Author Archives: Cassandra Patterson

07.15.21
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Law Library Summer Updates

Summer seems to be flying by. The law library has been busy this summer, and we’ve had some exciting updates.

The study rooms are open!

Law Library study rooms are available for reservation by law students. The study rooms vary in size and location and can accommodate groups as large as 10. On the fifth floor, there are rooms with monitors that you can use for group work. Some rooms have dry erase boards. To learn how to reserve a room, check out this blog post or the First Year Guide.

Circulation and Remote Reference remain available, with live reference resuming on July 29th.

The library building is open now through Wednesday, July 28th, during the following hours:

  • Monday – Thursday, 8:30 am – 10 pm
  • Friday, 8:30 am – 6 pm
  • Saturday & Sunday, 10 am – 6 pm

Reference remains available by chat (by using the red Chat Reference button in the upper left corner of the Law Library’s home page), by email, and by leaving a phone message at 404-413-9102. For current reference hours, please check out our homepage. Starting July 29th, live reference will resume, and the Reference Desk will be staffed to assist you during reference hours.

We moved the database list.

On Wednesday, May 26th, the Law Library launched a new database list tool titled “Law Library Databases A-Z.” It was initially housed on the main library page and has moved to our research guide platform. This new database list allows you to filter by subject, access platform, and vendor/publisher. It also provides featured popular law student databases. Learn more about this tool in this blog post.

05.18.21
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Celebrating the Class of 2021 & The Library’s Student Advisory Council

Graduation is always an exciting time with much to reflect on: the three-plus years of hard work, the upcoming bar exam (and final part of your journey to becoming a practicing attorney), and many other reflective thoughts. So, as we celebrate in the law library, we want to congratulate all of the graduates on overcoming and achieving an important milestone in your life!

We thank each of you that supported the law library in various ways throughout the years. Whether it was filling out a survey, dropping by the reference desk to check-in, or giving your suggestions to improve student life, it was all appreciated. We also want to especially thank the members of the Law Library Student Advisory Council. The advisory council’s graduating members spent three to four years of their time serving the GSU student community.

The Student Advisory Council started in Spring 2011 to give law students a formal voice in library decisions. We met multiple times each semester and discussed ideas involving the library. These are just a few of the ideas implemented based on feedback from the Advisory Council: installing full-length mirrors in the library’s bathrooms, adding a hot water dispenser, and making the 6th floor of the library the “quiet floor” (and including elevator buttons to indicate as much.)

The following Student Advisory Council members are graduating this year:

  • Luke Hoover
  • Ellen Min
  • Valentina Poe
  • Maria Tellez (Graduated in December 2020)
  • Arlissa Williams Jennings

For a list of all of our members, and more information about the council, see our web page.

Graduates, good luck with everything. We wish you much success in the future. Remember that we are always available to assist you, even as practicing members! We’re only a chat or phone call away. 

04.27.21
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Finals Resources and Assistance

Another tough semester almost complete! We wanted to remind you of some of the resources available to help you prepare for exams, get research assistance from the librarians, or take a break from studying! As a reminder, we will be open to the GSU Law community for normal Spring 2021 hours through the end of the exam period, May 12th. Keep an eye out on our Facebook and Twitter pages for exam and graduation-related messages and videos. 

Study Aid Finder LibGuide:

  • The Study Aid Finder guide provides easy access to a compilation of digital, physical, and multimedia study aids grouped according to the traditional GSU College of Law curriculum (with recommended electives being subjects tested on the bar exam but are not required subjects of the J.D. curriculum). The current Spring ’21 classes are displayed towards the top of each respective page.

Stress Buster LibGuide:

  • The Stress Busters guide is available via the private link sent to you in the most recent personal librarian email. We hope that it serves as an outlet during final exams. When you take the time to de-stress, you’ll recharge and be able to focus when you return to your studies. The GSU Law Library has gathered a variety of stress relief activities for you to enjoy. 

Pet Pics Display:

  • Pictures of students, faculty, staff, and their pets are displayed via the private link sent to you in the most recent personal librarian email. Please reach out to us if you need access to it. These images are also being displayed on the law library digital signage. You can still get your pet added to the display by emailing Gerard Fowke at gfowke@gsu.edu. 

Blog posts with helpful information from the library to help you with finals, including:

Good luck with finals! Reach out to us if you need assistance, research-based or otherwise.

