This Thursday (April 11) at 1 pm on the first floor of BLS Library, BLS Reference Librarians/Adjunct Professors of Law Loreen Peritz and Sue Silverman will offer a program on free sources for legal research. To accompany their program, Loreen Peritz also created this publicly-accessible research guide: Sources of Free Legal Research. Knowledge of reputable free sources can help you to conduct cost-effective research. Refreshments will be served at this program!
Also, our staff noticed that the two bulletin boards for student announcements of BLS events (located outside of BLS Library’s Nash reading room, by the third floor main elevators) were often overflowing with notices. So, there are now additional bulletin boards for your announcements. There are signs on the two center bulletin boards stating: This Week: Events. BLS students can place announcements about the current week’s BLS events on these two central boards. Students can place signs about BLS events occurring farther in the future (or events that might not have a specific date) on the additional bulletin boards.
Note: BLS librarians have created 50+ research guides to support your work, and we encourage you to submit your research questions through email: askthelibrary@brooklaw.edu and text: 718-734-2432.
We understand that some students will be working remotely during the BLS Winter Recess (Dec. 22 – Jan. 2). We recorded our BLS Library presentation on how to prepare to access digital books, encyclopedias and databases from remote locations. The recording of this presentation is now available in Canvas (within BLSConnect). The Canvas “course” is: Librarians’ Research Presentations > see module: Material From Librarians’ Alcove Academy Presentations > click link: Librarians’ Presentation: “Preparing for Remote Research During Winter Recess.” A key point was: email: askthelibrary@brooklaw.edu or text: (718) 734-2432 soon for help identifying and collecting sources to use during Winter Recess.
Thank you to those who attended! We always appreciate your feedback on the library/our services, and we look forward to providing you with research suggestions.
Lenape Center is a nonprofit organization that states it is “[c]ontinuing Lenapehoking through community, culture and the arts” and “[w]orking towards the creation of a cultural center.” Lenape Center’s work includes curating exhibitions (including the virtual exhibit Lenapehoking), developing educational programs, and creating Lenapehoking: An Anthology. Brooklyn Law School Library, Brooklyn Public Library and New York Public Library provide multiple copies of this insightful and powerful book. On p. 14 of the Introduction, Joe Baker (Co-Founder/Executive Director of Lenape Center) states: “This anthology of essays and interviews features leading Indigenous scholars, culture bearers, and artists offering important new scholarship and knowledge of Lenape culture and history that is not readily available to the general public.” On March 6, 2023, there was a “Live from NYPL” event at which contributors to Lenapehoking: An Anthology “explore[d] the personal journeys of people seeking welcome in their ancestral homeland while pushing back against their erasure.” This event video is available here.
This database includes: the subcollection Indigenous Peoples Treaties (400+ full-text treaties) and treaty-related publications; each edition of United States Code Title 25 and Code of Federal Regulations Title 25; the Indian Law Reporter (published: 1974-2013) and additional serials; a subcollection of tribal codes (published: 1981 and 1988); a subcollection of constitutions, acts and by-laws; selected Native Nations Law & Policy Center publications such as The Need for Confidentiality within Tribal Cultural Resource Protection and Tribal Implementation Toolkit; Model Tribal Probate Code; nearly 50 federal legislative histories; Congressional hearings; scholarly articles; other related works (books and pamphlets); and a bibliography. This database is accessible on campus through the BLS network or off campus through a web browser that communicates with the BLS proxy server. The library team hopes this database will assist BLS students in the spring 2024 seminar: Native American Law. Feel free to email: askthelibrary@brooklaw.eduor text: (718) 734-2432 for help in using this new resource.
Note: BLS students, faculty and administrators can access the sources below on campus, in BLS housing, and elsewhere off campus if one has implemented the BLS proxy instructions.
In BLS Library’s SARA catalog record, click: ACCESS ONLINE VERSION – CAMBRIDGE.
Preface states: “Like an encyclopedia, the Compendium contains [67] entries for most of the foundational principles and concepts underlying arbitration.” Each Compendium entry provides an overview of key issues. Footnotes in an entry highlight many more sources.
Either search this Compendium by keyword(s) + link to search results or skim the table of contents + link to a potentially useful entry.
Re. the “Related content” to the right of each Compendium entry: BLS researchers will need to search SARA catalog (by a book’s title) or SARA catalog’s “Find a Source” tool (by a periodical’s title) to determine if BLS Library provides a related source. (Contact askthelibrary@brooklaw.edu for help.)
Publication of this online Compendium occurred in Feb. 2023.
In SARA catalog record, click: ACCESS ONLINE VERSION – OXFORD.
Provide 1,700+ peer-reviewed articles on key international law topics. Contain articles from both Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law and Max Planck Encyclopedia of International Procedural Law. Articles highlight many primary legal sources and include bibliographies.
Tab: Subject lists articles arranged by topic. Also, use the search box (top right).
Tip: Be aware that articles have different dates. Example: article Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969) states: “last updated: March 2023.”
