Happy Constitution Day

Constitution Week was first established in 1956 to encourage Americans to learn more about the world’s longest surviving written charter of government.   Later in 2004, Constitution Day was created to encourage public schools and governmental offices to promote a better understanding of the Constitution.

As a day of education about, and celebration of, our constitutional rights and freedoms, Constitution Day commemorates the date on which thirty-nine of the Philadelphia Convention’s delegates signed the Constitution.  The original document is held at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. You can read the Constitution online, or pick up your own pocket-copy at the library’s reference desk!  For deeper coverage, you can also download the Library of Congress’s free app containing the official, annotated version of the United State Constitution, U.S. Constitution: Analysis and Interpretation.

And the Winners are . . .

We are pleased to announce the winners of our Legally Clueless Info Hunt held last Thursday, August 28.

Congratulations to: Juliet Knapp-Vega, Barbie Melendez, John Michalski, Amelia Maddox, Kevin McLafferty, Daniel Oquendo, Kyle Reed, and Laura Rion.    Among the prizes our winners picked were Black’s Law Dictionary, study aids in Contract Law, Torts, Civil Procedure, and Property Law, a $10 OneCard guest card, and 500 Lexis points.   We also wanted to thank ALL participants for joining in what we hope you found to be a fun learning experience!

Congratulations also to our “Keep your coffee off us for a chance to have coffee on us” winners:  Evelina Sierzputowska, Jacqueline Henry Lucio, Eddie Balkus, and Ally Rockolf, each of whom will receive a $5 OneCard guest card.

There will be more chances to win later this semester.  Stay tuned!  Our next Info Hunt will brew in time for Halloween (but don’t be scared).

Learn . . . and Win!

Have you submitted your Legally Clueless Info Hunt entry?  The deadline is fast approaching.  The drawing is this Thursday, August 28, 5:45 pm, outside the Library. We’ll be awarding lots of prizes, including NYLS t-shirts, OneCards, Lexis points, dictionaries, and a great variety of study aids.  Here are some of the titles:

Acing Property

Contract Law: Flowcharts and Cases

The Lawyer’s Practice: A Context and Practice Case File

Legal Analysis: 100 Exercises for Mastery

Plain English for Drafting Statutes and Rules

Personal Property

Property: Black Letter Outlines

Property: Examples and Explanations

Property: Quick Review

Property Stories

Questions & Answers: Civil Procedure

Questions & Answers: Property

Questions & Answers: Torts

Real Property

The yellow Legally Clueless Info Hunt form is in the packet you received on your library tour.  You can pick up another copy at the Reference Desk.  Remember, you can work with a partner or a group and you should always feel free to ask one of the reference librarians for help.

Good luck to all!

Add Us to Your Contact List

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.

Welcome from the Library Director

On behalf of the Mendik Library, I want to extend my welcome and congratulations to the entering classes of 2017/18. We are all looking forward to meeting you as you embark on a challenging and exciting journey.

For most law students, the library quickly becomes a constant feature of their lives, a second home if you will. We have worked hard to make our home a comfortable study and learning environment and you can be assured that you are getting the benefit of an outstanding library collection, an extensive offering of services, and an excellent library staff.

We describe our collections and our services in great detail on our web pages and handouts. What you might not realize from these publications is the outstanding quality of the Mendik Library Staff and why that is important to you. Our staff of eighteen includes eleven professionals with master’s degrees, seven of whom also have J.D. degrees from law schools around the country. Your librarians have many years of experience working in law libraries and teaching legal research. Many also have years of legal practice experience and most have been at New York Law School for ten years or more. 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. We welcome the opportunity to work with you throughout your law school career and thereafter as alumni.

Sincerely,

Professor Camille Broussard
Library Director & Associate Dean

 

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!

Back to Carnegie Hall!

Congratulations to the graduating class of 2014 and their upcoming Commencement Exercises—the Law School’s 122nd—on May 21st!

This year’s ceremony is particularly meaningful because it marks a return to Carnegie Hall, site of the Law School’s first Commencement, on June 7, 1892, and those for the following twenty-one years (through 1913).  

Commencement ceremonies enable us to celebrate our new graduates and to honor previous ones.  It’s always fun to view this slice of our history by looking back at our Commencement Exercises Programs. The Library has created two exhibits of NYLS Commencement Programs spanning three centuries!  We invite you to visit both.

•           In The Honorable Roger J. Miner ’56 Reading Room display case (L302) you’ll find programs from 1950, 1975, 1985, 1991, and 1997.

 •           In the display case near the Event Center (second floor of 185 West Broadway) you’ll find programs from 1892, 1894, 1899, 1900, 1903, 1906, 1913, and more . . . .

 Enjoy the Law School’s rich history!