Why does Cornell Companions offer this program at no charge?  To quote its Mission Statement:

“The purpose of Cornell Companions is to provide the therapeutic effects of animals with the people whom we visit. We strive to educate our volunteers on the beneficial effects of the human-animal bond, and to foster positive relationships between people and animals, and also between different groups of people.”

You can read more about Cornell Companions, the human-animal bond, and the therapeutic effects of animals on the Cornell Companions website.  (The Vet School’s Facebook page is a lot of fun, too.)

We thought you all would enjoy seeing some photos from our pet visitation event on April 29.  We had three guests, two dogs and a llama.  Thanks, Cornell Companions!

Students may use Westlaw for academic-related work.  Otherwise, you may not use your Cornell Westlaw password over the summer.  Go to Westlaw’s Password Extension page for more information and to request extension.

Students may use their Cornell Lexis Advance and Bloomberg Law accounts over the summer for any purpose, academic or commercial.

Questions? Contact Law Library Reference for more information.

First Place: Libor Integrity and Holistic Domestic Enforcement, by Milson C. Yu, 3L

Milson Yu crafted a coherent and well-written note embracing a complex and wide range of sources.  He looked at the history and methodology of the London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor), an estimate of the cost of short-term borrowing for large London banks; examined the limits of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s enforcement authority in the context of rigging Libor; and outlined “a two-part plan to engage the CFTC in active oversight and enforcement of Libor.”  His sources included a sophisticated collection of unpublished private reports, administrative regulations, decisions, and reports, briefs and orders from federal litigation, federal case and statutory law, legislative history materials, and articles and empirical studies in law reviews and business journals, among other sources.

Through extended research into his area of interest, Milson discovered that advanced research techniques such as combining search terms with Boolean connectors and tracking updates to his research significantly improved his search results.

Second Place: How to Kill Copyright: A Brute-Force Approach to Content Creation, by Kirk Sigmon, 3L

Kirk Sigmon’s idea and research were quite original; he wove a collection of very different sources together for an interesting thought experiment.   In the course of examining the topic of copyrightable content randomly generated by computer, he drew on both research in computer science and a mix of primary and secondary legal sources to support his discussion of whether copyrightable content could be generated, whether the content would be amenable to copyright, and the legal ramifications of generating this content.

Kirk comments about his paper:  “It is a fusion of cryptanalytic science, computer science, and intellectual property law – a sort of hybrid that does not easily lend itself to research in a standard library.  But that was what made it a fun paper to write.”

A review panel comprised of Librarians Amy Emerson, Matt Morrison, Nina Scholtz, and Carissa Vogel selected the winners from among 19 competitive entries.

Funding for the Prize is provided by an endowment given to the Law Library by Barbara Cantwell in honor of her late husband, Robert Cantwell, a 1956 graduate of Cornell Law School.

In addition to receiving a monetary award, the winners are also invited to publish their papers in Scholarship@Cornell Law, the Law Library’s digital repository, and to feature their papers in Reading Room displays.

This program is co-sponsored by the Cornell Law Library, Cornell Companions (a pet visitation program sponsored by the Cornell University veterinary community), and the Cornell Student Animal Legal Defense Fund, who will provide refreshments.

Effective Saturday, April 27 through Friday, May 10, use of the Law Library is limited to Law School students, faculty, and staff during the exam period.  Non-law students may access the Law Library to conduct legal research, consult with a reference librarian, and retrieve books.  All Law Library carrels are reserved for Law Students at all times.

See here for a list of alternative places to study on campus:  http://www.library.cornell.edu/libraryhours

Thank you.

As the semester draws to a close, we recommend scheduling a customized research consultation with a librarian to prepare for summer employment.  Tailored advice includes, but is not limited to, specific jurisdictional sources, key resources in substantive practice areas, and advanced research skills and strategies. Consultations can be as short as 15 minutes or last up to 60 minutes. Our registration form allows you to specify your interests and needs, and request a particular Research Services Librarian if desired. Forms are available at the Circulation Desk in the Reading Room.

This program is co-sponsored by the Cornell Law Library, Cornell Companions (a pet visitation program sponsored by the Cornell University veterinary community), and the Cornell Student Animal Legal Defense Fund, who will provide refreshments.

Are you interested in sharing your opinion about study space in the library?

Consider taking a break next week to enjoy some pizza and weigh in on library space and services.  The library will be hosting a student focus group on Thursday, April 25, 12:30-1:30pm in room 389.  The group is open to the first twenty Cornell Law students who sign up here:

https://cornell.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_7PwbHGtlfffiyEt

We hope you can join us!

Entries may include, but are not limited to, papers written for a class or journal notes.  All papers must have been written in the time period spanning May, 2012 – May, 2013.  Work product generated through summer or other employment will not be accepted.  Papers must be a minimum of 10 pages in length, must be written in proper Bluebook format, and must be properly footnoted.

First prize is $500, second prize is $250, and both winners will be invited to publish their papers in Scholarship@Cornell Law, our digital repository.  For submission procedure and selection criteria, please see Prize for Exemplary Student Research.

Papers will be accepted on an ongoing basis through May 1, 2013.  The winners will be announced May 8, 2013.

Please note the following:

• Amnesty applies only to Law Library books. We cannot waive fines for other libraries.
• Fines that have already posted to your bursar account are not subject to forgiveness under this program.
• Only overdue/late fines will be cleared, not charges associated with lost, damaged, or otherwise missing items. However, if you still have an item for which you have been billed, bring it back to the library and all charges will be waived.
• Fines that have been paid in the past are not subject to refund.

Contact Amy Emerson at aae25@cornell.edu with questions.

Print and complete the form LawLibraryBookReturn and submit it with your library materials (if applicable) at the circulation desk.