Hundreds of additional resources to support international law paper topic research and development appear in these two publicly-accessible BLS Library guides:
The home pages of these two guides feature introductory sources in guide boxes Copyright 101 and Trademarks 101. The home pages also highlight sources (examples: podcasts, hearings, case trackers and books) on selected hot topics. Moreover, these guides feature: casebooks, study aids and legal encyclopedia entries; treatises and practice guides; current awareness sources to help law students choose paper topics; sources of scholarly articles; starting points in Bloomberg Law, Lexis+ and Westlaw Precision; and WIPO’s resources.
Tip: Both guides link to key BLS subscription sources like: The Fashion Law (TFL) and Law360.com > topic: Intellectual Property. (In BLS Library’s SARA catalog records, click: ACCESS ONLINE VERSION.) BLS students: remote access to these sources requires implementation of the BLS proxy server instructions for one web browser. BLS librarians recommend the instructions for Firefox.
Tip: BLS librarians are happy to support your paper topic research–feel free to email us at: askthelibrary@brooklaw.edu or to text us at: (718) 734-2432.
Thank you, Grace Pickering, for your hard work!
Note: If you are an MLIS student who wishes to learn about BLS Library’s fellowship program, please contact Associate Librarian for Public Services/Adjunct Professor Kathleen Darvil at: kathleen.darvil@brooklaw.edu.
This new resource highlights current editions of BLS Library’s casebooks, study aids and guides for law school courses and bar exams. It describes sources on: Doing Well & Being Well; Preparing for Law School Exams & Bar Exams;Administrative Law; Civil Practice & Procedure; Conflict of Laws; Constitutional Law; Contracts; Corporations & Other Business Associations; Criminal Law & Procedure; Evidence; Family Law; Professional Responsibility; Property; Sales; Secured Transactions; Torts; & Wills, Trusts & Estates. Sources are categorized by type and are listed “newest to oldest.” The home screen also includes BLS Library’s hours of access for BLS students.
TIPS: Our librarians continue to develop this research guide and Brooklyn Law School Library’s collection. When you access this guide in future, please reload the web page. If you need help accessing e-resources like CALI casebooks/exercises or study aids in the Understanding and Q&A series, please email us at askthelibrary@brooklaw.edu or text us at 718-734-2432.
Current editions of print casebooks adopted by BLS faculty and many print study aids are in BLS Library’s first-floor Reservecollection. Students can request these sources at BLS Library’s first-floor Circulation desk. These sources circulate for two hours. Many sources in BLS Library’s Cellar-level Main collection circulate for the semester.
Good luck completing end-of-term work and preparing for exams!
Links to the Fall 2022 BLS Seminar Paper Workshop Video conducted by Associate Librarian/Adjunct Professor Kathy Darvil and Visiting Assistant Professor of Legal Writing Diana Hortsch. Highlights sources on scholarly legal writing and copies of The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation available in BLS Library’s Reserve collection.
Looking for overviews of current issues to help you choose a paper topic?
Animal Legal & Historical Center, Michigan State University College of Law provides 90+ Topical Introductions ranging from companion animal issues to wildlife issues. Publication dates vary.
Brooks U (of Brooks Institute for Animal Rights Law and Policy, Inc.) offers Animal Law Fundamentals, a developing collection of current videos and related scholarly papers on:
Animals as Property, Quasi-Property or Quasi-Person
Cutting Edge Issues in 21st Century Animal Food Product Labeling
Laboratory Animal Law in the United States: Past, Present and Future
Standing to Protect and Advocate for Animals
Wildlife: Related Acts and State Management Issues
The Critical Role of States in Farm Animal Confinement and Sales Laws
Brooks Institute and Brooks McCormick Jr. Animal Law & Policy Program at Harvard Law School also produce BrooksAnimal Law Digest. The two available editions focus on the U.S. and Canada. Digest articles update researchers on key animal law/policy issues and link to the text of pending bills, proposed regulations, case complaints, new studies and many other sources. Review recent issues or click: “View Full Archive” to search an edition of this Digest.
Wishing you could “ask an expert” or could learn more about a hot topic in animal law?
March 3, 2023: Wildlife health: what is at stake? (organizer: World Organisation for Animal Health) World Wildlife Day 2023 webinar, registration required. Focus: need for wildlife conservation, current threats to wild animal species.
March 9, 2023: Global Animal Law Research (organizer: International Legal Research Interest Group, American Society of International Law) Online, free advance registration required.
March 10, 2023: Animal Law Review Symposium (host: Animal Law Review, Lewis & Clark Law School) Primarily virtual. Focus: issues re. legal protection of horses.
March 16, 2023: Animal Rescue Law Update ($) (host: New York County Lawyers Association) Online. Focus includes: New York animal law issues. NYCLA allows employees in the public sector, attorneys who can establish financial hardship and unemployed attorneys to apply for tuition assistance to attend its programs. Apply at least one week prior to the program’s date.
March 24, 2023: Animals and the Anthropocene: A Legal Scholarship Symposium (co-hosts: Animal Legal Education Initiative, GW Law, GW Law Environmental and Energy Law Program & GW Law chapter of the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund) Website states: “Open to everyone.” Primarily in person w/ limited option to attend remotely.
