image by Flickr user eye-fibre

Spring break is almost here! The law library will be open during this time (although with slightly shortened hours), but maybe you’re going to be at the beach, or Disney World, or just on your couch. Just in case you have any grand plans for working during this break, don’t forget that you can access many of the law library’s resources from off campus.

• A lot of our legal databases (such as HeinOnline, ProQuest Legislative Insight, and Kluwer Arbitration) are accessible with your Campus ID. Just follow the links from the database list to be routed through our proxy server.
• Our research guides are available from anywhere without a login and cover research for many of your courses.
• And if you need help from a librarian, don’t forget you can always email us or use the Chat Reference service too.

Have a wonderful break, and we’ll see you again soon!

Have questions or suggestions for the Deans? Attend one of the Deans’ Forums today. The first Forum will be noon-1pm in Room 100. The second forum will be 5-6pm in Room 170. Bring your questions, concerns, and suggestions.

by Nirvi Shah

Over 130 years after its inception, the American Bar Association is still the prestigious community that serves its members, profession, and the public by “defending liberty and delivering justice as the national representative of the legal profession.”  The ABA’s goals include improving the legal profession by promoting the highest quality of legal education.  The organization recognized Georgia State University College of Law as an accredited law school in 1984.

Thirty years later, the ABA will visit GSU College of Law again next week, beginning March 3, to evaluate whether the school still complies with ABA standards, and is, thus, accredited.  Typically, a six or seven person team conduct a Site Evaluation Visit.  The team includes: a present or former law school dean, a few academic law school faculty members, a law librarian, a faculty member with an expertise in professional skills instruction, one judge or practitioner, and one university administrator who is not a member of a law faculty.  During the visit, expect the team to visit classes while touring and evaluating the law school.

The Law Library has gathered and organized many of the law professors’ published materials to showcase to the ABA site team during their visit.  If you’re interested in knowing more about our faculty publications too, you can find a full list of them on our website.

by Ryan Browne

Photo by Flickr user aafromaa.

If the two snowstorms to hit Atlanta in the past month have made us realize anything, it is that spring break needs to get here as soon as possible. Luckily for us, spring break is right around the corner. Just three short weeks and all you will have to worry about is getting too much sun.

But if you are going on spring break, you have to be prepared. Make sure that you have most or all of these items to ensure that you have the most enjoyable spring break possible.

• Music – While the sounds of the waves crashing on the sand is nice, spring break wouldn’t be complete without your favorite tunes. Make sure that you hit iTunes to fill up your iPhone with your favorite music to play at the beach.
• Portable Speakers – Now that you have your music, you need a way to listen to it while you sit on the beach. Your old 80s boom box isn’t going to cut it anymore. Luckily for you, there are lots of speakers that hook up to your phone/iPod using Bluetooth. They come in a wide range of sizes and prices.
• Sunscreen – The sun is a silent killer, you guys.
• Beach Games – While it’s tempting, you can’t lay on the beach soaking up the sun all day. You have to stay active too. The beach is the perfect place for cornhole, bocce ball, ladder ball, whiffle ball, or to throw around the football or Frisbee.
• Books – Your spring break doesn’t have to be filled with constant activity. Few things are more relaxing than taking in the beautiful weather by the beach while reading a great book. If you need a recommendation for something to read, check out what your professors have suggested in the past.
• Beach chairs and coolers – You can’t enjoy the beach without a place to lounge, so make sure you bring a beach chair. (Probably not this one.) And make sure you have a cooler to wheel onto the sand to keep your, uh, sodas cold.

 We are in the heart of the 2014 Session of the Georgia General Assembly. Beginning the second Monday in January, the assembly will meet for a Georgia Constitution required 40 days. Depending on the number of adjournments, the session usually ends between late March and early May.

Those interested with keeping up with General Assembly can do so by following the status of bills introduced in the assembly, as well as watching live broadcasts of the proceedings from both the House and Senate chambers. You can also locate archived videos and reports on a specific assembly day by using GPB Lawmakers.

Check out the following resources to get more information on the General Assembly:

• Handbook for Georgia Legislators by Edwin Jackson, Mary E. Stakes, and Paul T. Hardy (available at the Reference Desk)
• Georgia General Assembly Website
• New Georgia Encyclopedia: Georgia General Assembly
• Georgia.gov: General Assembly 

We’ve gotten through another bout with snow, and K-12 students have missed another several days of school. In Georgia, as in many states, the minimum length of the school year is set by statute at 180 days. Although some wiggle room is built into the school calendars, when snow days start to add up, school districts have to scramble to make up the missed days. In Georgia, there is currently a proposal on the table to allow school districts to not make up some days. Other days may be made up in a variety of ways, from adding days onto the school year to adding hours to the remaining school days. Spring break may even be shortened (or eliminated).

One recent idea is to hold “virtual” school days, where students aren’t required to venture out to school, but instead attend classes online. However, this requires students to have computers and internet access, and so may not be feasible for many students.