Congratulations on
being accepted to Loyola University New Orleans Law School and I hope
you are looking forward to a challenging yet very rewarding year.
The Law Library houses a rapidly growing collection of hard copy,
microform, and electronic resources to meet the curricular and research
needs of students and faculty. The Law Library, however, is more
than a mere repository of primary and secondary legal resources.
The Law Library staff, both professional and para-professional, are
eager to help you make the most of the resources available.
You will probably have the most direct contact with the personnel at
the Circulation/Reserve Desk and at the Reference Desk. The
para-professionals and student assistants of the Circulation/Reserve
staff can help you with assigned readings for your classes and with a
variety of secondary study aids that are on reserve. For help
with identifying and effectively using Law Library resources, get to
know the reference librarians who staff the Reference Desk on the
second floor of the Library. They will be able to help you not
only with hard copy resources but will also assist you to make the best
use of electronic resources.
For more information on the Law Library, the Law Library staff, and
access to the online catalog and other electronic resources, consult
www.law.loyno.edu/library.
A Suggested Summer Reading List
These books are all available through the major online booksellers:
Fischl, Richard Michael and Jeremy Paul
Getting to Maybe: How to Excel on Law School Exams
Carolina Academic Press, 1999 ISBN
0890897603 $22.00
While most books on exam taking are simply a catalog
of questionable tips and techniques, this book is different.
Written by two law professors who have taught all the basic law school
courses, this guide examines the process of legal analysis, breaking
down concepts into discrete, patterned components. It explores
how and why law professors construct exam questions as they do and what
they hope to see in an answer. This book will not only help you
excel on exams but will also give you valuable advice on how to prepare
for class and what you should be learning from class discussions.
Read this book during the summer and then again mid first
semester. By far the best book of its
kind.
Harr, Jonathan
A Civil Action Vintage
Books, 1996 ISBN 0679772677 $14.95
This is a fascinating account of a toxic tort
case. It explores a lawsuit brought by leukemia victims and their
families against two major corporations who have allegedly been
releasing carcinogens into the environment. A good read that will
give you a head start on both torts and civil procedure.
Kennedy, Randall
Race, Crime, and the Law Vintage Books,
1998 ISBN 0375701842
$16.00
Kennedy, a critical legal studies advocate, explores
the relationship between the criminal justice system and race.
While he espouses definite opinions -- some at odds with politically
correct interpretations, the author takes care to buttress his
arguments with clearly delineated facts.
Levi, Edward H.
An Introduction to Legal Reasoning.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1948. ISBN
0226474089 $9.00
Levi’s book is a seminal work on the nature of legal
reasoning. It emphasizes that law is a process of decision-making
in which social theories play a significant role. While short, its
style is somewhat abstruse and it should not be the first book you read
on this list.
Lewis, Anthony.
Gideon’s Trumpet. New York: Vintage Books,
1964. ISBN 0679723129 $12.00
This is a history of Gideon v. Wainwright, the
Supreme Court case giving indigents the right to free legal
counsel. In writing about the case, however, Lewis explains in a
very accessible style the whole nature of constitutional law and the
role of the Supreme Court. An excellent book.
Turow, Scott.
One L. New York: Penguin,
1977. ISBN 0446673781 $13.95
Turow’s book chronicles the life of a first-year law
student at Harvard. It is an exciting account of intellectual
development that also tells of the many ups and downs of the law
student. Turow is particularly good at occasionally stepping back
from the scene and delving into the weaknesses and sometimes
dehumanizing aspects of the law school educational experience. A
must read.
P. Michael Whipple
Law Library Director and Professor of Law
Most folks can guess that
there are major differences between the National Air and Space Museum
and the Dr Pepper Museum. However, they may not realize that an
academic law library is different from a university library.
A law library’s
collection is primarily composed of serials, not monographs. A serial
is a work that is meant to continue on indefinitely, even if it does
not. For example, the Congressional Record and Martha Stewart Living
are serials. A monograph is a complete work, even if it is more than
one volume. The Federalist Papers (one volume) and The Lord of the
Rings (three volumes) are both monographs.
A law journal is a serial
published by students, containing scholarly articles written by law
professors, judges, and others which is published in regular
installments, much like any other journal. For example, the Harvard Law
Review can publish eight items during the year. The subscribing library
will collect and then bind all eight publications together into a
single volume for that academic year. Most law schools produce at least
one journal.
