ASL Library

Independence Day Hours

2009-06-29T13:37:00.001-04:00

The Library will have more limited access during the Independence Day holiday weekend. On Friday, July 3, the Library will be closed completely; there will not be any student access. Saturday and Sunday access hours will remain the same for students with a valid ID card (Saturday, noon to 6 pm; Sunday, 5 pm to 10 pm). There will be no public access during this three-day period.

PASO Reading Materials

2009-05-15T10:17:00.001-04:00

The ASL Library does not purchase textbooks as part of its collection. Therefore, all Pre-Admission Summer Opportunity (PASO) students must make their own arrangements to purchase the required text: Edward Chemerinsky, Constitutional Law, 2nd Edition (Aspen). ISBN: 073554946X. You do NOT need to purchase the supplements to the text. Please note that this is an older version of the textbook, so you should be able to find it cheaply.

For your convenience, here are some places you might find a new or used copy of this book. (ASL does not endorse any particular vendor. Other buying options may be available.)
* Amazon.com
* Books-A-Million
* CampusI.com
* Direct Textbook
* Half.com
* Powell's

Summer Hours begin May 4

2009-04-29T14:03:00.003-04:00

Summer hours will begin on Monday, May 4. As a reminder, the Library will be closing at 5 pm on Friday, May 1, and will be closed during Commencement weekend (May 2 and 3). There will be no student access during this time.

Our public hours during the summer are Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. We will not be open to the public on the weekends.

For students, we will have staffed hours Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. Students will also have card access to the building Monday through Friday, 8 am to 10 pm; Saturday, noon to 6 pm; and Sunday, 5 pm to 10 pm. Students who need a replacement card can stop by Chris' office during the week (there's a $5 charge).

The Library will be closed to the public and students on Memorial Day, May 25 (Monday), and Independence Day, July 3 (Friday).

Click here for a printable chart of our hours.

Summer Westlaw and Lexis Access

2009-04-28T08:55:00.001-04:00

Westlaw and Lexis student accounts tend to go into hibernation during the summer months, usually allowing very limited access. However, they do have some special allowances for 1L interns and recent graduates. Be sure to extend your password before mid-May!

* Lexis

1L Interns/Law Review/Faculty Assistants - Extend your Lexis password here

Graduates - Get your Lexis ID extension

* Westlaw

1L Interns/Law Review/Faculty Assistants - Extend your Westlaw password here

Graduates - Get your Westlaw password extension

Exam Access Hours

2009-04-16T07:57:00.002-04:00

The ASL Library will again be offering extra-hours access to the Library during the two exam weeks. This access will start Monday morning (technically -- hey, we're a school of lawyers!), so all students with a valid ID in the Library at midnight on Sunday, April 19, can remain in the building until 2 am Monday. The overnight extra-hours access will continue through Friday, May 1, when we will close the Library at 5 pm.

If you need a new ID card, stop by the Circulation Desk and ask for Glenna or Chris; there is a $5 charge.

Best wishes to all on your exams!

National Library Week Day 4

2009-04-16T07:40:00.003-04:00

We've been trying to keep a theme going this week with our National Library Week puzzles: core legal skills. Tuesday's puzzle incorporated legal research terms, and Wednesday's puzzle had some phrases commonly found in legal writing. Today's puzzle -- the final one for 2009 -- has elements from professional responsibility. As always, all of our puzzles can be found on our National Library Week page.

Thanks to all who participated this year. We'll have the prize drawings on Friday morning (check at the Circulation Desk for the time). If you won, we'll put a note in your mailbox. Thanks again to Lexis and Westlaw for their generous prizes.

(Also, due to technical issues, we likely won't be able to post the list of winners to our web site until the middle of next week.)

National Library Week Day 3

2009-04-15T05:03:00.002-04:00

Today's National Library Week puzzle deals with legal writing. Find all the slightly redundant phrases that creep into legal documents inside our grid. When finished, the unused letters can be used to read a quotation about writing from a famous legal author. All of our National Library Week puzzles can be found on our National Library Week page.

