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Carrel sign-up dates

Amy Emerson No Responses »
Aug 292012

The library is implementing a new carrel reservation system this year, as follows:

• Carrels located on the first, fourth, new ground, and basement floors may be reserved for one semester at a time by 2Ls, 3Ls, LLMs, and exchange students.
• Students must sign up in person to reserve carrels on a first-come, first-served basis. The sign-up period will span two days. The first day is reserved for students who are serving on journals or working for a professor. The second day is open to the remainder of the students identified above.
• Each carrel must be shared by two students. Students may choose a carrel partner or elect to have the library assign one.
• Carrels located on the second floor may not be reserved and are available daily on a first-come, first served basis.
• STUDENTS MAY SIGN UP FOR CARRELS ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, and THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6. Please come to Janet Gillespie’s office, room 352, in person, between the hours of 8am-12pm and 1pm-5pm. (Please note that Janet also works shifts at the circulation desk, so you may occasionally find her there.) All carrels are numbered. A map of the carrels will be made available with the signup form for easy identification.
• All questions may be directed via e-mail or telephone to Janet Gillespie (607-255-5854).

Posted by library at 11:09 am Tagged with: , ,

Restricted access during exams

Matt Morrison No Responses »
Apr 272012

As classes end and we begin the exam period, the Law Library has restricted access from April 28 through May 14. During restricted access the Law Library is open to law school affiliates, university faculty, and non-law students conducting legal research.  The Law Library continues to be sensitive to the needs of the university community during exams, and non-law students who need to retrieve books or obtain research assistance are welcome to visit the library for those purposes.

Good luck on exams one and all!

 

Posted by library at 9:12 am Tagged with: , ,

CALI lessons for exam prep

Matt Morrison No Responses »
Apr 162012

CALI is the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction, and Cornell Law School is a member, providing you access to over 800 interactive tutorials on narrow topics of law. Also, CALI has many lessons keyed to specific casebooks. Check here to see if your casebook is included. Some sample lessons include:

  • Basic Future Interests / Property
  • Summary Judgment / Civil Procedure
  • Liquidated Damages / Contracts
  • Capital Gain Mechanics / Federal Income Taxation
  • Authority of Partners to Bind the Partnership / Business Associations
  • Best Evidence Rule / Evidence

If you do not have a CALI account, stop by the Reference Desk or email Matt Morrison for the registration password.

Posted by library at 1:53 pm Tagged with: ,

Library designated eating area

Uncategorized No Responses »
Feb 032012

Dear Students:

To better accommodate your needs, and currently a pilot program, there is a new designated space in the library for eating.  Students are welcome to bring food to the tables located by the third floor copy room at any time of the day.  Please be considerate of other library users and housekeeping staff and clean up after yourself in order to maintain a pleasant environment for all.  Receptacles are provided for waste and recyclables. 

The no-food rule remains in effect for the remainder of the library, including the Reading Room, stacks, and carrel areas.   Drinks in covered containers are allowed throughout the library.

We appreciate your assistance in keeping the library clean and pest-free.  Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Posted by library at 1:34 pm Tagged with: , , ,

CALI web lessons

Pat Court No Responses »
Dec 052011

CALI web lessons help you drill legal concepts from your courses, right down to the specific pages of your casebooks. It’s a great way to prepare for exams. Click here to go to the chart of CALI Lessons by Casebook to see if your casebook is included.

CALI is the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction, and Cornell Law School is a member, so you have access to over 800 interactive tutorials on narrow topics of law. So even if your casebook is not linked, there will be tutorials for your courses. Some sample lessons include:

  • Federal Commerce Power & Other Restrictions on State Regulatory Power / Constitutional Law
  • Summary Judgment / Civil Procedure
  • Liquidated Damages / Contracts
  • Capital Gain Mechanics / Federal Income Taxation
  • Authority of Partners to Bind the Partnership / Business Organizations
  • Execution and Revocation of Wills under the Uniform Probate Code / Trusts & Estates

If you don’t have the CALI password to access these lessons, stop by the Reference Desk or send an email to get the password so you can get online with CALI right away. Best of luck with your exams!

Posted by library at 11:44 am Tagged with: ,

Connecting on the 4th floor

Matt Morrison No Responses »
Nov 012011

Have you ever been on the 4th floor of the Law Library and wanted to access the wireless network with your smartphone? Well, your life just got better because wireless connectivity is now available on that floor. The 4th floor’s traditional laptop ban remains in effect as laptops can create bothersome noise. However, most other devices these days have silent keyboards. This makes iPhones, iPads, etc compatible with the quietly studious atmosphere of the 4th floor.

Connect away….

Posted by library at 3:23 pm Tagged with: , ,

Studying? Try an app in lieu of flashcards

Amy Emerson No Responses »
May 022011

Law in a Flash logoAs students begin preparing for exams, many reach for commercial study aids for assistance. A popular option is the Law in a Flash series.  These flashcards have been around for years and remain readily available for purchase from Amazon to Walmart, but did you know there’s an App for that?  For a little less than the cost of a traditional box of print cards, and without the cost of shipping, students can carry fewer items as they move between home, classroom, and your third place.  An overview of the various features of the App is available here.