04.05.21
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Personal Librarian: Meg Butler

During the spring and fall semesters of this year, we are highlighting our Personal Librarian program by featuring one of our Law Librarians.

The Personal Librarian program is another way that the GSU Law Library connects to students. In this program, students are paired with a Librarian, and through communications, they stay up to date on library services and ask questions that they may have during their time at the Georgia State University College of Law.

This month we are featuring Meg Butler, our Associate Director for Public Services. She has been at the GSU Law Library for 10 years!

The following is a little Q&A from Meg:

  • What do you do? In the library, I am the Associate Director for Public Services, and that means that I work to make sure that the library is doing what it needs to do to fulfill the needs of our patrons–faculty, students, and citizens.
  • Did you always want to be a librarian? Sometimes.  When I was little, in elementary school, I “worked” in the library.  And middle school.  And high school.  And somehow I didn’t manage to become a professional librarian until later.
  • Favorite movie? This is a very difficult question to answer.  I have enjoyed a bunch of serious movies.  But the movies that I love to watch over and over again are Addams Family Values and The Pirate Movie.  I like them because they make me laugh.
  • Favorite legal resource? The Bluebook.  Who doesn’t love something so easy to complain about?
  • Favorite place in Atlanta? I enjoy working in my front yard. So maybe my front yard? I can chat with neighbors, enjoy the weather, and watch my kids ride bikes or scooters.

You can learn more things about Meg, like her favorite class and lunch spot near the law school, as well as about the personal librarian program at this link.

02.12.21
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Featured GSU Law Librarian: Pam Brannon

During the spring and fall semesters of this year, we are highlighting our Personal Librarian program by featuring one of our “fabulous” (a favorite term of this month’s featured Librarian) Law Librarians.

The Personal Librarian program is another way that the GSU Law Library connects to students. In this program, students are paired with a Librarian and through communications, they are able to stay up to date on library services and ask questions that they may have during their time at the Georgia State University College of Law.

This month we are featuring Pam Brannon, our Coordinator of Faculty Services. She has been at the GSU Law Library for over 13 years! The following is a little Q&A from Pam:

  • What do you do? I’m in charge of the services that the library provides to faculty – such as researching arcane (and non-arcane) topics and working with faculty research assistants – and supervise the library’s research GRAs. I also do a lot of other things, including work at the reference desk, teach research methods, and help decide what we purchase.
  • Did you always want to be a librarian? Not really, although I gravitated toward libraries fairly early (I was in my elementary school’s library club – basically, I shelved books). When I graduated from undergrad, I thought I was going to go back to grad school (probably in English lit) to be a professor. But then I started working at the UGA libraries, and I decided pretty quickly afterward that I wanted to be a librarian.
  • Favorite class in school? In undergrad, either History of Rock Music or Ulysses. In library school, I really enjoyed my Book Publishing class, but that may just have been because we got to talk about comic books with a guy from DC Comics. In law school, probably Sexual Orientation & the Law.
  • Favorite legal resource? I love the Federal Register, and both the Federal Register website and Regulations.gov are wonderful because they really help do what the Federal Register was designed to do – make the process of federal rulemaking more transparent and more accountable to the people.
  • Favorite place in Atlanta? Even though I don’t go there much at all anymore, I still love Little 5 Points.

You can learn more things about Pam, like her favorite movie and sport, as well as about the personal librarian program at this link.

01.14.21
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ALERT PROGRAM: SPRING 2021 LINEUP

Happy New Year, and welcome back! We are excited to announce the spring 2021 ALERT sessions.

The spring ALERT program topics and dates:

What is the Alert Program?

ALERT (Applied Legal Experience, Research, & Technology) is a non-credit program that provides law students additional opportunities outside of the College of Law’s curriculum to learn legal research and technology skills.

By completing the ALERT Program, students can demonstrate to potential employers that they have obtained practice ready skills. Students will have their entire law school term to complete the program.

Levels of Completion:

With Distinction: Complete 6 Topics
With High Distinction: Complete 8 Topics
With Highest Distinction: Complete 10 Topics

For more information, or to RSVP please see: http://lawlibrary.gsu.edu/services/alert-program/.

12.09.20
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Finals Help & Virtual Study Breaks

Another tough semester almost complete! Hang in there, you are days away from finishing.

