Many of you will
soon be entering the law library for the very first time. Some will
come for the library tours. Some will come seeking a place to study.
Still others will only be passing through on the way to the Computer
Lab or to the Research Fellows. Others will actually utilize the
library’s resources—paper, electronic, and human.
My son recently visited this library, and made a slow, careful study of
the bookshelves directly in front of the Reference desk, in a halting,
side-stepping fashion similar to that of many library patrons. My son,
however, is just a toddler, and if he walks any faster, he will fall
back onto his padded diaper. Although the volumes on the shelves seem
mysterious to both you and he, only you have the ability to ask a
reference librarian for assistance. Please exercise that ability— we
are here to help.
The wise adventurer, when preparing to hike through an unknown jungle
or climb a foreign mountain, will hire an experienced guide. Similarly,
the prudent law student should not hesitate to ask a reference
librarian for help. Finding relevant and timely information can be a
complex and time-consuming task. A reference librarian can set you on
the right path. All of us have degrees in law, library science, or
both. Don’t be afraid to ask—that’s why we’re here.
With continuous practice, my son’s walking will dramatically improve.
In a year he will be able to run around the reference area. If you are
just as diligent, you will be just as comfortable in running through
the library’s resources.
Are you able to quickly analyze a question, think of the best sources
to search for information, and then efficiently gather that
information? Are you sure? What if the question itself asked for the
wrong information, or contained inaccurate data?
An expert legal researcher can navigate around both
seen and unseen hazards. If you do not think of yourself as an expert,
why not work on needed research skills? The reference librarians want
to teach you the skills you need in the areas in which you work. The
reference librarians will be scheduling workshops this year on several
different topics.
The reference librarians are here to help you.
Please sign up for workshops as they become available. We can teach you
the research skills you need to be competitive in the
workplace.
Please join the Law Library in welcoming our new Catalog Librarian,
Cathy Wagar. She comes to Loyola after thirteen years at the New
Orleans Public Library, where she was Head of Cataloging. Because she
was accustomed to being a generalist, Cathy says that she now must
adjust to the specialized nature of academic law library cataloging.
As the library’s only cataloger, Cathy’s primary
focus is on all of the new material coming into the library:
monographs, serials, and government documents. She is also responsible
for all of the catalog changes required when books are placed on
reserve, and when they are placed back into general circulation. One
side project involves creating original catalog records for books in
the Rare book collection which do not have them.
When not at work, Cathy and her husband are kept
busy raising their two year old son, Jack. (Cathy has never
resuscitated a drowned hamster.) In what little free time she has,
Cathy enjoys cycling, stargazing, and attending Zephyrs baseball
games.
Dear Libby,
How do I find out the
assessed tax value of a house?
Curious
Dear Curious,
The City of New Orleans provides a free database at:
http://hi.mayorofno.com/servlet/user/PropertySearch The search fields
provide for name or address searching. However, this database site can
be very finicky, if it is working at all. Students may search in Lexis
for tax information. In Lexis, go to Public Records, People, Business
& Asset Locator, Real Property locator, Tax Assessor Records, and,
finally, Combined LA Tax Assessor Records.
Dear Libby,
I got a parking ticking,
but the offense isn’t in the Civil Code. Where is it?
Upset on Pine
Dear Upset on Pine,
Check the New Orleans Code of Ordinances, Chapter 154 “Traffic and
Vehicles.” The Library has copies on Reserve and at Reference. Or, you
may search it at http://www.municode.com.
Remember, always think about which entity has jurisdiction. Then search
for the appropriate law.
All lawyers must be able to effectively research
legal issues. It is a skill that needs to be learned and practiced
regularly. Westlaw and Lexis can only yield so much, and even that
depends upon the skill of the user. It is much more involved than
simply putting keywords into a search engine.
Employers want associates who excel at legal
research. During your first year, take advantage of the library’s
resources—including the librarians.
“A worm ate my homework,” may be a true statement, but it is not an
excuse. Please remember to make back-up copies of your writing
assignments and outlines, and to keep them in a secure location.
A laptop can be disabled, or even stolen. Place your
files in a secure medium, and store that away from your laptop. You may
email files to yourself as attachments. Paper copies may not be
convenient, but they cannot be deleted or corrupted. Law school can be
stressful enough without losing your work product.
Although the
shifting of books in a library is not a rare event, and may even be
considered a somewhat common event, the rare books in this library have
been shifted for the first time since their arrival in the building
many years ago. Why? The new Teaching Fellows need office space; they
will be temporarily housed in what was the Rare Book Room. Since there
is no one handy area in which to place all of the rare books, the
collection will be housed in many different locations. Finding these
places and placing the books in them is complicated by problems with
the necessary requirements for proper storage, potential for damage,
and projected need for quick retrieval.
If you need to see a rare book, please see a
reference librarian. They will have lists detailing where each of the
rare books is now located.
Ours is a government of
laws, and not of men. Women and men, however, shape the law, and they
all have very definite and different views. Here are two excerpts from
recent U.S. Supreme Court opinions. Can you name the Justices who wrote
them? (answers on back page)
1. “The Commander in Chief and his subordinates had
every reason to expect that the internment of combatants at Guantanamo
Bay would not have the consequence of bringing the cumbersome machinery
of our domestic courts into military affairs. ....
For this Court to create such a monstrous scheme in time of war, and in
frustration of our military commanders' reliance upon clearly stated
prior law, is judicial adventurism of the worst sort.”
2.”I continue to believe that the Government may not
penalize speakers for making available to the general World Wide Web
audience that which the least tolerant communities in America deem
unfit for their children's consumption, ... and consider that principle
a sufficient basis for deciding this case.”
To read these and other recent Supreme Court
opinions, visit the Court’s webpage at
http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/03slipopinion.html
We ask that all
Library patrons follow these rules. Many people use this library, and
we must all be considerate.
- Drinks must be in
safety cups; water bottles with a screw top are permitted.
- Snack food is
permitted in first floor reading room. All other food is verboten.
- No tobacco products
of any kind.
- Cell phones should
be switched to silent or vibrate mode. You may use them near the
Administrative area on the second floor, and the Circulation Desk area
on the first floor.
- Please re-shelve
your books.
- Please keep noise
levels low—many students are trying to study. Remember, the third floor
is for Silent Study.
Please call the Circulation Department at 861-5545 if you have any
questions regarding the hours of operation.
Regular Library Hours:
Sunday: 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Monday - Thursday: 7:30 a.m. - 12:00 midnight
Friday: 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Reference Desk:
Monday - Thursday: 8:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Answer Key
1. Justice Antonin Scalia, dissenting in Rasul v. Bush 2004
WL 1432134
2. Justice Stevens, concurring in Ashcroft v. American
Civil Liberties Union
2004 WL 1439998
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Francis Norton, Editor
fxnorton@loyno.edu
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