A reporter is a serial
published by a private company which contains appellate opinions. It
may be found in many forms. A reporter may be topical (Copyright Law
Reporter), regional (Northeastern Reporter) or state (Georgia Reports).
A reporter may be updated with nine or ten bound volumes a year
(Federal Reporter, Third series) or with weekly loose-leaf updates
placed into binders (Labor relations reporter).
At the Circulation Desk,
students may check out most monographs, but not serials. There students
can also request Reserve materials, which may be borrowed for a short
period of time. Please remember that most items in a law library do not
circulate.
The Catalog: Gateway
to the Collection
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The Law Library uses software from Innovative Interfaces for its online
catalog, which may be searched at http://lawcat.loyno.edu/search
Students will often use the “keyword” screen to search for
information. However, the “subject heading” screen may actually yield
results closer to those the student actually wants, since words in the
title may not be descriptive of the contents. Also, subject searching
allows one to “drill down” into the catalog. For example, a subject
search for the word “torts” shows 607 entries divided into 87
sub-categories. A keyword search for “torts” shows 344 entries, which
are all listed alphabetically by title. Clearly, subject searching
produces more hits in a format that is easier to search.
Not all materials on one topic will be physically grouped together.
They could be in the stacks, or on Reserve, or at Reference. Also,
since many areas of law overlap, it is possible that a book could fit
into many possible subject headings. In order to find what you need, be
sure to start any search with the online catalog.
It is
more than just a place to study, socialize, or check email. A library
is an Information Center, full of knowledgeable people, which receives,
catalogs, and disseminates new information on a daily basis.
You will have a casebook for each class. It contains
excerpts of judicial opinions, which are chosen and compiled by the
author of the book. The primary and secondary materials from which
casebooks are compiled are found in the library.
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.
Food, Drink, and
Cellphone Policies
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Please help us by complying with the Law Library food and drink
policy. You may drink beverages from spill-proof containers
anywhere in the Law Library. Covered containers such as those
from Starbucks do not qualify. We will be giving a spill-proof
mug to all first-year students. Ask about your mug at the
Circulation and Reserve Desk.
There should be no food on the second or third floors of the Law
Library. In the first floor reading room, you may consume
non-microwavable vending machine snacks such as potato chips, corn
chips, and candy. Please dispose of wrappers appropriately.
Please cooperate with this food and drink policy. It is designed
to protect the Law Library from an invasion of little creatures that
not only feed on any leftovers but on paper, bindings, and glue in
books. It will also serve to protect the new furniture from any
inadvertent spills.
Cellphone use can be annoying to other patrons.
Please limit their use to the Circulation area on the first floor, and
to the horseshoe shaped area by the Administrative offices on the
second floor. Do not use them on the third
floor: it is reserved for silent study.
by Brian Huddleston
Within the law library, the Information Technology department runs two
computer labs. The primary lab is on the first floor, and has forty-six
PC (Windows) computers and one Apple computer. Both Microsoft Office
and Corel Wordperfect Office Suite are on all the Windows PCs for
word processing. You can also access e-mail and the World Wide
Web on any of these computers.
On the second floor is the thirteen-PC Computer Instructional
Lab. This lab is used for computer-based electronic research training
and has a large combination display/touch screen at the lectern. When
no class is in session, this lab is open for general computer use. The
PCs in this lab have the same software configuration as the ones in the
first floor lab. Both labs have several high-speed, networked laser
printers available for printing.
Throughout the library there are thirty-five access points where you
can connect laptop computers to our local network. If you own a laptop
with a network card (this is different from a telephone modem), you can
plug it into the network and access e-mail and the web from any of
these locations. Maps showing you where these network access point are
located are available at the law library circulation desk and will be
distributed at orientation.
Law students will be provided with a Loyola e-mail account. Many
faculty use e-mail to communicate with their students outside of class
and e-mail is one way that the law school distributes important
information to students. You can either use your Loyola e-mail account
or an existing e-mail account as your “default.”
The University also provides dial-up internet access
for students. You can configure your home computer to dial up to the
campus internet servers and access e-mail and the web from home without
having to pay a monthly fee.
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.
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Francis Norton, Editor
fxnorton@loyno.edu
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