The Law Library will have reduced hours during fall break from October 11 -17.
Monday – Friday: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Reference Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Weekends: Closed
Oct 102014
Sep 302014
We’re having a book sale next week! The law library occasionally gets extra copies of books and in order to make room for new titles we pass them on to you at the unbeatable price of $1. We’ll be adding titles as the sale goes along so stop by the Reading Room next week and take advantage!
We’re pleased to report that the breakage in the Reading Room sprinkler system has been repaired and after hours key-card access is restored.
Please contact Amy Emerson with questions at aae25@cornell.edu.
The Cornell Law Library is pleased to announce the 2014 recipients of The Cornell Law Library Robert Cantwell Prize for Exemplary Student Research:
First Prize:
The Religion of Alcoholics Anonymous (“AA”): Applying the Clergy Privilege to Certain AA Communications, by Ari Diaconis, 3L
Ari Diaconis cast a wide net in compiling his research, drawing from over 180 sources including in-person interviews, Bible scripture and empirical studies while also using traditional legal research and analysis.
Diaconis argued for the application of the clergy privilege to Alcoholics Anonymous (“AA”) by constructing a detailed history of AA from its origins to present day, relying on a variety of primary and secondary sources including interviews with current members. He then used that historical research to argue that AA constitutes a religion under Supreme Court precedent, providing analysis of the Court’s jurisprudence dating to the 19th Century.
“I learned a tremendous amount from conducting the research necessary for this Note,” he said of the process. “The most important of which include: (1) take things one piece at a time (even sentence by sentence at times); (2) pick topics that genuinely interest you; (3) do not always look for sources that support your thesis; rather, seek the truth; (4) do not trust everything you read; and (5) ask for help.”
Second Prize:
The Law Review Divide: A Study of Gender Diversity on the Top Twenty Law Reviews, by Lynne Kolodinsky, 3L
Lynne Kolodinsky used empirical analysis as the basis for her research in examining gender diversity in law review membership.
Kolodinsky designed an original study seeking to explore the apparent gender disparity among top law review journals and possible explanations for that gap. Building on previous scholarship on gender diversity in legal academia, her goal was to produce “the first comprehensive statistical analysis of independently reported and verified data on the gender diversity of law review membership.”
Kolodinsky collected school enrollment data from the archives of the ABA-LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools and also gathered information on law review admissions processes as the basis for her study. She then combined her findings with a broader discussion of women’s evolving experiences in the traditionally male-dominated law school setting using a variety of more traditional legal scholarship sources.
“Without this experience, I doubt I would have had any exposure to [statistical] software in law school,” she said. “I also learned how to effectively synthesize empirics with theory to make an original argument that contributes to the broader sphere of academic studies relating to women’s experiences in the legal field.”
About the Cantwell Prize:
A review panel comprised of Librarians Amy Emerson, Nina Scholtz and Mark Williams selected the winners from among 29 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.
Notice to Non-Law Students
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.
May 182012
Please welcome our new Digital Resources and Research Services Librarian, Nina Scholtz, who started on April 3
0.
After earning her J.D. and B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, Nina clerked for the Honorable Lawrence T. Lydick of the United States District Court, Central District of California. She then practiced in the areas of civil litigation and civil appeals in Los Angeles for fourteen years before obtaining an M.L.I.S. from the University of California, Los Angeles in June 2011. Prior to coming to Cornell, she taught legal research to international LL.M. and first-year J.D. students at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.
In addition to providing reference and research services, Nina will be managing the law library’s digital resources and social media. She will also be teaching legal research in one of the first-year Lawyering sections this fall.