National Library Week Day 2

2009-04-14T08:36:00.001-04:00

National Library Week continues with the theme of core legal skills: Today's puzzle features some terms from legal research class. Using logic, try to fit the words into the crossword-puzzle-like grid. All of our puzzles can be found on our National Library Week page. We'll have a slightly easier puzzle tomorrow! :)

National Library Week Day 1

2009-04-13T08:05:00.003-04:00

This year, the beginning of National Library Week happens to fall on Thomas Jefferson's birthday (it was his collection that helped rebuild the Library of Congress after the War of 1812).

ASL again offers some challenging puzzles about *our* library to celebrate National Library Week. Our puzzles are collected on our National Library Week page. Prizes from Lexis and Westlaw are only available for eligible entrants (faculty, staff, and students at ASL). There are different puzzles to come for most of the week, so check back tomorrow for more!

Easter Hours (Sunday, April 12)

2009-04-07T08:13:00.000-04:00

The Library will have limited Circulation Desk hours on Easter Sunday, April 12. The desk will be open from 9 am to 6 pm only. Students will still have card access to the building from 9 am to midnight.

Summer Research Review - April 5

2009-03-31T11:14:00.000-04:00

Prepare for the summer by brushing up on your legal research skills: Join Ethan on Sunday, April 5, from 1 to 2 pm to review how to find case law and statutes (federal and Virginia), federal legislative history, and agency regulations/decisions. The class will meet at the Reference Desk.

Spring Break Hours

2009-03-04T11:21:00.001-05:00

Our Spring Break hours are as follows:

Public Access
Closed Saturday, March 7; Sunday, March 8; Saturday, March 14; Sunday, March 15.
Monday, March 9 through Friday, March 13: open 9 am to 5 pm

Student Access
Closed Sunday, March 8, and Saturday, March 14 (no access at all)
Monday, March 9 through Friday, March 13: card access 8 am - 10 pm (staff here only 9 am to 5 pm)

Don't forget to set your clocks one hour ahead on Saturday night, March 7 ("spring ahead")!

Current Awareness Tools ("Get REAL!")

2009-03-02T14:10:00.003-05:00

How do you keep up-to-date with news from web sites? Do you constantly check a dozen or so web sites each week -- or even daily? Join Ethan as he explains how to make the information come to you in his "Get REAL!" (Research and Electronic-Assisted Learning) class on Wednesday, March 4, at 4:30 pm. Meet him at the Reference Desk to learn about RSS feeds and feed readers, which will help you with your information-gathering needs!

1L Lexis Certification

2009-02-27T11:36:00.001-05:00

We're running a few more Lexis 1L Certification classes, since we ran out of time with the last set!

LexisNexis Representative Scott Hite will be on campus at the following times (classes will be held in the Library Seminar Room):

Monday, March 2
10 am - 11:30 am open class

2:15 pm - 3:45 pm Crisp LP3

Tuesday, March 3
8:30 am - 10 am open class

2 - 3:30 pm Kinsler LP1, LP4

3:30 - 5 pm open class

Google Apps ("Get REAL!")

2009-02-23T11:30:00.002-05:00

Your ASL e-mail account is really a GMail account -- which means you have access to Google Docs, Google Talk, Google Calendar, and a few other collaboration tools. Stop by the Reference Desk on Wednesday, February 25, at 4:30 pm, to hear Ethan explain how using some of these tools can help you in law school (and perhaps even in your future practice!).

Finding Regulations ("Get REAL!")

2009-02-17T08:15:00.003-05:00

If you're planning on working at an administrative agency this summer for your externship -- or if you want a general refresher on doing regulatory research -- stop by the Reference Desk on Wednesday, February 18, at 4:30 pm. Ethan will cover the basics of finding regulations, using both printed and online resources.

Lexis Certification Training

2009-02-13T08:33:00.002-05:00

LexisNexis Representative Scott Hite will be on campus Monday, February 16, through Wednesday, February 18, for LexisNexis Certification classes. All first-year students should check with their Legal Process professors for assigned dates and times. All classes will be held in the Library Seminar Room.

