For the third consecutive year we surveyed one-Ls during First Week library tours about their use of digital communication tools.  More than 690 students responded to questions about what form of electronic communication they used most often; what social networking site they used and how often; whether they subscribed to or read blogs or RSS feeds; how often they listened to podcasts; what computer and which web browser they used most often; and whether they have used their computer to view e-books.  And, as always, we asked for their favorite pizza topping.  With three years of data, we are beginning to see some trends.

Although email remains the primary communication tool among the class of 2012/13, its dominance relative to text messaging continues to wane. The percentage of those favoring email fell this year to 55%, down from 62% in 2008 and 67% in 2007.  At the same time, entering students’ preference for text messaging rose to 35%, up from 31% in 2008 and 24% in 2007.  Facebook has now clearly displaced almost all other social networking sites, with 87% of survey respondents naming it as the site they use most often.  Frequency of use has also increased, with 39% reporting logging on to the site more than once per day, compared to last year’s 28% figure.

While 36% of this year’s class subscribe to or read blogs (up from 32% in 2008), the number of students subscribing to or reading RSS feeds remained small, at just 11%, down from 2008’s 14% figure.  Podcast use remained about the same as last year, with 29% reporting having downloaded or listened to 1-5 podcasts (compared to 32% for 2008) and 16% reporting having downloaded or listened to more than 5 (compared to 15% for 2008).

The popularity of Macs compared to PCs continued to rise, climbing to 39% from last year’s 31%.  Firefox continued to increase in popularity as the browser of choice with a 40% share.  Internet Explorer trailed at 30%, while Safari placed third at 21%.

A new question this year asked whether students had used their computer to view any e-books.  Approximately 40% responded they had, while 56% responded they had not.

Finally, we observed the continuing supremacy of pepperoni as the pizza topping of choice, favored by nearly 26% of the incoming class.  Mushrooms repeated as the number two choice at 16%.

For more information, click here.

Starting on the morning of January 20th, a binder containing the CALR II Advance Sign Up sheets will be on the Circulation Desk of the Mendik Library (4th Floor of 40 Worth St). You must sign up in person.  You cannot sign up over the phone or via e-mail or IM.

All sessions will be held in the Lexis Computer Lab located in Room 716 on the 7th Floor of 40 Worth St.  For a schedule of available sessions, click here.  Your are required to sign up for and attend one of these sessions.

During First Week this year, we again surveyed one-Ls regarding their use of online communication tools, asking ten questions of the more than 550 students attending Library tours.  Although it’s still too early to draw any firm conclusions, some trends may be emerging.

The members of the class of 2011/12 still prefer email to either IM or text messaging.  Email is the primary communication tool for 62% of these students, as opposed to 31% for text messaging and only 4.7% for IM.  However, the percentage of those preferring email fell from last year’s 67%, with a greater than corresponding increase in the preference for text messaging, which rose from 24% to 31%.  And, the popularity of IM fell by almost one-half from last year’s figure of 8.3%.

Facebook again beat MySpace handily as the social networking site of choice.  This year, however, the margin was by more than twelve to one, exceeding last year’s margin six-fold.

One-Ls seem to be connecting more to the blogosphere and taking greater advantage of RSS feeds.  Among this year’s class, 32% subscribe to or read blogs, while 14% subscribe to or read RSS feeds. Last year’s class, in response to a question conjoining blogs and RSS, revealed that only 14% subscribed to blogs or used RSS readers.

Two new questions this year focused on the type of computer students used most often (Mac or PC) and how often students downloaded or listened to podcasts.  Mac use is clearly on the rise, with almost 31% of the One-Ls indicating that as their preference.  As for podcasts, 32% of the incoming class have downloaded or listened to between one and five podcasts in the past year and 16% have downloaded or listened to more than five podcasts.  Still, almost one-half the class (46%), have not downloaded or listened to any podcasts, and an additional 8% didn’t know what a podcast was.

Finally, we continue to see a resounding – though diminishing – preference for pepperoni as the pizza topping of choice (26%)!  Mushroom was pepperoni’s next closest competitor, coming in at 15%.

For more information, click here.

First Year Students:  In order to receive your Lexis and Westlaw passwords, you need to attend a library tour.  If you missed your Library Tour during First Week, the final make up tour will be on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 2 pm.

To sign up for this last tour, please email Farrah Nagrampa at Farrah.Nagrampa@nyls.edu.

The tour will last approximately one-hour and will begin at the Library Reference Desk. Please meet at the tables near the Reference Desk on the 4^th
floor a few minutes before the start of the tour.

First Year Students:  If you missed your
Library Tour during First Week, you must sign up for one of the following
make-up tours:

Wednesday, September
3: 1:15 p.m.

Wednesday, September
3: 7:45 p.m.

Thursday, September
4: 11:30 a.m.

Friday, September 5: 
11:00 a.m.

To sign up for one of
these tours, please email Farrah Nagrampa at Farrah.Nagrampa@nyls.edu.

The tours will last
approximately one-hour and will begin at the Library Reference Desk.  Please
meet at the tables near
the Reference Desk on the 4^th floor a few minutes before the start of
the tour.