Tip for law students: Organizations often allow students to attend fee-based programs without charge. Ask!
Needing scholarly legal articles that provide in-depth analysis?
Provides information about this free hybrid program on March 8, 2023: Randall Abate, Assistant Dean for Environmental Law Studies at GW Law, Careers in Animal Law (host: DePaul Center for Animal Law). Links to a summary of the New York Courtroom Animal Advocate Program (CAAP) bill written by Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) and a form for those who wish to encourage state representatives to champion this bill. Highlights attorney Stacey Evans’ recent article: Pursuing Pet Health Equity: A Lawyer’s Passion for Pets Prompts Career Switch, 108 A.B.A. J. 28 (2022). (Available through BLS subscription database HeinOnline. Off-campus use requires implementation of the BLS Proxy Server Instructions.) Directs researchers to videos on animal law careers provided by ALDF and Brooks McCormick Jr. Animal Law & Policy Program. Notes that BLS students also can search BLSConnect for material provided by the Career Development Center.
Wanting help to identify material to support your animal law research?
Email: askthelibrary@brooklaw.edu or text: (718) 734-2432
If you need to conduct remote research during the BLS Winter Recess (Dec. 23–Jan. 3), these are our suggestions:
NOW is the time to email askthelibrary@brooklaw.edu or to text (718) 734-2432 and state: “My [professor/journal editor] encouraged me to find additional articles and treatises to support [assertion X]. Can you help me?” A reference librarian can recommend searches in ourSARA library catalog to find e/books and “advanced searches” in our OneSearch discovery platform to find articles.
NOW is the time to implement the BLS proxy server instructions for off-campus access to many ebooks, ejournals and databases. Prior to Winter Recess, you can still troubleshoot implementation problems with our library tech staff, accessible through: library.lab@brooklaw.edu Librarians recommend either the Firefox (Mac) Proxy Instructions or the Firefox (Windows) Proxy Instructions.
After implementing the BLS proxy instructions for one web browser, close/reopen the browser, enter your BLS username [format: firstname.lastname] & password, then click: Sign in.
Check out needed print sources in BLS Library by Dec. 22.
If you find cites to articles or books unavailable through BLS Library, as of Dec. 15, 2022, you still have time to place requests for scans of articles and book chapters through the BLS interlibrary loan process.
To place an ILL request, access SARA library catalog and click tab: ILL, enter your BLS username [format: firstname.lastname] & password, then click: Create Request.
Fill out the appropriate template: Article, Book or Other (choose Other to request a scan of a single book chapter).
Feel free to email askthelibrary@brooklaw.edu or to text (718) 734-2432 to learn more about making an ILL request.
If you place an ILL request, please monitor both your BLS “In” box and “Clutter” folder for replies from lenders.
Note: ILL requests will not be processed from Dec. 23-Jan. 3.
For further information, BLS patrons can access the Canvas page: Librarians’ Research Presentations > under heading: Materials from Librarians’ “Alcove Academy” Presentations, click: PowerPoint: “Effective Remote Research.”
We hope our tips will improve your research during Winter Break. Remember: Right now, we are here to help!
Questions & Answers, Torts by Prof. Anita Bernstein
In its first-floor Reserve collection, BLS Library provides current editions of casebooks/textbooks that are required for classes. There also are current editions of many treatises, hornbooks and other study aids in the Reserve collection. Note: Study aids are only supplements to required course readings. These print books circulate for two hours. You can search for a specific source by title, author or keywords in SARA catalog. Feel free to email askthelibrary@brooklaw.eduor to text (718) 734-2432 if you have questions about finding or accessing specific sources.
BLS Library’s guide 1L Resources, Tips and Tools highlights 1L casebooks and study aids available through BLS Library in both print and digital formats. The top-level guide tab: 1L Course Study Aids provides a pull-down menu of subjects. Click a subject, like: Civil Procedure. There are “quick links” to boxes highlighting:
Selected CALI Lessons (online lessons on specific legal topics created by law professors/librarians – these lessons include review questions)
Casebooks
Treatises & Hornbooks
Study Aids Containing Multiple-Choice Questions
Additional Study Aids
In the 1L guide, sources in a box appear in reverse chronological order (“newest first”). Guide pages also include a search feature (top right). Recently, vendor EBSCO began supporting BLS Library’s desire to circulate Reserve copies of ebooks for two hours. So, EBSCO ebooks like Mastering Multiple Choice for Federal Civil Procedure and A Short & Happy Guide to Torts circulate for two hours. BLS Library’s e-copies of study aids in the Q&A,Understanding and Gilbert Law Summaries series (available through Lexis Digital Library) circulate for three days.
Additionally, the 1L guide identifies print sources and online tools to support legal research and writing. Top-level guide tab: Research, Writing & Citation provides a pull-down menu of resource pages on:
Legal Research
Legal Writing & Analysis
Legal Citation
Please reload the 1L guide’s web page when you visit this guide – BLS Library frequently adds new sources. Reference librarians are happy to help you identify BLS Library’s sources!
