Remember that you can chat with a librarian at the Reference Desk by text message (917.300.1933) and by instant message (AIM, Yahoo Messenger and GoogleTalk screen names: nylslib). We welcome your inquiries about library services and legal research. A librarian is available to answer your questions whenever the Reference Desk is staffed (Mon-Thurs 9 AM – 9 PM, Fri 9 AM – 6 PM and Sat-Sun 12 PM – 6 PM). Please take advantage of this service, but remember that for some things, an in-person visit to the Reference Desk will still be your best bet.
Library Information
Mendik Library’s Fall Semester Hours
Click here to view the Mendik Library’s fall semester hours.
Library Resources for Alumni
Congratulations to the Class of 2014! We’ve really enjoyed working with you throughout your years here and hope that as alumni you continue to take advantage of the many library resources that are available to you.
In addition to our print collection, you can still access the large and growing number of our online databases. Alumni always have access to our wireless network and the PC workstations in the Library’s computer labs. Our dedicated Alumni Research workstations provide access to a generous selection of WestlawNext databases, including cases, statutes, and secondary sources. Graduates also retain access, for a limited time after graduation, to Lexis Advance, WestlawNext and Bloomberg Law. Visit our website for details.
Finally, our reference librarians are here seven days a week and always happy to help you with your research questions and strategies For more information, please visit the Alumni section of our home page.
We hope to see you back this summer !
Make The Library Your Home Office
Summer’s finally here! Wherever you may be working or studying this summer, think of the Mendik Library as your home office. Reference librarians are available all summer, including most weekends, to help with any research projects. If you’re having difficulty with a particular research question, don’t hesitate to call, e-mail, or visit the library. Our schedule is always posted on our home page.
All library resources remain available to you during the summer. Be sure to take advantage of our online databases, including HeinOnline and Bloomberg BNA. These resources can be found in the Electronic Resources quadrant on our home page. Looking for a good treatise? Check out our Treatises by Topic page for top treatises organized by subject. Be sure to review our Current Awareness research guide to help you stay informed about current legal developments.
Visit our website for special summer access provisions and usage policies for Westlaw, Lexis and Bloomberg Law.
We’re looking forward to working with you this summer!
Westlaw Classic is Going Away
Some important news for those of you who still use Westlaw Classic: As of July 1, 2014, Westlaw Classic will no longer be available on academic contracts. You will need to use WestlawNext for all of your Westlaw research.
Your current One Pass credentials (Username and Password) give you access to both Westlaw Classic and WestlawNext. This Username & Password will continue to be your login for WestlawNext. You don’t need to make any changes before July 1, 2014. Over the next week or so, if you sign on to Westlaw Classic, you will begin to see a reminder message of its upcoming demise.
The librarians are available if you have any questions or would like help using WestlawNext.
Food for Fines
If you are graduating this year and you owe any library fines, here’s a chance to save some money and do some good. For every can or unopened package of food (no glass!) you donate at the Circulation Desk, the Library will reduce the amount you owe by $2.00. So, for example, if you owe $10 in fines, bringing five cans of food would reduce your fine balance to zero! You can’t beat a deal like that. (We donate all food collected to the Salvation Army’s Chinatown Corps., which helps more than 700 senior citizens in the nearby neighborhood.)
Donations must be made prior to May 20, 2014. Note: this offer does not apply to fines for lost or damaged materials.
Can You Outsmart the Jester?
Can you outsmart the Jester’s tricks? Find out by joining the Mendik Library’s Annual April Fool’s Info Hunt.
To enter the drawing, simply answer six questions using these easy step-by-step instructions. They’ll lead you right to the correct answers. You don’t have to get the answers right and you’ll learn a lot in the process! This year’s prizes include study guides, texts, NYLS OneCards, and more!
Submit your completed answer sheet at the Reference Desk or email it to reference@nyls.edu before 5 pm on Tuesday, April 1. The drawing will take place outside the Library entrance on Tuesday, April 1 at 5:40 pm. Winners need not be present, but an additional entry form will be given to all who attend the drawing.
Lexis, Westlaw and Bloomberg Reps
Mendik Library is pleased to welcome and introduce you to Maisa Chang, the new Westlaw Academic Account Manager for New York Law School, and Jed Lewin, our new Bloomberg Representative. We encourage you to get to know them, ask them questions, and attend as many of their training sessions as possible. Maisa can be reached by e-mail at maisa.chang@thomsonreuters.com and Jed can be reached at jlewin3@bloomberg.net.
Last but not least, we would be remiss not to mention Nejat Bumin, our longstanding LexisNexis rep. In the 15 years that he has worked at New York Law School, Nejat has become an integral part of the Mendik Library community and we are very happy to have him here. He can be reached at nejat.bumin@lexisnexis.com.
THOMAS Finds a New Home
Attention! Attention! There’s a new legislative information Web site in town and its name is Congress.gov! THOMAS.gov, the Library of Congress’s longstanding Web site for congressional and legislative research for nearly 20 years, will now automatically redirect users to Congress.gov. (THOMAS.gov will remain accessible from the Congress.gov homepage through late 2014 before it is retired.)
Congress.gov is intended to make legislative research easier and more convenient. The site’s design adapts to tablet or smartphone screens and features an easy-to-locate, front-and-center search field. As the site continues to be refined to improve functionality, public feedback is strongly encouraged!
UPDATE: Valentine’s Day Info Hunt Prize Drawing to be held 2/20!
Due to last week’s storm, the Mendik Library’s Valentine’s Day Info Hunt prize drawing–originally scheduled for February 13–was postponed. We are happy to announce that the new date for the prize drawing will be THIS THURSDAY, February 20 at 5:45pm outside of the Library entrance. Participants need not be present to win, but an additional entry form will be added for each student who does attend!
As a reminder, here are some of the great prizes up for grabs: 1,000 Lexis points, 1,000 Westlaw points, NYLS Guest Cards (good for food purchases as well as printing and copying), and valuable study aids and texts (see a sampling of titles below).
If you have not yet entered, don’t worry; there’s still time! Entries will be accepted until 5pm on the day of the drawing.
Click here to access the Valentine’s Day Info Hunt – Questions from Cupid (use Internet Explorer for best results). Each slide includes one question (there are only 6) and easy, step-by-step instructions. Press enter to reveal each step.
Click here to access an answer sheet or pick up a copy at the Reference Desk. Either submit your completed answer sheet at the Reference Desk or e-mail it to reference@nyls.edu.
Thank you to all who have already entered and GOOD LUCK!
Among the titles the winners will choose from are:
Acing Criminal Procedure
Administrative Law: Examples and Explanations
Black Letter Outlines: Administrative Law
Closed Chambers: The Rise, Fall, and Future of the Modern Supreme Court
Legal Ethics
Legal Reasoning, Writing, and Other Lawyering Skills
Origins of the Dred Scott Case: Jacksonian Jurisprudence and the Supreme Court, 1837-1857
Plain English for Drafting Statutes and Rules
Principles of Constitutional Law
Principles of Business Organizations
Regulation of the Legal Profession
The Lawyer’s Practice
Wills, Trusts, and Estates: Questions and Answers