These classes are mostly for 1Ls. Scott will be back after Spring Break for further training for 2Ls and 3Ls.

Westlaw Certification and Prepare to Practice Training

2009-02-09T09:37:00.002-05:00

Westlaw Reference Attorney Manager Jeremy Pischke will be on campus Tuesday, February 10, through Thursday, February 12, to provide Westlaw certification classes for the 1Ls and "Prepare to Practice" classes for everyone. Check with your Legal Process professor for your assigned date and time for certification training. If you're interested in the "Prepare to Practice" class, sign up at the Circulation Desk. All of these hour-long classes will be held in the Library Seminar Room.

Using CaseFinder ("Get REAL!")

2009-02-09T09:35:00.002-05:00

If you're planning on practicing in Virginia, your firm may have a subscription to CaseFinder instead of Lexis or Westlaw. Learn how to use this legal research tool on Wednesday, February 11, at 4:30 pm. Meet Ethan at the Reference Desk, and he'll show you some tips on cost-effective research using this database.

Using Loislaw ("Get REAL!")

2009-02-03T13:35:00.001-05:00

If you're not sure Lexis or Westlaw will be in your price range when you start practicing law, join Ethan this week for a discussion of an alternative legal electronic database: Loislaw. He'll start the class at 4:30 pm at the Reference Desk this Wednesday (February 4), and he'll show you how to create your own student account.

National Puzzle Day 2009

2009-01-29T08:53:00.003-05:00

When President Obama campaigned on a platform of change, we were hoping he might consider making National Puzzle Day a national holiday. He didn't this year, but he's been dealing with some bigger issues.

On January 29 -- National Puzzle Day -- we provide a logic puzzle to drum up interest in National Library Week, which this year will be April 12-18. During that week, we have several puzzles for our students to solve for an opportunity to win prizes. (No prizes today, though. Sorry!)

Click here for this year's National Puzzle Day puzzle.

Answers to this puzzle will be posted on Chris' door on Friday.

For a chance to relive the past, we have all our prior puzzles on our National Library Week page.

Using HeinOnline ("Get REAL!")

2009-01-23T09:29:00.002-05:00

Our first "Get REAL!" (Research and Electronic-Assisted Learning) class of the spring semester will discuss HeinOnline. Learn what resources are available -- from primary sources to legal classics to international laws! Join Ethan at the Reference Desk on Wednesday, January 28, at 4:30 pm for a quick tour of this helpful electronic resource.

Martin Luther King, Jr., Day Hours

2009-01-16T14:58:00.001-05:00

The Library will be closed to the public on Monday, January 19, 2009.

Students will be able to access the Library from 2 pm to midnight on that day. We will open the Circulation/Reserve Desk from 2 pm to 6 pm.

We will be open our regular hours the preceding Saturday and Sunday.

Spring Semester Hours

2009-01-02T08:28:00.003-05:00

The Library will begin its Spring Semester 2009 hours on Sunday, January 4, 2009. The Library will generally be open as follows:

Public Hours
Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm

Student Access Hours
Monday - Friday, 6 am to midnight
Saturday, 9 am to midnight
Sunday, 11 am to midnight

Circulation/Reserve Desk Hours
Monday - Thursday, 8 am to 10 pm
Friday, 8 am to 5 pm
Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm
Sunday, 1 pm to 10 pm

Please note that our Sunday hours have changed. Student access now begins at 11 am, and the Circulation/Reserve Desk now opens at 1 pm.

The Library will have limited hours on holidays and during Spring Break. For a list of those exceptions, see our Library hours page.

Winter Break Hours Begin

2008-12-12T11:04:00.002-05:00

During Winter Break (December 13, 2008 - January 3, 2009), the Library will have more limited hours.

The Library will not be open to the public during this time.

The Library will be open to students Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. There will be no after-hours card access, or access during the weekends. We will be closed completely December 23-26 and January 1.

Also, we will close at 5 pm on Friday, December 12. There will be no after-hours card access past that time.

Our Spring Semester hours will begin on Sunday, January 4.

Have a safe and enjoyable Winter Break!