Professor and Associate Dean for Information and Technology Services, Law School
Dear 1L, L.L.M. and transfer students,
Welcome to BC Law. We are looking forward to working with you over the coming months. We know that you will be spending many productive hours in the Law Library. Please take a few minutes and read the articles in the fall Law Library Newsletter to help you make the most of academic year 2016-2017.
Did you know that BC Law students have access to Audio Casefiles, a database of audio files for cases in popular law school casebooks? Please peruse this newsletter to find out more about this particular resource as well as other useful topics such as the unusual items that we check out in the Law Library; tips on improving your citation skills, and free access to the New York Times and the Financial Times. You will also find a law themed diversion in the article about the Daniel R. Coquillette Rare Book Room’s exhibit on the History of Legal Forms.
You will also find helpful information on the many ways in which you can contact one of the Legal Information Librarians and other BC Law Library and Technology staff. Did you know that many of our librarians are lawyers and librarians? They have been through law school, some have practiced, and they all understand the complexities of legal information and legal research.
Law school is intellectually stimulating and arduous. Please take care of your health. Try to pace yourself as the semester progresses. You might enjoy using the Contemplation Room (room 427) in the Law Library for individual meditation and prayer breaks. If you would like, please consider joining the weekly meditation group. We sit, breathe, and meditate together from 12:30-1:00 p.m. every Wednesday in Room 427 in the Law Library. In the meantime, best wishes for the success of academic year 2016-2017.
Peace,
Filippa Marullo Anzalone
Professor of Law
Associate Dean for Library & Technology Services
Legal Research Help
Research help is available Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. – 8 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday from Noon – 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. – 5 p.m. Get your reference help the way you like it.
You can come to the Information Desk and ask to speak to a librarian in person. You can call us at 617-552-4434. To chat with us online, link from the “Chat with a Librarian”. Send us an e-mail at lawref@bc.edu. If you have a very brief question that can be answered very briefly, (under 160 characters) you can text us at 617-70-BCLAW. If you want an in-depth consultation stop by, call, or e-mail to schedule an appointment.
BC Law's Technology Help Team
Administrative & Technology Resources (ATR) is the Law Library department responsible for providing technology assistance to the Law School's faculty, staff and students. ATR provides help to students through its staffing of the Law Library's Student Computing Help Center located in Room 205. Hours of operation of the Help Center change each term; our current schedule can be found at this website: www.bc.edu/bclawtechnology
Faculty and staff may contact ATR for technology and telephone support by calling our departmental help number (2-2604), or writing to our departmental email account (atrinbox@bc.edu). Our hours of operation are Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
After hours and weekend service is available through the University’s Information Technology Services Help Desk by calling (617) 552-HELP (4357). Please note that services specific to the Law School (e.g. access to servers and printers, LEXIS, WESTLAW, BloombergLaw, ACES2, Symplicity, etc.) are administered only by members of the ATR and Law Library staff, and University ITS staff will likely not have access or familiarity with said services.
Michael Mitsukawa, Associate Director, Administrative & Technology Services
Law Library, 280B, (617) 552-2355, email: michael.mitsukawa@bc.edu
Tuananh (Mo) Truong, Law School Technology Consultant
Law Library, 277, (617) 552-2604, email: atrinbox@bc.edu
Kyle Fidalgo, Educational Technology Specialist
Law Library, 278, (617) 552-2091, email: lawedtech@bc.edu
Ian Roeber, Graduate Technology Consultant
Law Library, 205, (617) 552-2604, email: atrinbox@bc.edu
Listen to Your Casebooks
Save your eyesight and listen to your casebooks using AudioCaseFiles, one of the components of Courtroom Cast, one feature of the Courtroom View Network. BC Law students have access to downloadable MP3 files of edited judicial opinions in popular law school casebooks through the Law Library’s subscription. Access the audio files by registering at https://courtroomcast.lexisnexis.com/signup using your BC e-mail address. You can browse the list of casebooks included to find your course text using the links at the bottom of the Courtroom View home page. Download your assigned opinions to listen on the go, or listen to them on ANY mobile device. Questions? Stop by the Information Desk or e-mail lawref@bc.edu.
