So, I know noisy things are not usually given to library types, and that is what makes this gift I got so cool: a musical tie! Those of you who have seen my library costume know that I am suited most of the time, and my tie selection is kind of skimpy.  So my good friend and colleague, Inna, gave me this tie for the holidays. It’s fun, it brings a smile, and it’s really funny when I wash my hands in the restroom and Joy to the World! starts up.

Life has its joys in so many little things.  We hope you find your share over the intersession break. Come back to school all fortified and renewed.  I kind of doubt you will be lucky enough to get a musical tie, but something else could do the trick!  Peace out.

During intersession we will continue our self-improvement regimen.  Jog an extra mile, perhaps?  Cut out cakes and cookies from our holiday nourishment?  No, no, no — we would never deprive ourselves like that! The improvements are all in the building…replacing the old wall fabrics with new ones in the Reading Room and some in the Mezzanine.  There is some noise, some smell, some inconvenience.  But the results will be worth it.  With luck, all will be back in order when classes resume January 7.

No pain, no gain, right?  Wish us luck.

Not anyone’s favorite time of the school term, the finals period brings with it a special kind of brain freeze and emotional death that one must experience to really appreciate.  Guys no longer shave…tons of stubble and bad grooming choices abound.  Less coordinated outfits, more sweat clothes.  Lots and lots and lots of coffee cups in the trash.  Faces frozen in concentration…and panic.

And then there are the thieves.  Unscrupulous people target just this time of year to roam the library because they know you are distracted, focused on finals, and not thinking too clearly about much else. Heck, you are barely existing.  Just today a student had her wallet stolen out of her purse.  She had just left the study carrel for a few minutes to go to the restroom.  This is a horrible experience.  It’s the worst time in terms of being able to handle it emotionally.  So be especially cautious about your belongings, OK?

This is the last week of the semester.  Let’s make it a good one.  Good luck, everybody!

It’s a rainy Friday during finals.  It kind of fits the mood around the library.  Lots of low profiles, sighs, and the smokers are rushing past the reference desk at a furious pace.  The Circulation Desk is keeping busy handing over those past exams from 1997 to students just hoping that this is the magic key to reveal the inner-workings of the mind of Professors X, Y or Z. 

All you can do is hunker down, concentrate, and try not to get sick.  That’s the real killer — when you are feeling miserable but still have three finals to go.  One guy I know had 5 finals this semester and came down with a cold just before they started. 

But that’s law school.  You do what you gotta do.  And if that means dragging your sorry self into the library at 7 am after being up all night with a crying baby and having to listen to the next American Idol wannabe practice karaoke through your apartment wall, you do it. After all, it’s good practice for the real thing.  Yep, you think this is bad?  Get ready to be a lawyer…you’ll find out what I mean.

As great new resources are added to the LRC collection, we will update you here.  This post is about  the Making of Modern Law (MOML). Originally derived from two essential reference collections for historical legal studies, the Nineteenth Century and Twentieth Century Legal Treatises microfilm collections, MOML provides digital images on every page of 22,000 legal treatises on US and British law published from 1800 through 1926. Full-text searching on more than 10 million pages provides researchers access to critical legal history, including casebooks, local practice manuals, form books, works for lay readers, pamphlets, letters, speeches and more. 

For those who research in this era, it is so satisfying to see the actual written page while not having to peruse lots of crumbly pages.  I hate feeling like my use of a book has damaged it. This database is so cool.  Sometimes I have seen hand written notations in the margins by previous researchers or prior owners of these precious works.  Not to be missed!  You can access it through a Sally title search.