September 2008

30 Minutes to Understanding the Digest!
30 Minutes to Surviving Your First Legal Methods Project!

OMG!  Having a mini-meltdown because your Legal Methods professor has asked you to search a digest for cases?  Do not despair!
Help is only 30 minutes away!  Plan to attend a 30 minute session on digest research conducted by Associate Law Librarian Lucinda Harrison-Cox. 
Three 30 minute sessions will be held in Training Lab 1 on the following dates and times:

Monday, September 29th at 11:30
Tuesday, September 30th at 11:30
Tuesday, September 30th at 1:00

If these times do not work for you, please contact Lucinda Harrison-Cox.  She is open to scheduling additional sessions if there is student interest. For those who come to these sessions, there is a chance at a PRIZE beyond the gift of knowledge offered!

Remember that additional help is available at the Reference Desk on most Saturdays 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Sunday, September 28th from 1:00-4:30 p.m., and at LawLibraryHelp@rwu.edu .

[Posted September 24, 2008]

Westlaw Student Reps!

Second-year student Casey Lee is the new Westlaw student rep with third-year student Katherine “Kathy” Sulentic continuing as a Westlaw student rep for the 2007-08 academic year. Their job involves making sure all the equipment runs correctly, checking the mailroom for any items delivered to Westlaw, helping our Westlaw Academic Account Manager Mark Jackson with any issues he may have, conducting one-on-one training with students, assisting both faculty and staff with any Westlaw products, holding marketing events, and answering student questions.  In order to better acquaint you with them, here is some interesting information about each one!

Casey is from Santa Clarita, California, which is in the Los Angeles area.  He moved to Rhode Island last year to attend the School of Law.  Casey earned a B.A. in Political Science from California State University at Northridge.  What prompted Casey’s interest in attending law school was his experience with AmeriCorps.  During college, he completed a one-year AmeriCorps program facilitated by the California Superior Courts in which he volunteered at various legal aid clinics throughout Los Angeles.  Through this program, he realized that there was a need for lawyers who understand the struggles of minority and low-income individuals and families. Casey wants to put his law degree to good use by making a positive difference in the lives of those whom he serves. Prior to coming to the School of Law, he worked as a copywriter for a marketing firm in Burbank, California and part-time as an AmeriCorps program coordinator for the California Superior Courts.  He lives in Bristol with his partner and three small dogs, Chihuahua-Miniature Pinscher mixes named Miles and Kilo and a Basenji mix named Tila.

Kathy has a B.A. in History from the University of Northern Iowa and her M.A. in History from the University of Nebraska.  Prior to coming to the law school, she held the position of Assistant Academic Counselor for University of Nebraska Athletics and Assistant Director of Academics for University of Colorado Athletics.  Last summer, Kathy was a Legal Intern at Sun Microsystems and most recently a Summer Associate with Greenberg Traurig in their Boston office.  She came to the law school in order to further her career in Athletics.  After graduation from the law school, she will take a position as an associate at Greenberg Traurig working in sports and entertainment law and possibly municipal bonds. 

Casey’s scheduled hours are Mondays from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.; Tuesdays from 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.; 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. and Wednesdays from 3:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m. and Kathy’s scheduled hours are Mondays from 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.  - 3:00 p.m.; Thursdays from 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. and Fridays from noon - 2:00 p.m.  Both will be stationed in the Main Computer Lab during their scheduled hours.

[Posted September 18, 2008]

LexisNexis Student Reps!

Second-year students Sara Mazzochi and Alexandra “Lexi” Nolin were recently hired as LexisNexis student reps.  Their job responsibilities include helping or training anyone who needs help at RWUSOL in LexisNexis products and research techniques, making sure the LexisNexis equipment, including the printers, run as they should, assisting our LexisNexis Representative Steve Albro with anything he might need and conducting marketing events throughout the course of the year. In order to better acquaint you with them, here is some interesting information about each one!

Sarah graduated from Brown University with a B.A in History in 2006.  In the year between undergrad and law school she worked as a Reference Librarian down in south Florida, where she is from originally. She has a keen interest in public interest law, specifically issues dealing with the First Amendment. She spent the last summer studying abroad in London and Lisbon and worked as a fellow for the Discrimination and National Security Initiative with Harvard University. When she graduates, she hopes to work on constitutional legal issues.

Lexi is from Boston and is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts in Boston.  She also studied Political Science and European Union Law for twenty months at Science-Po in Paris.  She is interested in International Trade law as well as ADR methods. 

Sarah’s scheduled hours are Mondays from 3:30 p.m.- 5:45 p.m.; Tuesdays from 12:30 p.m.- 3:00 p.m.; Thursdays from 2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. and, Fridays from noon to -1:45 p.m. and Lexi’s scheduled hours are Mondays and Wednesdays from noon - 3:30 p.m. and Thursdays from noon - 2:00 p.m.  Sarah and Lexi will be located in the reading area near study rooms 162 and 164 during their scheduled LexisNexis hours.

[Posted September 17, 2008]

LexisNexis and Westlaw Training for First-Year Students!

The Main Computer Lab and Training Lab 1 will be used closed for first-year LexisNexis and Westlaw training sessions on the following
dates and times:

Wednesdays - September 10, 17, and 24 and October 1

9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Thursdays - September 11, 18, and 25 and October 2

10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.  for makeup training sessions as needed.

During those dates and times, please refrain from sending print requests to the LexisNexis and Westlaw printers in the Main Computer Lab and the LexisNexis printer in Training Lab 1.

Thanks in advance for your cooperation!

[Posted September 10, 2008]

Study Aids in the Law Library!

In addition to the CALI tutorials, the Law Library’s collection has various study aids on numerous legal subject areas.  These study aids include the nutshells and hornbooks published by Thomson/West.  Other study aids are published by LexisNexis and Aspen Publishers.  LexisNexis publishes the “Understanding...” series and Aspen Publishers publishes the Examples and Explanations series.  Foundation Press, an independent affiliate of Thomson/West, also publishes the Concepts and Insights series on various areas of the law. To view available titles in these series, search the Law Library’s WebCatalog by typing the titles: Examples and Explanations Series, Hornbook Series, Understanding Series, or Nutshell Series.

Current editions of these study aids are available on Reserve.  Copy 1 and Copy 2 of a study aid circulate for two hours and are restricted to use within the Law Library.  Copy 3 and higher can be checked out of the Law Library for forty-eight (48) hours.  Note, a fine of 50 cents is accrued for each hour that a book checked out from Reserve is overdue!  Older editions of the study aids are shelved in the stacks by their call number and can be checked out from the Law Library for twenty-one days.

[Posted September 3, 2008]