In celebration of African American History Month, the National Archives has compiled dozens of its online resources documenting the African American experience and the extraordinary contributions of African Americans to United States history.  Among other things, you can explore videos, blogs, historic documents, numerous online exhibits, and many other resources. There is also an African American Research page.

If you are a 1L working on your LP brief, remember some of the library sources that are available to you. First, you can always contact us for help (reference@nyls.edu).  Second, remember to check out our Treatises by Topic tool, available here. And don’t forget to download and save a copy of our Developing a Research Strategy form, designed to help you formulate effective searches.

Did you know that NYLS’s 57 Worth Street building encompasses the site (236 Church Street) that was once home to Freedom’s Journal, the first newspaper published in the United States by and for black Americans? Founded in 1827 to provide a voice against racism and intolerance, it denounced slavery and lynchings and advocated for black suffrage. The surrounding neighborhood was once home to a large number of free northern blacks who, at that time, constituted a small minority in the city. Just steps away from 236 Church Street a plaque commemorates the site of the Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, which occupied the space from 1800-1864. The church was the first church built for and by black Americans and had strong ties to Freedom’s Journal.

To learn more about Freedom’s Journal, seek out a copy of the Fall/Winter 2010 issue of New York Law School Magazine, which contains a more in-depth article regarding NYLS’s connection to the newspaper. You can also access a copy of the article here.

A Firm Perspective is written by Martha Goldman, a retired BigLaw firm library manager who then returned to NYLS Mendik Library where her career began…

Did you update your research? 

So you found a few cases and hopefully the best case to answer your question.  Maybe there is a helpful regulation as well.  Of course, you also checked relevant secondary sources.  Don’t breathe that sigh of relief just yet.  Your work is not done.

Update it all to ensure that nothing contrary to your research has occurred since the treatise section was last revised, and additional cases or new regulations have not impacted your position.

Now you are ready to polish your work product, replete with Bluebook citations, and enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done.

For assistance with updating research, please contact the reference librarians at reference@nyls.edu.

Welcome back!

Below is the Library’s schedule, beginning January 19, 2021, through and including spring break.

If you want to dig into the law and history that surrounds presidential impeachment, HeinOnline has built an entire online research collection. You’ll need to first sign in with your NYLS network credentials.

Here is a brief description from HeinOnline:

Organized by the four affected presidents, this collection brings together a variety of documents both contemporaneous and asynchronous to each president’s impeachment, presenting both a snapshot of the political climate as each impeachment played out and the long view history has taken of each proceeding. Congressional Research Service reports round out a general discussion of presidential impeachment and a curated list of scholarly articles, external links, and a bibliography provide avenues for further research on this topic.

Hein will continue to add material to the library as it develops.

With finals approaching, your thoughts may be turning to study aids. If you’re interested in digital versions, you’re in luck. Our LexisNexis Digital Library, a collection of eBooks that you can check out and read on your computer, includes dozens of study aids and treatises.

You can access all of them from the Library’s home page. Click on LexisNexis Digital Library (under Electronic Resources) and then enter your NYLS credentials.

The service is easy to use, but if you have any questions, just contact a Reference Librarian.