Students, please be aware that the CALI website will be down for scheduled maintenance on Sunday, September 2 from 8:00 am to Noon, Eastern Time. This maintenance will affect all components of the site. After 12, everything will return to full operation.
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).
The law library has launched a one year pilot of OverDrive, a service offering downloadable popular and classic e-audiobooks and e-books, for Cornell Law School students, faculty, and staff.
For instructions on getting started and to browse the collection, please go to http://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/library/WhatWeHave/Overdrive.cfm to sign in with your NetID and password. E-books and e-audiobooks can be downloaded to your PC, Mac®, and many mobile devices, including iPads, iPods, and Kindles. Since titles will automatically expire at the end of the lending period, there are no late fees.
Comments? Title suggestions? Please let us know what you think of this new service!
We have posted our new books list for August 1-15. Among the many new titles is The Shareholder Value Myth, by Lynn Stout, Cornell Law School’s Distinguished Professor of Corporate & Business Law.
Aug 222012
Today only, the rulebook™ app is offering free downloads of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Appellate Procedure and Bankruptcy Procedure and the U.S. Supreme Court Rules for your iPhone or iPad. Each set of rules normally costs $1.99. The app itself is free — just install the app and then download the rules. The app allows searching, highlighting, annotating, and bookmarking, and you can also keep multiple rules open at the same time.
Rulebook™ is also be the only place you can download the Bluebook to your iOS device. It’s $39.99 via the free app.
If you decide to use rulebook™, be sure to let the library know what you think of its interface and functionality. Thanks!
Aug 202012
The Law Library will host an open house for 1L’s, LLMs and exchange students tomorrow, Tuesday, August 21, from noon to 2:30pm. Join us to meet our staff, pick up some swag, and be introduced to a variety of helpful resources and services, including:
- Lexis, Westlaw & Bloomberg passwords
- Cool stuff to borrow
- After Hours Access
- Rare Book Room
- Interlibrary Loan & Borrow Direct
- Upper Level Research Courses
- Eating Area
- How to use our catalog
- Library website & subject-specific databases
- Where and how to check out course reserves
- And more!
Aug 172012
To our new students, faculty, and staff–welcome! And to those returning, welcome back!
We were pleased to meet the incoming LL.M. students at their orientation this week. We’re now looking forward to meeting the new J.D. students at our Open House on Tuesday.
The library has seen some changes over the summer. The blog’s name has changed: We’re now InfoBrief. Two of our research librarians, Pat Court and Jean Callihan, retired at the beginning of the summer, and a new librarian, Dan Blackaby, joined us in mid-July as the Technology Services Librarian. A new scanner in the Reading Room makes saving book and journal pages and other documents easier. Soft seating will soon be installed in alcove 4 of the Reading Room, and the Eating Area has new furniture too.
The Reading Room windows offer a great view of the construction in progress in the courtyard. And a new exhibit, also in the Reading Room, includes pictures of previous law school buildings and construction projects. (Our website also has information about our building and its history.)
And finally, Cornell University has been named a top 5 outdoor university by the magazine Outside, a reminder to enjoy our beautiful setting in Ithaca and the Finger Lakes region.
Aug 102012
The Cornell University pilot online participation initiative 
Regulation Room announced this morning it has opened a space for public comment on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau‘s proposed rules (regulations) about new consumer mortgage protections. These proposals are prompted by problems revealed during the mortgage crisis:
“The CFPB’s rules would help ensure that mortgage companies communicate effectively with borrowers, keep good account records, and avoid certain practices that harm consumers. The proposed rules focus on ensuring that all consumers receive accurate and timely information about the status of their home mortgages, and that borrowers who are in trouble are told about their options for receiving help.”
If you’re not yet familiar with Regulation Room, it’s designed and operated by the Cornell eRulemaking Initiative (CeRI) and hosted by the Legal Information Institute (LII). CeRI experiments with how Web 2.0 outreach and participation technologies can expand the kinds of voices that take part in federal agency policy-making. Regulation Room visitors will find the 800+ pages of CFPB explanation organized and condensed into 10 “issues posts,” written in plain language with links to a glossary and primary documents. The unique targeted commenting function allows users to link their comments to specific topics, and to have threaded discussion with others. Student moderators, trained in group facilitation techniques, mentor effective commenting and stimulate discussion. Regulation Room will send a detailed summary of the comments to CFPB. Particular target audiences for this discussion are individual consumers and small community banks and credit unions.
To learn more about Regulation Room and CeRI, read Cornell University Law School‘s Spotlight and Regulation Room’s About.
When the Winter Olympics started in 2010, the Law Library’s Pat Court wrote a helpful blog post on Olympics and the law, with many relevant links. We realized that it was time for a few updates since the Summer 2012 Games start in London tonight. The broken links in Pat’s post have been fixed. For recent coverage of the Olympics, see the Quick Reference for London 2012, which examines trademarks for this year’s games; this update on drug testing; Slaw’s Guide to Sports and Olympic Games Law; the Peace Palace Library‘s research guide; and, just published today, The Laws Behind the London Olympics from the Law Library of Congress.
The Law Library is now accepting job applications for Assistant/Associate Director for Instruction and Research Services and for Faculty Services Librarian.
Title: Assistant/Associate Director for Research and Instruction
Background: Cornell University is located in scenic Ithaca on a hill above Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. The town and University offer a unique cosmopolitan and international atmosphere in a beautiful natural setting of waterfalls, gorges, and lakes. The Law School has approximately 620 J.D. students, 75 LL.M. students, 25 J.S.D. students, and 52 full-time faculty, and is the home of the Legal Information Institute. The Law Library houses over 700,000 volumes and volume equivalents, and disseminates extensive legal information through its web site. The Library promotes a challenging environment which supports the use of new technologies with a tradition of excellent services. Professionals and support staff work closely with the Law School and the University Library. The Law Library is part of the Cornell University Library (CUL) system, and advancement is through the CUL promotion process.
