here’s the link.  There is a special promotion for law students; with purchase of the app, you will also get access to the 2013 Federal Rules.

A few things to note:  If you have an iPhone and an iPad, one purchase enables you to use it on both devices.  Second, at $39.95, it is a little more expensive than the print Bluebook (which is $37.15 (new) at the NYLS bookstore).  But for folks who want the convenience and search capability of digital access it may well be worth it.  An extra benefit is that all Bluebook updates between editions are automatically added to the app and you “own” the app; there’s no need to purchase it again unless you want to once a new edition is published.  (New editions of the Bluebook are published every five years, with the 20th edition scheduled for 2015.)

Comparing it against the Bluebook’s online version, the app’s pricing may still be more favorable.  The online version is $32 for one year, with annual renewals priced at $15, although you can pay $42 for two years or $50 for three years with corresponding $15 renewals. But that is only available “online,” meaning on a PC or Mac, and you’ll need an Internet connection while using it.  Remember: the Mendik Library has a subscription to the online Bluebook, which can be accessed from two PCs in the Library.  Contact the Reference Desk for password information.

The Challenge is On!

Join us next Wednesday June 12 (and on any or all of the following Wednesdays: June 19, June 26, and July 10), for the Mendik Library’s 2013 Summer Research Challenge! Hone your research skills and have some fun (and snacks) at the same time. Get all the details here.

More Online Resources

Mendik Library isn’t the only wealth of digital information. There’s even more available through NOVELNY, the New York Online Virtual Electronic Library (a service of the New York State Library).  This resource provides over 5,600 databases that include: newspapers, journals, magazines and other periodicals; information on health and business; encyclopedias; and content for children. You can log in with your New York driver’s license or non-driver state ID. Just like Mendik, it’s YOUR library – check it out!

April Foolin’

Happy April Fool’s Day from the Mendik Library! As a springtime treat, here’s an easy opportunity to be entered into a drawing to WIN valuable study aids, texts and other prizes.

Click here to access the April Fool’s Day Info Hunt (works best with Internet Explorer).  Each slide includes one question (there are only 6) and easy, step-by-step instructions. Press Enter to reveal each step.  Click here to access an answer sheet, or pick up a copy at the Reference Desk.  Drop your completed answer sheet in the Raffle Drum at the Reference Desk or e-mail it to reference@nyls.edu by 5:00 PM on Thursday, April 4. The drawing will take place outside the library entrance on April 4 at 5:40 PM. You need not be present to win, but an additional entry form will be added for each student who does attend!

 

Among the titles the winners will choose from are:

Acing Criminal Procedure

Federal Criminal Practice: A Second Circuit Handbook

Foundations of Labor and Employment Law

Foundations of Tort Law

Leading Constitutional Cases on Criminal Justice

Legal Writing: Ethical and Professional Considerations

Plain English for Drafting Statutes and Rules

Property: Examples and Explanations

Questions & Answers: Business Associations

Questions & Answers: Civil Procedure

Questions & Answers: Contracts

Questions & Answers: Criminal Law

Questions & Answers: Criminal Procedure

Questions & Answers: Torts

Understanding Islamic Law

 

Save Money!

Learn how to do cost effective legal research using WestlawNext and Lexis Advance.  It’s a vital skill that employers expect you to have and that you’ll want to tout.  Check the training calendars for Westlaw and Lexis and register while you can.  On Westlaw, select the Training tab at the top of the toolbar.  Then choose the Training at my school link. On Lexis, click the Training Calendar tab and follow the on screen instructions.  It’s never too soon to start saving money!

THOMAS and Congress.gov

THOMAS, the Library of Congress’s longstanding Web site for congressional and legislative research, is gradually being supplanted by a new research platform, congress.gov.  Although still in beta, congress.gov is intended to make searching for legislation easier and more convenient for the next generation of internet users.  The Web site’s responsive design adapts to tablet or smartphone screens and features an easy-to-locate, front-and-center search field.  As the Web site continues to be refined over the next year to improve functionality, public feedback is strongly encouraged.  Check it out!

Court-PASS: Online Database for NY Court of Appeals

On February 1, the New York Court of Appeals launched a free online document database called Court-PASS. Practitioners will be able to upload court papers and the database will serve as permanent digital archive of all cases filed after January 1, 2013. Researchers will be able to search or browse Court-PASS and view decisions, briefs, motion papers, criminal/civil case records, and videos/transcripts of oral arguments. For more information see the Court’s Notice to the Bar.

Questions from Cupid

An early Happy Valentine’s Day from the Mendik Library! As a Valentine’s treat, here’s an easy opportunity to be entered into a drawing to WIN great study aids, texts and other prizes.  And did we mention chocolate?

Click here to access the Valentine’s Day Info Hunt – Questions from Cupid (use Internet Explorer for best results).  Each slide includes one question (there are only 6) and easy, step-by-step instructions. Press enter to reveal each step.  Click  here to access an answer sheet or pick up a copy at the Reference Desk. Either submit your completed answer sheet at the Reference Desk or e-mail it to reference@nyls.edu by 5:00 PM on Thursday, February 14. The drawing will take place outside the library entrance on February 14 at 5:40 PM. You need not be present to win, but an additional entry form will be added for each student who does attend!

Among the titles the winners will choose from are:

Corbin on Contracts
Payment Systems (Examples & Explanations)
Secured Transactions (Examples & Explanations)
Acing Criminal Law Procedures
Civil Procedure Stories
Criminal Law Stories
Foundations of Tort Law
Leading Constitutional Cases on Criminal Justice
Understanding Islamic Law
Legal Writing: Ethical and Professional Considerations
Interactive Citation Workbook for The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation
Basic Legal Research Workbook
Questions and Answers: Wills, Trusts, & Estates
Foundations of Labor and Employment Law
Plain English for Drafting Statutes and Rules
Federal Criminal Practice: A Second Circuit Handbook
Property (Examples & Explanations)

Congrats to Our Winners!

We wanted to congratulate all of the winners in this year’s Halloween Info Hunt!  Even Hurricane Sandy couldn’t scare off these (or the many other) intrepid researchers.  We also wanted to thank ALL participants for joining in what we hope you all found to be a fun learning experience!  At our November 8, 2012 drawing, we drew 13 winners from our famous Raffle Drum and offered them their choice of prizes.  Hearty congratulations to:

Lola Ajifowobaje
Alena Bohacova
Vanessa Caicedo
Christopher Carrion
Gloria Chacon
Jordann  Connaboy
Tenzin Dharlo
Aisha Elston-Wesley
Lansburg Jean-Pierre
Jamin Koo
Jonathan Reinstein
Kelly Rutkowski
Greg Sun

 If your heart is already throbbing for the Mendik Library’s next Info Hunt, you’ll find satisfaction (and perhaps love) in early February when we announce our annual Valentine’s Day Find Love in the Library Info Hunt.  Stay tuned!!