On behalf of the entire staff of the Mendik Library, I want to extend my welcome and congratulations to the entering classes of 2011/12. The library staff is looking forward to meeting you. You are about to begin a challenging and exciting journey. For most law students, the law library quickly becomes a constant feature of their lives. We welcome the opportunity to work with you throughout your law school career.

You are entering NYLS at a special time for us. Before you graduate, we will have moved into the new law school building and the new Library. This means that you will have the benefit of two “new” libraries—our temporary space on the 4th, 7th and 14th floors of 40 Worth St., and our permanent new home on West Broadway. Though we are not yet in our permanent quarters, you should be assured that you are already getting the benefit of an outstanding library collection, an extensive package of services, and an excellent library staff.

We describe our large collection and our services in great detail on our web pages and numerous handouts. What you might not realize from these publications is the outstanding quality of each and every person on the staff of the Mendik Library, and why that is important to you. Our staff of 26 includes fourteen professionals with master’s degrees, eight of whom also have J.D. degrees from law schools both in the region and around the country. They all have many years of experience working in law libraries and most have also been at New York Law School for several years. They can all help you with your library and research needs, of course, but their value to you goes far beyond that. Do not hesitate to ask your librarians questions about the law school, particular courses, or any of the extracurricular activities available. We can help you, or we will direct you to the best person to give you the help you need.

We all realize that law school is a new experience for each of you, and we are committed to making that experience a rewarding one.

Sincerely,

Professor Camille Broussard Library Director

During First Week, we surveyed one-Ls regarding their use of online communication tools.  We asked the 536 students attending Library tours to answer five questions regarding digital communication tools.  Although we were not necessarily attempting to establish baseline data for entering law students, the results are certainly interesting.

The members of the class of 2010/11 overwhelmingly still prefer email to either IM or text messaging.  Email is the primary communication tool for 67% of these students, as opposed to 24% for text messaging and 8.3% for IM.   Facebook beats MySpace handily as the social networking site of choice.  The margin is almost two to one.  One-Ls do not seem to rely on blogs much, if at all; only 14% of the students responded that they subscribed to any blogs.

The results also reveal a resounding majority vote for pepperoni as the one-Ls’ pizza topping of choice!

Click here for the complete survey results.

The Wall Street Journal Law Blog asked 6 noted lawyer/authors for advice and reflections on the One L year:

Scott Turow: "Remember that law school is not lawyer school — it’s about more and less."
Jeremy Blachman: "The one thing I wish someone had told me before law school was that
it’s worth it to spend a few extra dollars and buy casebooks that
aren’t full of someone else’s highlighting.."
Cameron Stracher: "Hello.  Disconnect your Ipod.  Close your e-mail.  Shut off your cell phone."
Jeffrey Toobin: "The One L year addresses the most profound issues in law — about the
obligations of citizens to one another, the role of the government, the
place of the courts in sorting out conflict."
Saira Rao:" You’re officially a 1L — how exciting! Law school isn’t nearly as scary or stressful as many would have you believe."

There’s also an open thread post.

1st Year Students who did not take a library tour during First Week can rectify this omission by coming to the 7th Floor of 40 Worth Street at one of the following times:

• Friday, August 24th (5:00)
• Sunday, August 26th (3:00)
• Monday, August 27th (5:00)

Please Note that each of the above listed tours takes one hour and that Lexis Access Codes and Westlaw passwords will be distributed at the end of each tour.

Welcome From The Library Director

On behalf of the entire staff of the Mendik Library, I want to extend my welcome and congratulations to the entering classes of 2010/11.  You are about to begin a challenging and exciting journey, and the library staff is ready and available to assist you in achieving the maximum benefits from your law school career.

You are entering NYLS at a special time for us:  By the time you graduate we will have moved into the new building (which includes a new Library) currently under construction.  This means that you will have the benefit of two “new” libraries—our temporary space on the 4^th, 7^th and 14^th floors of 40 Worth St, and our permanent home on West Broadway.  But even though we are not yet in our permanent quarters, you should be assured that you are already getting the benefit of an outstanding library collection, package of services, and library staff.

Our large collection and extensive list of services are described in great deal on our web pages and numerous handouts.  What you might not realize from these publications is the outstanding quality of each and every person on the staff of the Mendik Library, and why that is important to you.  Our staff of 24 includes twelve professionals with master’s degrees, eight of whom also have J.D. degrees from law schools both in the region and around the country.  They all have many years of experience working in law libraries and most have also been at New York Law School for a number of years.  They can all help you with your library and research needs, of course, but their value to you goes far beyond that.  Do not hesitate to ask anyone your questions about the law school, particular courses, or any of the extracurricular activities available.  Someone will help you, or be able to direct you to the best person to give you the help you need. 

For most law students, the law library quickly becomes one of the constant features of their lives.  You will soon find your favorite place to study, and will begin to recognize staff members and learn names.  And we look forward to meeting you. 

We all realize that law school is a new experience for each of you, and we are committed to making that experience a rewarding one.

Sincerely,

Prof. Joyce Saltalamachia

Library Director