Topics currently offered:

  • Civil Procedure Part One
  • Civil Procedure Part Two
  • Constitutional Law Part One (National and State Powers)
  • Constitutional Law Part Two (Individual Rights)
  • Contracts
  • Corporations
  • Criminal Law
  • Criminal Procedure
  • Evidence
  • Federal Income Tax
  • Future Interests
  • Professional Responsibility
  • Real Property
  • Sales
  • Torts
  • Wills & Trusts
Posted by library at 1:23 pm Tagged with: ,

Policy: Group study rooms

Pat Court No Responses »
Apr 182011

In response to student inquiries regarding the availability for group study of rooms G80, G81, 273, 387, 389 and the Library’s Casual Reading Room (these rooms are referred to herein collectively the “Study Rooms”), the Law School has implemented the following policy, effective immediately:

While classes are in session, SAME-DAY reservations for Study Room use in the afternoon and/or evening shall be made via a sign-out sheet available at the Circulation Desk in the Library.  Reservations shall be made in person at Noon or thereafter – not earlier.  Only same-day reservations will be accepted – no advance reservations permitted.

Under this new policy, room availability will no longer cease at library closing times, providing evening reservations are made prior to the last sign-up time for the day. In cases in which a room reservation extends beyond 7:30pm Sunday through Thursday, or beyond 4:30pm on Friday or Saturday, the student making the reservation will be responsible for securing the room in question (closing windows and locking doors) at the end of use.  Evening reservations that begin after 7:30pm (Sun-Th) or 4:30pm (Fr & Sat) must be reserved as of those times to insure the room remains open for their use.  Students making such reservation will be responsible for the room starting at 7:30 or 4:30, respectively.

During study periods, Study Rooms will be available on a first-come, first-served basis 24 hours a day.  There will be no reservation procedure.

Posted by library at 7:33 am Tagged with:

CALI tools for learning

Iantha Haight 1 Response »
Sep 082010

CALI logoYou may have noticed the DVDs on the table near the reference desk.  These DVDs from CALI, the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction, have tutorials designed by law professors and librarians across the country on many legal topics, such as torts, contracts, and even legal research.  CALI is another tool to help you study smarter, not harder, in law school.

Feel free to grab a DVD from the table, but the best way to access CALI is cali.org, which is a little more up-to-date than the DVDs.  To set up an account on the CALI Web site, grab a CALI card from the table in front of the reference desk (right next to the DVDs).  This card has a code you can use to set up your account. Please email me if you have any questions.

Posted by library at 7:46 am Tagged with:

Law school success for 1Ls

Iantha Haight 2 Responses »
Aug 232010

Dear 1L student,

No doubt friends, family, and complete strangers have given you advice about how to handle the law school experience.  The research attorneys at the law library have some advice for you too: using the study aids found in the library’s reserve collection will improve your study experience.

The books discussed below are available for two-hour checkout from the circulation desk, or overnight if you check them out within two hours of closing.  The library circulation desk closes at 8 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 5 p.m on Friday-Saturday.  You can renew the book when it is due if you are still using it.

Overview of law school.  What are my classes about?  How should I study and take notes?  How do I prepare for exams?  Cornell Law School Orientation does a great job answering these questions, but take a look at these resources for more info:

  • Law School Success: A Guide to Studying Law and Taking Law School Exams.  Call number KF 283 .B871x 2008  Easy to read and conversational in tone.  I recommend Chapter 10, Learning After Class, and Chapter 12 on Exams.  The last part of the book provides sample exams and answers.
  • Understanding Law School.  Call number KF 283 .U53 2004.  Provides a detailed overview of 1L classes.  I recommend Appendix B, American Legal Systems: A Resource and Reference Guide by Toni M. Fine.
  • Preview the available sample exams from your professor on the registrar’s Web site (login required; availability varies).

See the Big Picture: Nutshells.  The Nutshell series of books provide an overview of legal topics.  These books are helpful introductions to the topic before and after you study to help you get the perspective you need to put all the pieces together and make sure your outlines make sense.  They are brief, quick reads.  This semester you should look at:

Refine the Outline: Hornbooks.  Hornbooks are more detailed than Nutshells.  Basically, hornbooks are textbooks for studying law.  In contrast with the case books used in class, hornbooks provide detailed explanations.  Use hornbooks to help you review the finer points you may have misunderstood in class.  One caveat: your professor may emphasize points not found in the Hornbook and skip over others.  Pay attention to what is covered in class so you focus your efforts on the right topics.  Here are some hornbooks to use this semester:

Deepen Your Understanding With Examples & Explanations.  The Examples & Explanations series from Aspen Publishers provides hypothetical examples with explanations showing how legal principles apply to those examples.  These books are great for preparing for exams and helpful for those of us who learn better using concrete examples.  This semester you should look at:

Questions about study aids?  Ask a research attorney at the reference desk or email your Lawyering research instructor.

Posted by library at 1:12 pm Tagged with:
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