LLRX: LinkedIn Has Growing Value for Lawyers

"LinkedIn is billed as the “professional” social network, which is why lawyers dipping their toes into social media for the first time often start with LinkedIn. The problem is that as far as social networks go, LinkedIn hasn’t always been very, well … social. In fact, up until very recently, it was a fairly static site without much daily activity worth following." Click here to read more from Nicole R. Black.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Get Organized with Evernote for Lawyers

The mobile productivity app Evernote has been expanding its app offerings and many features are useful for lawyers and law firms.  Find a list of the Evernote app family here.

Evernote lets you:

"Capture anything.

Save your ideas, things you like, things you hear, and things you see.

Access anywhere.

Evernote works with nearly every computer, phone and mobile device out there.

Find things fast.

Search by keyword, tag or even printed and handwritten text inside images."

Evernote is available for most platforms and mobile devices, including Android, Mac and iOS.

Rocket Matter has created a short, free e-book that highlights some of the best ways to use Evernote called Evernote for Lawyers.  To access this free e-book, click here, fill out the short form and download the PDF.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Welcome to Fall Semester 2013!

The start of a new school year is exciting – frustrating – confusing – and sometimes all of these at once.

Please remember that we are here to help you.  If you don’t know something, ask.  We may not have the answer, but we can usually connect you with the person who does.

Please remember that the Law Library’s website provides nuts & bolts info (hours, study room policies, audio tour, etc.)  Start on our homepage and then click on Students for links to important student services (Past Exams).

Past Exams, you can ask a reference librarian for the password.

Please remember that you can stop at the Reference Desk anytime it is open.  The Reference Librarians will also meet with you on a one-to-one basis for research assistance if you ask.  For simple questions, you can phone, text, or IM the Reference Desk.

Please be aware of announcements.   We use a number of ways to keep you informed of activities. 

Take advantage of the opportunities offered to you while you are here.  Join one or more student groups and be involved. 

So welcome to Fall Semester 2013, a start of a new adventure!

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

New on HeinOnline: Author Tracking Feature

HeinOnline recently announced a new feature in which users can utilize the search query function to follow a certain author's work.  This great feature will allow users to follow a certain author's legal research and will even alert users to when their own articles are available on HeinOnline.  Once the search query is set up, you will receive e-mail alerts when new material becomes available and these alerts will be sent monthly.  To learn more about this new feature or to set up a search query click here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Legal Research and New Attorneys: A Survey

As the 1Ls experienced their first law school class this week, delving into Legal Writing, Analysis, and Research, a timely report appeared summarizing how legal research is really performed by new attorneys.  "Rebooting Legal Research in a Digital Age," authored by Steven Lastres, Director of Library & Knowledge Management at the New York-based international law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, is drawn from the recent "New Attorney Research Methods Survey" conducted by the Research Intelligence Group.  The 190 survey respondents from both small and large firms, nearly forty percent of them 28 or younger, included many graduates from the classes of 2011 and 2012.  If you are like most of them, in your first few years of practice you will spend more than 30% of your time doing legal research, and you will likely spend most of this time using paid online services.  Like nearly half of those surveyed, you may think that legal research should be a larger part of the law school curriculum.  So focus in on those LWR classes and those training sessions and workshops given by the librarians.  And check out this revealing report on the current state of legal research for new attorneys.

Hat tip to Law Librarian Blog.          

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

1Ls - Lexis, Westlaw and Bloomberg made easier

WELCOME Class of 2016!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now that you are pretty much "oriented" it is time to get down to business.  Your Legal Analysis Writing & Research professor will expect you to attend training on Lexis, Westlaw and Bloomberg Law provided by one of your favorite librarians.  You need attend only one of the classes.

Sign up at the Library Circulation desk to get your preferred time.   Here is the schedule .

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Neuromyths

Further to our recent theme of getting smarter.

Now that the academic year is starting, and our brains are shifting into high gear, it seems a good time to reconsider certain erroneous beliefs about the brain and its functions. For instance, the commonly accepted view that we use only ten percent of our brain is actually false. Read about more such “neuromyths” here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Fall 2013 Library Hours

REGULAR HOURS - Monday, August 12   Tuesday, December 17

Monday   Thursday                                        8:00 A.M.  - 9:00 P.M.
Friday                                                          8:00 A.M.  - 6:00 P.M.
Saturday & Sunday                                       10:00 A.M.  - 6:00 P.M.

EXCEPTIONS:
Monday, August 12 - Tuesday, August 13     8:00 A.M. -   6:00 P.M.
Monday, September 2 (Labor Day)            10:00 A.M. -  6:00 P.M.
Wednesday, November 27                         8:00 A.M. -  6:00 P.M.**
Thursday, November 28 (Thanksgiving)      CLOSED**
Friday, November 29                                CLOSED**

                   **CLOSED-NO SWIPE CARD ACCESS
                 Wed., Nov. 27, 6:00 P.M.–Sat., Nov. 30, 10:00A.M.

      Exam Period Hours resume November 30, 10A.M.


EXAM PERIOD SCHEDULE- Monday, Nov. 18 – Tuesday, Dec. 17

Monday-Friday                                             8:00 A.M. – 11:00 P.M.
Saturday & Sunday                                      10:00 A.M. – 11:00 P.M.

EXCEPTIONS:
Tuesday, December 17                                 8:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M.

   
INTERSESSION SCHEDULE -Wednesday, Dec. 18 - Monday, Dec. 23**

Wednesday - Friday                                     8:00 A.M -  5:00 P.M.
Saturday & Sunday                                     10:00 A.M.   6:00 P.M.
Monday                                                       8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.   


WINTER BREAK - Tuesday, Dec. 24 – Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014** 


THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2014            INTERSESSION / SPRING HOURS


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Do You Know TED talks?

Have you listened to a good TED talk lately?  If you are new to TED talks, here is the thing about TED.  "TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading and provides a clearinghouse of videos that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world’s most inspired thinkers. ...Although it started out as a conference that brought together technology, entertainment, and design, a few thoughtful law-related presentations made their way into the world-class library of what has become known as TED Talks."

A good way to start out with TED talks is to listen to one of the 10 legal TED talks listed here.  For a wider range of TED talks on other topics, you can check out your Netflix account, find videos on YouTube or choose one on the TED talks website.

Get smarter with TED!

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

ConSource: The Constitutional Sources Project

The Constitutional Sources Project (ConSource) is revolutionizing the way people interact with history by democratizing access to source materials of the U.S. Constitution — letters, journals, newspapers, articles, speeches, and other first-hand records — so that any citizen can research and learn from the document’s rich intellectual history.
The countless letters, speeches, and journals of the Framers and later Amenders of the Constitution are housed in hundreds of libraries, archives, and private collections throughout the United States and Europe. These documents together embody the “best” history of our Constitution and its amendment over time. Yet many of these documents are virtually inaccessible to most of us, whether a fourth grader or a Supreme Court Justice. Even diligent researchers cannot gain access to all of them. As a result, far too many Americans lack an understanding of the ideas that influenced the Framers, many of which still lie at the root of current conversations and debates concerning our government and our laws.

There is much more, ConSource is a valuable resource for U.S. constitutional law and history.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat