From the Law Library – Sometimes the Schedule Falls Apart
Posted by: admin in From the Law LibraryFrom the Library by Mary Persyn
You may have seen the July issue of the Law Library newsletter, The Reporter, which described all of the changes that were taking place in the Law Library over the summer. These included converting some space on the second floor into faculty offices and removing the law reviews from the lower level of the Library and converting that space into a Reading Room for quiet study. The plan was to have all of the work done by the time orientation began on August 20.
The August 20 completion date slipped, but I had hoped that by the time you read this column, all the remodeling work on the Law Library would be finished and that you could enjoy the new reading room. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened, there has been a delay with the manufacturer of the furniture and the furniture is scheduled to arrive on September 2 with several days needed for installation.
In addition, there has been a delay in the installation of the new photocopy machines for the Library. Not that students do much photocopying anymore, but we had planned on having new and quicker machines available for the beginning of the academic year for those people who want to make photocopies.
Hopefully, all the remodeling will be completed by September 8.
That having been said, we hope that you are pleased with those changes that have been completed in the Library. The library staff thinks that the new carpeting on the lower level and the newly painted walls are a vast improvement over the old décor. With the removal of the book stacks and the law reviews the area is much lighter and brighter. When the new furniture finally arrives, complete with electrical outlets and lamps on the tables, the lower level should be a comfortable and attractive place to study.
As part of the remodeling we decided to officially make the lower level of the Library the “Quiet Study” area. That way you will know where to go if you don’t mind a little noise while you study (first or second floor), or if you would prefer quiet (lower level). We will be doing some policing of the lower level and ask people who are talking to move to another floor. The group study rooms on the lower level continue to be available for groups of students who want to study together and talk.
Returning students might have noticed, if you are here after sundown, that we finally have lights on the library stairway. That “dark hole” in the center of the Library is now brighter thanks to another part of the summer remodeling project.
Finally, we have added some new online sources to help you with your research. I will only mention one new source today – Subject Compilation of State Laws, a digital version of a source that we have had since 1960 in paper in the Reference Collection (KF 240 .S795). The database and its predecessor in paper format index documents that contain 50 state surveys of all sorts of laws. It is a shortcut to be used when you need to find all the state laws on a particular topic such as “blue sky” laws, or RICO laws, or laws on franchising, or DNA evidence, or on any other topics that might arise in your research. The Subject Compilation is a part of Hein Online and can be found at www.heinonline.org. Click on “Subscribers Click Here to Enter” and then look for Subject Compilation of State Laws in the left hand column.
Have a good month.
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