Can the Library Do the Can-Can? You Bet We Can!

Congratulations Class of 2012!  We are very happy to report that this year’s “Food for Fines” was a smashing success!  We collected more than 780 food items for the Salvation Army’s Chinatown Corps. In addition to serving underprivileged families, the Chinatown Corps helps more than 700 senior citizens in the nearby neighborhood.  When the Corps staff came by recently to pick up the cans, Dean Crowell presided over the donation event. 

Thank you all for helping us help our neighbors.  You have set a very high bar for 2013!

Library Closed for Independence Day

Just a reminder that the Mendik Library will be closed tomorrow, Wednesday July 4, 2012, in celebration of Independence Day.  The Library will be open on Thursday and Friday, July 5 and 6, from 10:00 a.m.—9:00 p.m.  We will be open for regular summer weekend hours on Saturday and Sunday, July 7 and 8, 10:00 a.m.—9:00 p.m.

Enjoy the fireworks!

The Challenge Remains (Back at its Usual Time)

A reminder to join us (either again or for the first time) this Wednesday June 27 at 6:00 p.m. for another session of the Mendik Library’s 2012 Summer Research Challenge!  This week’s session will have you Navigating the Regulatory Maze as you have some fun (and snacks!) doing Research in Administrative Law.  Get all the details here, including information about this season’s final episode on July 11.

The Challenge is Still On!

Just a reminder to join us this Wednesday June 20 at 7:00 p.m. for the continuation of the Mendik Library’s 2012 Summer Research Challenge!  Hone your research skills and have some fun (as well as snacks!) at the same time.  This week’s session is Researching Congressional Documents: Statutes and Legislative History.  Get all the details here, including information about the next two sessions on June 27 and July 11.

We have moved the start time for this week’s June 20 session until 7:00 p.m. so you’ll still be able to attend the Office of Career Services’ program: Summer 2013 Job Search Strategies: What You Need to Know Now.

LexisNexis and Westlaw: Summer Policies and Options

Student access to LexisNexis and Westlaw is governed by our academic subscription contracts, which prohibit research use of these systems in conjunction with paid employment.  As a result, students’ use of LexisNexis and Westlaw passwords will automatically become limited on June 1st.

Each year LexisNexis and Westlaw face greater competition from other electronic research vendors.  This year, Bloomberg Law and Fastcase offer students unrestricted summer access to legal research databases that are comparable to LexisNexis’s and Westlaw’s.  As a result, this summer’s LexisNexis and Westlaw student access policies are more liberal than they were in previous years.

If you want to use LexisNexis or Westlaw for research this summer, for qualified academic uses, you must register on their Websites to extend your passwords.  It would be a good idea for you to register now, to ensure that these services are there when you need them.

We have compiled the details of all the vendors’ policies, registration procedures, and research options into one handy page.  Please visit: http://www.nyls.edu/library/for_students/extend_passwords.

NYLS Commencement Through the Years

Congratulations to the graduating class of 2012!  May 21st will mark New York Law School’s 120th Commencement Exercises.  This year’s ceremony will be held at Radio City Music Hall.  Did you know that in 1899 the graduation ceremony was held at Carnegie Hall?

Commencement ceremonies give us time to celebrate our new graduates and time to honor all the Law School’s previous graduates.  It is always fun to view this slice of our history by looking back at the Law School’s Commencement Exercises Programs.  The Library has created an exhibit of Commencement Programs spanning three centuries!  We invite you to take a quick break and walk by the display case in the Library’s Rare Book Room (L302) to see Programs from 1894, 1899, 1900, 1903, 1906, 1925, 1933, 1975, 1985, 1995, 2005 and more . . . .

                                                                                                                                                     
 NYLS Commencement Exercises – 1913

Exams are in Full Swing

Good Luck on your exams.  We Library Folk send you our best wishes for a successful conclusion to the spring semester.  On a related note, if something is bothering you, we hope you will let us know so that we can work to correct the problem.  Tell us about the light bulb over your favorite study spot that is out; and about the person who is bringing the fries or the pizza that are too smelly and distracting; and about the student in the stairwell talking on his cell phone at full volume.  If a printer is jammed or out of paper, please report it.

We can’t address “it” until we know about it. It’s your library and you’re here to study without distractions.  Let us help.

Law Day 2012: NO COURTS | NO JUSTICE | NO FREEDOM

Every May 1 the United States observes Law Day, which President Dwight D. Eisenhower set aside as a day for Americans to reflect on the role of law in the foundation of our country and its importance for society.  The theme for 2012, No Courts | No Justice | No Freedom, focuses on the importance of courts, their role in ensuring access to justice for all Americans and how severe funding cuts are affecting the court system’s ability to fulfill this role.  Explore the links below to learn more about Law Day and the many related events.

LawDay.org

Making the Case: Highlighting the Importance of the Nation’s Courts

New York City Bar Association Law Day Event

Research is a Beach

Come play in the sand this summer as you sharpen your legal research skills.   There are still a few spots left in this summer’s one-credit Legal Research Practical Skills course.  It’s guaranteed to make you the researcher you always wanted to be (or the one you now realize you need to be).  Sand toys are included and there’s plenty of room to pitch your umbrella.  Swimsuits not required!  The course meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30-5:45, June 5th through July 7th.  Register via the Registration 2012_2013 Channel on the Portal’s Home tab.

If you’re not drawn to the beach, we will also be offering this summer a series of non-credit legal research workshops (30-45 minutes each) covering such important areas as legislative history,  regulations,  the anatomy of a lawsuit, Bluebooking, “power Googling,” and others.  Watch the Library’s home page for scheduling and sign-up information toward the end of May.

Library Study Hall

Effective Monday April 23, all study areas and computer labs in the Mendik Library will remain open late night and early morning hours.  The late hours extend to 2 a.m. every day, and the Library space reopens at 7 a.m. every morning.  This Study Hall schedule will remain in effect through the end of the exams period.

During the Study Hall period all areas behind the Circulation Desk, including the Reserve Collection and the Reserve Reading Room, will close at 11 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, and 10 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  The Library opens for business at 8 a.m. on weekdays, and 9 a.m. on weekends.

During late night and early morning Study Hall hours there are no librarians on duty; security guards patrol Library rooms and study areas.  All Circulation transactions, including borrowing and return of books, as well as charge-out and charge-in of Reserve materials, must be completed by regular closing time. Policies regarding food, drink and quiet study remain in effect.

Late and early Study Hall is for NYLS students only; you’ll need your NYLS OneCard ID to stay at closing time, and to enter the Library after closing. Please have your ID ready to show the guard.

Students will be required to leave the Mendik Library when the facility closes at 2 a.m.  Study areas elsewhere on campus remain open 24 hours.