Position Description: The Assistant/Associate Director for Research Services and Instruction serves as a member of the administrative committee responsible for Law Library policy and management, and supervises the Head of Reference/Research Services and the Faculty Services Librarian. The position reports to the Law Library Director and may be filled at the Assistant or Associate level, depending upon candidate’s experience.
Responsibilities: The Assistant/Associate Director for Research Services and Instruction takes a strong leadership role in the development and implementation of policies and services for the reference and instruction sectors of the library. S/he teaches a variety of courses and workshops, including the research portion of the first year Lawyering course and various research courses for upper level credit; leads the development of assessment tools for the research portion of the Lawyering course; coordinates with the writing faculty and other teaching librarians to design the Lawyering research curriculum; develops new course offerings; coordinates professional development in instruction for teaching librarians; and serves as Instruction Coordinator for the Law Library within the Cornell University Library system. The individual in this position supervises the Head of Reference/Research Services in the provision of excellent research and reference services to the Law School and University communities; serves on the reference desk; supervises the Faculty Services Librarian and actively participates in the Law Library’s faculty liaison program; assists in maintaining content relevant to reference and instruction on the Law Library website; and participates in Law Library planning committees and task forces. S/he actively engages in campus, regional, and national professional organizations and collaborative activities.
Requirements: M.L.I.S. or equivalent graduate degree; J.D. from ABA accredited school or foreign equivalent; minimum of three years’ experience in a law library; supervisory experience; knowledge of legal research strategies; strong service orientation; demonstrable teaching skills; excellent written and oral communication and interpersonal skills; ability to work independently and function in a collegial, teamwork-oriented environment which emphasizes customer service and delivery of exemplary library research and faculty services; creativity and adaptability in the face of competing priorities; demonstrated service to the law librarian profession through professional organizations.
Preferred: Knowledge of and interest in new and emerging technologies; demonstrated experience in developing projects and seeing them through to completion.
Benefits: Competitive in salary, rank, professional development support, and benefits. Comprehensive benefits package including 22 vacation days, 11 paid holidays, health insurance, life insurance, and university retirement contributions (TIAA-CREF and other options). Professional travel funding available.
Application: Position is available January 1, 2013; however, the start date is negotiable. To apply, go to: http://www.ohr.cornell.edu/jobs/, select job category “Librarian,” select job posting 18062 and follow the instructions for online submission. Please include a cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information for three references. Applications will be reviewed as received and the posting will close on August 24, 2012.
For more information, contact Amy Emerson, Assistant Director for Access Services, 607-255-5441, aae25@cornell.edu.
Cornell University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer strongly committed to diversity. We value qualified candidates who can bring to our community a variety of backgrounds and experiences.
Title: Faculty Services Librarian
Background: Cornell University is located in scenic Ithaca on a hill above Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. The town and University offer a unique cosmopolitan and international atmosphere in a beautiful natural setting of waterfalls, gorges, and lakes. The Law School has approximately 620 J.D. students, 75 LL.M. students, 25 J.S.D. students, and 52 full-time faculty, and is the home of the Legal Information Institute. The Law Library houses over 700,000 volumes and disseminates extensive legal information through its web site. The Library promotes a challenging environment which supports the use of new technologies with a tradition of excellent services. Professionals and support staff work closely with the Law School and the University Library. The Law Library is part of the Cornell University Library (CUL) system, and advancement is through the CUL promotion process.
Benefits: Comprehensive benefits package including 22 vacation days, 11 paid holidays, health insurance, life insurance, and university retirement contributions (TIAA-CREF and other options). Professional travel funding available.
Responsibilities: Under the supervision of the Assistant/Associate Director for Research and Instruction, the Faculty Services Librarian is responsible for planning and managing the Law Library’s faculty services program, which includes an active faculty liaison component and a faculty scholarship repository. S/he is responsible for developing and implementing initiatives to promote library services with faculty and for initiating and maintaining communication with faculty members regarding their specific research interests and needs. The Faculty Services librarian also hires, trains, and supervises law student research fellows to provide expert, timely, and consistent legal and non-legal research. Strong communication and interpersonal skills are required, as well as a demonstrated ability to work effectively in a collegial environment. The Faculty Services Librarian is an instructor in a variety of courses and workshops, including the first year lawyering course and various research courses for upper level credit, depending upon qualifications and interest. The Faculty Services Librarian participates in library planning committees and task forces and engages in campus, regional, and national professional organizations and collaborative activities, and is expected to be professionally active.
Salary is competitive. Position is available January 1, 2013; however, the start date is negotiable. Applications will be reviewed as received, and the posting will close on August 24, 2012.
Requirements: J.D. from ABA accredited school and M.L.I.S. or equivalent graduate degree from an ALA-accredited program; strong service orientation; excellent written and oral communication and interpersonal skills; ability to work independently and function in a collegial, teamwork-oriented environment which emphasizes customer service and delivery of exemplary library reference and research services.
Preferred: A minimum of two years professional academic law library or related experience; demonstrated experience coordinating and managing faculty requests; teaching experience; knowledge of and interest in new and emerging technologies; experience with empirical and statistical research and resources.
Application: To apply for this position go to: http://www.ohr.cornell.edu/jobs/, search under the job category of Librarians, select job posting 18061 and follow the instructions for online submission. Please include a cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information for three references.
For more information, contact Thomas Mills, Associate Director for Collections and Administration, 607.255.5859, twm26@cornell.edu