We wanted to remind you of two opportunities to get some help from librarians or take a break from studying!

We still have two virtual events where you can meet with Librarians:

  • Virtual PB&J 
    • Thursday, December 10th from 12:00 – 1:00 pm.
    • Drop in to enjoy some PB&J virtually, ask reference questions, or just chat with us!
  • Virtual Thursday Trivia
    • Thursday, December 10th from 5:00 – 6:00 pm.
    • The winner will be labeled the GSU Law Library Trivia Master and will be featured on the Law Library’s digital displays.

Pet Pics Display:

  • Pictures of students, faculty, staff, and their pets are on display via the private link sent to you in the most recent personal librarian email. Please reach out to us if you need access to it. These images are also being displayed on the law library digital signage. You can still get your pet added to the display by emailing Gerard Fowke at gfowke@gsu.edu. 

As a reminder, we will be open to the GSU Law community for normal Fall 2020 hours through the end of the exam period, December 16th.

Good luck on finals! Reach out to us if you need assistance, research-based or otherwise.

09.03.20
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Meet Your Peers Virtually Using WebEx

While, currently, you are unable to make use of our study rooms due to the pandemic, you can still have a virtual study room of your own via Webex – an online platform provided to you by GSU. It’s very similar to Zoom and allows you to meet with people virtually and share your desktop, files, etc.

To access WebEx, you can host virtual meetings at GSU Technology’s WebEx page. You will have to log in with your CampusID and Password. This link provides the steps you can use to secure the WebEx session on Windows and Mac desktops, as well as information on updates and usage tips. You can also download WebEx on your iOS or Android device – It is very accessible!

WebEx has a “personal room” that allows you to meet instantly and schedule meetings. You can start the room and allow people to pop in and out as they like. I think it’s an excellent option for a study group.

Once all of your group members are in, you can lock the meeting so no one else can intrude!

You can also share your screen and documents with your peers!

Additionally, you can assign roles to people within the group. For example, you may want to designate someone as the note taker. Or, maybe you want to “pass the ball” to someone else to present.

Similar to Zoom, WebEx also allows the user to change or blur their background image. These options may differ depending on what type of device or desktop you use.

Law IT has prepared three short tutorials on using WebEx, each under 3 minutes: Technology WebEx Related Resources. Included are tutorials on scheduling and launching WebEx meetings, as well as an audio tutorial. You can be up and ready to go with your study group session in just over two minutes!

08.17.20
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Welcome Back!

The library staff and librarians want to extend a warm welcome back to returning students. Now that you’ve made it through the spring (and summer) semester, you’re now trying to prepare yourself for the unknowns of fall. We in the library wanted to send you some helpful information and let you know what fall will look like for us.

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We have a lot of helpful information on the Reopening Guide that the Law Librarians prepared for you. It will provide you up to date information about Circulation (including library hours), Reference, Study Aids, Accessing the Library’s Databases, Using the Library’s Catalog, and Other Student Services. Unfortunately, we are not able to provide study rooms for the fall semester due to the pandemic. We hope to be able to reopen them soon!

Law school can be challenging under normal circumstances. Below are some helpful links and information about library resources for the upcoming semester.

Good luck! If there is anything that we can do to help you, please let us know! You will hear from your Personal Librarian soon!

08.14.20
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Welcome to Incoming GSU Law Students!

Picture1We are excited to welcome you to the GSU Law family! As you finish the orientation process today, we wanted to send you some helpful information before you begin classes next week.

Of course, a lot of helpful information for all incoming students can be found on the First Year Guide that all of the Law Librarians prepared for you. It will provide you with information about Circulation (including library hours), Reference, Study Aids, Library Databases, Using the Library’s Catalog, and Other Student Services.

20200527_125950While we usually have study rooms available for students, they are currently not available for use during the fall semester due to the pandemic. The university offers a great virtual option that we recommend until we can open them back up. Learn more about it in this blog post: Miss Your Study Room? Here’s A Virtual Option!

Under normal circumstances, law school can be challenging. As you are entering into a semester with uncertainty, there are different things that you can do now to help you get through the semester. The following posts include some helpful tips for you to knock out your first semester in law school. Picture2

Good luck to all incoming students. Feel free to reach out to us. You will hear from your Personal Librarian soon!