Celebrating Women’s History Month

In 1869, Myra Bradwell, who had passed the Illinois bar exam, was denied admission to the bar, on the grounds that a married woman couldn’t enter into contracts because of the common law doctrine of coverture and also because of her gender.  In the Illinois Supreme Court’s view, women weren’t entitled to practice law. Voting 8-1, the United States Supreme Court, 83 U.S. 130, affirmed that decision in 1872.  Undeterred, Bradwell continued advocating for women’s rights and continued to publish the Chicago Legal News, which she had founded in 1868 and which had become the most widely circulated legal newspaper of the time.

 

 

In 1890, the Illinois Supreme Court reconsidered Bradwell’s 1869 application and granted it nunc pro tunc, retroactively making her the first woman lawyer in Illinois.

Congratulations to our Valentine’s Day Info Hunt Winners!

Thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s Valentine’s Day Info Hunt!

We want to thank ALL of you for putting your research skills to work and joining us in what we hope you all found to be a great learning experience. Here are the 22 winners drawn from our renowned Raffle Drum:

Those winners who haven’t claimed their prize, please drop by the Circulation Desk to pick it up.

Celebrating Black History Month

Did you know that NYLS’s 57 Worth Street building encompasses the site (236 Church Street) that was once home to Freedom’s Journal, the first newspaper published in the United States by and for black Americans? Founded in 1827 to provide a voice against racism and intolerance, it denounced slavery and lynchings and advocated for black suffrage. The surrounding neighborhood was once home to a large number of free northern blacks who, at that time, constituted a small minority in the city. Just steps away from 236 Church Street a plaque commemorates the site of the Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, which occupied the space from 1800-1864. The church was the first church built for and by black Americans, and had strong ties to Freedom’s Journal.

To learn more about Freedom’s Journal, seek out a copy of the Fall/Winter 2010 issue of New York Law School Magazine, which contains a more in-depth article regarding NYLS’s connection to the newspaper. You can also access a copy of the article here.

 

 

Valentine’s Day Info Hunt- Can you find love in the Library?

The Valentine’s Day Info Hunt is back! Can you find love in the Library?

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, here’s the Library’s sweet treat for you: an opportunity to WIN study aids, Lexis points, NYLS swag, and Starbucks gift cards. Just answer any 3 of the 6 Valentine’s Info Hunt questions. Your answers don’t need to be perfect—just close!

Click here to access the questions. Each slide includes just one question, along with step-by-step instructions to get you to the answer.

Print the PDF answer sheet (or pick up a copy at the Reference Desk) and drop it in our Reference Desk Raffle Drum by 3pm on Wednesday February 14th, and then join us outside the library at 5:45 for some sweets and the prize drawing at 5:45pm.

Resources on Moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel

On December 6, 2017, President Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and instructed the State Department to develop a plan to relocate the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. On December 21, 2017, two weeks later, the United Nations voted 128-9 (with 35 abstentions) to demand that the US rescind the declared move.

Oxford University Press has made available a number of free resources explaining the legal and historical background of the issue and providing an account of the governing law.

Pizza Survey Results Delivered- 2017 First Week Pizza Survey Results

For the eleventh consecutive year, the Mendik Library surveyed 1Ls during First Week about some of their digital inclinations. For the complete survey results (along with the questions) and how they compare to results over the past ten years, here.

Spoiler alert—pepperoni once again repeated as the most popular pizza topping, this time based on the preferences of 347 members of the classes of 2020/21. These students also responded to questions about:

• their preferred platforms for electronic communication;
• their usage of Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Twitter, Blogs & Podcasts;

• the digital devices they owned and used, including Macs v. PCs, Smartphones, Tablets and E-Book Readers.

Here are some of the highlights:

Communication

• Email remained decidedly less preferred as a means of electronic communication, with only 19% of the class preferring it over text messaging (72%). Social media apps were the preferred means of electronic communication for just 9%.

Social Media

• For the first time in ten years, Facebook is no longer the dominant social networking platform for these students. Instagram was the choice of 36%, up from last year’s 27% figure. Only 29% of this class labeled Facebook as the social networking platform they used most often.

• Snapchat also continued to gain ground over Facebook, increasing from 15% in 2016 to 18% this year.

Preferred Devices

• Continuing the previous ten-year trend, the popularity of Mac laptops versus PC laptops increased to 73%, up from last year’s figure of 68%.

• Ownership of iPhones increased to 86% of the class, with 14% owning Android phones.

E-Books

• Students are taking advantage of e-books using a variety of devices, though the large majority (79%) have done so on a computer (desktop or laptop), nearly twice as many as those using iPads (43%) and nearly four times as many as those using Kindles (20%). Only 10% of respondents indicated they had not read or viewed any e-books.

• Perhaps most significantly, students continue to manifest an aversion to the use of e-books for classes. Asked whether they had used an e-textbook for classes, only 41% said yes, a steep decline from last year’s 58% figure.

• When those who had used an e-textbook were asked if they preferred it to a print textbook, 86% said “no,” a slight increase over last year’s 85% figure.

Pizza

• Pepperoni continues to reign supreme as students’ favorite pizza topping, pulling in 29% of the vote, up from last year’s 22% number. The only other toppings in double figures were Extra Cheese at 17% and Mushrooms at 12%.

Exam Prep Help!

The Library wants to help!! Here are three important tips as you prepare for upcoming exams:

• Visit the Library’s Exam Preparation Resources page for lots of sources containing practical advice and strategies.

• Visit our archive of previous years’ exams, organized by course name and professor, found under Student Resources on the NYLS Portal.

• Try some CALI lessons, interactive tutorials covering almost all law school subjects. CALI also offers a variety of lessons and podcasts with exam tips and advice from faculty, including Top 10 Tips for Successfully Writing a Law School Essay and Tips for Multiple Choice Exams in Law School. If you haven’t registered for CALI, contact the Reference Desk (reference@nyls.edu) for the access code or pick up a CALI card at the Reference Desk.

CALI also wants to help you “tune out the noise,” with their complimentary earplugs. Grab a pair (a pair) at the Reference Desk.

Attention 1Ls: A Westlaw Scholarship opportunity awaits!

From now until November 19th, 1Ls have the opportunity to enter into Westlaw’s “Ready to Go Pro?” Sweepstakes. To enter the sweepstakes, complete the short interactive eLearning modules and/or the “Ready to Go Pro?” Challenge. See the official rules for details.

Sweepstakes prizes include:

Grand Prize: Five (5) – $5,000 scholarships

First Prize: Ten (10) – $500 scholarships

Weekly Prizes: Each week Westlaw will award 15 winners with a $120 Spotify e-gift card (one year subscription)

To enter:

  1. Go to lawschool.westlaw.com
  2. Click on the blue “Take the Challenge” button under Are you “Ready to go pro?” OR select “Training Tools” and then select “Ready to Go Pro Sweepstakes”

 

Good luck!

The Haunted Halloween Info Hunt is Back!

Happy Halloween from the Mendik Library!

As an early Halloween Treat, here’s your opportunity to WIN one of more than a dozen great study aids, texts, NYLS swag, Starbucks gift cards, and many other prizes! Just answer any 3 of the 6 Haunted Halloween Info Hunt questions. Your answer doesn’t need to be perfect—just close!

Click here to access the questions.  Each slide includes just one question, along with step-by-step instructions to get you to the answer.

Print this PDF answer sheet (or pick up a copy at the Reference Desk) and drop it in our Reference Desk Raffle Drum by 3 pm on Tuesday, October 31 and then join us outside the library at 5:30 pm for some treats and the prize drawing at 5:45.