Author Archives: Rosemary Campagna

Quiet Please!

quietIt’s that time of the year. The Library is full of students all studying for their exams. We are asking for your cooperation in keeping the library a quiet space for everyone to study.

We have already received some complaints about loud talking and laughing coming from closed door study rooms. Please remember to keep your voices down when you are studying in groups in any of the numerous study rooms throughout the library.  Even though the door may be closed, your voices travel.

Thanks and good luck to all on your upcoming exams!

Happy 225th Anniversary to “Mother Court”

from Third Branch News Blog –

A 225th anniversary ceremony honoring the first-ever federal court session held court2under the U.S. Constitution and Judiciary Act, was held Nov. 4th in the ceremonial courtroom of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The ceremony honored a court session held Nov. 3, 1789, in the Royal Exchange Building in Manhattan.  The session, conducted by Judge James Duane, occurred three months before the U.S. Supreme Court also met in the Royal Exchange, which no longer exists. The 1789 session gives the Southern District of New York claiming rights as the nation’s “Mother Court”—although the first sitting was not momentous, adjourning immediately without hearing any cases.

The Library recently acquired the book, The Mother Court: Tales of Cases That Mattered in America’s Greatest Trial Court. It is the first book to chronicle the history of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, the most influential District court in the United States. It gives first-hand insight into the evolution of our justice system where it has been, where it is now and where it is going. It provides an anatomy of what a trial is all about in an American courtroom, featuring the most famous trials of the period in the greatest court in the nation.

 

 

 

 

Help Us See the Light!

The correct light bulb that is.lamp

The Library is considering new light bulbs for the library tables lamps on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the library.

Please look at the lights in the four lamps on the first table as you enter the Law Review Room on the 3rd Floor (the room facing the main stairway).

Ranking forms and a form collection box are located on the same table as the lamps.

Let your voice be heard!

Problems with CALI

caliThe Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI) has informed BLS Library that they have been having issues with the stability of instances in the CALI web cluster that have taken www.cali.org offline for extended periods over the last few days.
If you try the CALI website and it is down or slow please wait an hour or so and try again.
They hope to have this problem rectified soon and are sorry for the inconvenience.

Supreme Court Website Gets A Makeover

scotus

This past Monday, the Supreme Court Website displayed a new and improved look.

According to their press release, the reorganized menu and new, horizontal format make navigating the site easier and more efficient. Some of the most frequently requested information will now be available directly on the site’s homepage, including the transcripts and audio for the most recent oral arguments, and information for planning a visit to the Court. Website users will notice enhanced images and graphics, improved search features and updated access on mobile devices.

The Supreme Court Website, , was launched on April 17, 2000, to make Court information available via the Internet to the Bar, the public, and the news media.

Greetings and Salutations

The Fall semester has started and everyone at the BLS Library is looking forward to working with you towards a successful new year.

Just a few reminders –

The Library has resumed its regular hours

  • Monday – Thursday           8:00 am – 12:00 am
  • Friday                                   8:00 am – 10:00 pm
  • Saturday                              9:00 am – 10:00 pm
  • Sunday                               10:00 am – 12:00 am

Reference Desk Hours

  • Monday – Thursday            9:00 am – 8:00 pm
  • Friday                                   9:00 am – 6:00 pm
  • Saturday                               Noon – 5:00 pm

If you haven’t done it already, check out OneSearch on the Library’s Web page.  You can now search the catalog plus multiple databases using this new service.

onesearchchatAnd don’t forget the Library’s Chat Service, also available on our web page.   Librarians are   available to chat during regularly scheduled reference hours.  If you do not get a response back, please leave your email address or phone number, and someone will get in touch with you as soon as possible.

Looking forward to working with you in the coming year!

 

BLS to Join US Patent Office’s Clinic Pilot Program

ptoBrooklyn Law School has been selected as one of 19 law schools to join the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Law School Clinic Certification Pilot Program this fall.  Currently there are 28 law schools participating in the Program.  BLS  will participate specifically in the Patent practice area of the  Program.

The Law School Clinic Certification Pilot program allows law students enrolled in a participating law school’s clinic program to practice Intellectual Property Law before the USPTO under the strict guidance of a Law School Faculty Clinic Supervisor.

Students gain experience drafting and filing either patent applications or trademark applications for clients of the law school clinic.  Further, as they are authorized to practice before the USPTO, they gain experience answering Office Actions and communicating with either patent examiners or trademark examining attorneys for the applications they have filed.

 

Six Major Cases in Less Than a Week

That is what the Supreme Court Justices need to rule on before the  current term ends on June 30th.

Just this week, the high court ruled on the following cases –

These cases dealt with legal issues such as bank fraud, green gas emissions, and securities fraud.

The remaining cases will tackle the following legal topics –

CRS Turns 100

crs2

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is celebrating 100 years of service this year.

In 1914, the Library of Congress established the Legislative Reference Service (LRS).  As its name implies, the purpose of the LRS was to provide  reference information to assist Members of Congress in their legislative work.  Over 100 years, LRS evolved into today’s Congressional Research Service (CRS), with a staff of 600 that exclusively provides Congress with authoritative, confidential, objective and nonpartisan policy analysis.

CRS is known for its reports, but what makes CRS is its people—analysts, attorneys, information professionals, and management and infrastructure support staff. These staff members carry out services in support of the modern mission: to provide objective, authoritative and confidential legislative research and analysis, thereby contributing to an informed national legislature.

In recent years there has been a push to make these CRS reports freely available to the American public. Thanks to several organizations , departments and libraries many of these detailed reports are now available electronically.

Below are some recent reports on topical issues.

Nigeria’s Boko Haram: Frequently Asked Questions

Ukraine: Current Issues and U.S. Policy

Marijuana: Medical and Retail—Selected Legal Issues

Abortion: Judicial History and Legislative Response

 

 

 

 

Study Room Reservations and Library Hours for Reading/Exam Period

During the reading and exam period, you must make a reservation to use a library study room. Mandatory study room reservations will begin Friday, May 2, at 8:00 am; at that time all study rooms will be locked and you must go to the first floor circulation desk when your reservation time begins to charge out the key to the room. The link to the study room reservations is on the library homepage under Related Links.

studyroomStudy Room Policies:

· Study rooms are for the use of groups of two or more students

· Study rooms may be reserved only for the current day and two days ahead

· Study rooms may be reserved for periods from 30 minutes up to four hours

· Students are permitted to reserve a room for no more than four hours per day

· Reservations violating these policies will be deleted

· Instructions for making reservations and a list of rooms available are on the study room reservations page

Library hours for the Reading and Exam period:

· Friday, May 2 – Thursday, May 15: 8:00am – 2:00am

· Friday, May 16: 8:00am – 10:00pm

· From May 2 – May 15, the Circulation Desk will close at Midnight; no books can be checked out after Midnight

Library hours for Writing Competition weekend:

· Saturday – Sunday, May 17–18, 8:00am – 2:00am

Reminders:

· Please limit all conversations in the library – remember that your colleagues are studying too.

· There is no eating in the library; please go to the student lounge or dining hall for all snacks and meals.

· Do not leave valuables unattended. If you step away from your study table or carrel, take anything of value to you with you.

Good luck on your exams!