New Users’ Guide to the Law Library
Welcome to the Boston College Law Library! In the New User’s Guide http://lawguides.bc.edu/new you will find useful information to help you get acquainted with the Library, the services we offer, and find answers to some frequently asked questions regarding the Library. If you still have questions after reading the guide, please stop by the Information Desk on Level 2.
Rare Book Room News
Come peruse the new exhibit in the Daniel R. Coquillette Rare Book Room! It explores the history of legal forms and form books which have a long tradition in Anglo-American legal literature. For centuries, lawyers have needed forms to make their drafting projects (complaints, motions, contracts, etc.) more efficient and successful.
The oldest book in the exhibit is a 1554 printing of Treatise on the Laws and Customs of the Kingdom of England, attributed to Ranulph de Glanville, Chief Justice under Henry II. It’s essentially a procedural manual and form book, with over eighty model writs and commentary to guide practitioners in the King’s Courts. Another favorite is a manuscript book of forms from 1806, which was recovered by a Union soldier from underneath the floorboards of a South Carolina cotton plantation during the Civil War.
As always, students are welcome and encouraged to use the Rare Book Room as a quiet study space, whenever the room is open, generally weekdays from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Students are equally welcome to use our special collections for research projects or to simply ask to see an item for mere curiosity’s sake!
Free Access to the NYT and Financial Times!
By now you will have received an email invitation from the New York Times offering you a FREE personal digital subscription to the Times, courtesy of the Boston College Law Library.
You have already been “pre-registered” for an account under your BC email address. To activate your account, just click on the “Forgot password?” link in the email invitation and enter your BC email address. You must use the format firstname.lastname@bc.edu. You will immediately receive an email from the Time prompting you to create a password.
If you didn’t receive the invitation or if you have any problems or questions relating to this opportunity, please contact Deena Frazier, Collection Services Librarian – deena.frazier@bc.edu (617-552-4409)
FINANCIAL TIMES: You can also register for a personal digital account for the Financial Times Online as part of Boston College Libraries’ group subscription.
The Library Has Stuff!
Stuff you can check out from the library’s Information Desk:
- Laptop, iPhone, and iPad chargers
- Headphones
- Seat Cushions
- Color Books
- Standing Desks
- Book Stands
- Lawn Chairs
- Frisbees
And, of course, case books, Bluebooks, and other reserve materials!
Also, keep an eye out for candy and therapy dogs during finals, and the Diversity Read in March.
New Online Study Aid Access!
The BC Law community now has access to West Academic study aids through the Library! This new addition to our electronic resources was just added this summer. Take advantage of the complete access you get to these resources that can clarify the elements of a cause of action in an intentional tort, quiz you on the differences between personal and diversity jurisdiction before your civ pro exam, and help you navigate the waters of drafting a good brief in Law Practice I & II.
Point your mouse to the Law Library List of Databases to get started. Read more about access in this Legal Eagle blogpost!
Improve Your Citation and Cite-Checking Skills With Lexis Advance and HeinOnline
Looking for extra exercises to hone your legal citation skills? Interactive Citation Workstation (ICW) is an online tool from Lexis Advance that helps students develop citation skills through interactive exercises. The tool offers citation exercises for all four formats: Bluebook, ALWD, Bluebook State and ALWD State. It also provides clear explanations for each citation rule, lists step-by-step examples and gives immediate feedback to your answers.
Students may access ICW from the Lexis Advance Research tab and work on the exercises at their own pace. It is a good supplement to the first year legal writing and research class.
HeinOnline has a brand-new tutorial , Cite-Checking In Seconds with HeinOnline. This tutorial is geared toward 2L students on law review staffs, but it is a great resource for 1Ls who want to quickly learn cite-checking skills. The tutorial is available at this url, http://help.heinonline.org/2016/09/cite-check-in-seconds-with-heinonline.