Flicker photo by HeatherMG

Even though exams are a couple of months away, it is never too early to start studying a little.  When studying, many law students find flashcards useful for memorizing essential definitions, factors, and elements for their courses.  While some people make their own flashcards, others turn to commercial flashcards.  While these can be very helpful, they can also be fairly expensive ($39-$59 per set) if you purchase them for several different subjects.

To help alleviate the burden on your already stretched wallet, the Law Library keeps several sets of Wolters Kluwer’s “Law in a Flash” flashcards on the Law Library Reserve, located behind the Circulation Desk.  As with each of the reserve items, students can check out the flashcards for 3 hours at a time.

Currently, you can check out the following sets from the Law Library:

• Administrative Law
• Civil Procedure, Part 1 & 2
• Contracts
• Constitutional Law, Part 1 (National and State Powers) & Part 2 (Individual Rights)
• Corporations & Other Business Entities
• Criminal Law
• Criminal Procedure
• Environmental Law
• Future Interests
• Professional Responsibility/MPRE, Part 1 & 2
• Real Property

Check to see if Flashcards are available on reserve

Whether you got a new tablet over the winter break, or if you’ve finally broken free of that cell phone contract to get something new, you may be wondering what mobile apps are available to make your life a little easier as a law student.  From straightforward legal research apps like WestlawNext or Lexis Advance to notetaking software like Evernote, the good news is that there are a lot available. The library has both created an online list of apps that may be of use to you and featured apps in one of last Spring’s Library Abridged sessions. Some favorites around the library include:

• 30/30 – A timed task manager [iOS]
• WestlawNext – now available for both iOS and Android systems
• Google Drive – recently updated with increased functionality [iOS & Android], and
• Flipboard – an attractive news aggregator [iOS & Android]

If you ever have questions about an app, you can always ask at the Reference Desk.

On Monday, January 21, 2013 the nation will celebrate the Fifty-Seventh Presidential Inauguration.  For over 200 years the United States has celebrated the quadrennial swearing-in of the President and Vice President.  This year is significant because it is only the seventh time that the constitutionally mandated Inauguration date has fallen on a Sunday.

The 20^th Amendment changed the inauguration date from March 4th to January 20th.  Generally, on years when January 20th falls on a Sunday, the White House holds a private ceremony on January 20th and then a public ceremony on Monday, January 21st.

Don’t worry if you are not making the trek up to Washington, D.C. this year to see the ceremony in person.   Several of the major networks will be providing live coverage on television and online streaming (Story:  How to watch Obama’s inauguration online).

For more information on the Fifty-Seventh Presidential Inauguration, check out the official Inauguration website.   For more general information, check out the following books located in the University and Law Libraries:

• I Do Solemnly Swear: The President’s Constitutional Oath by Matthew Pauley
• Presidential Inaugurations by Paul Boller
• The Inaugural Addresses of American Presidents:The Public Philosophy and Rhetoric by Dante Germino

Welcome back! We hope you all had a relaxing and enjoyable winter break.

We also wanted to give you a heads up that a few things have moved in the library. The Study Aids collection has swapped places with the Reference collection, so you’ll now find E&Es, Nutshells, and the rest along the wall in the tall shelves rather than in the half-height shelves. By that same token, if you desperately need to look at a volume of the 1992 Encyclopædia Britannica, you’ll find them where the study aids used to be.

One other change is that the Leisure Collection has also moved out to this same area. Now that complete set of The Wire is even more tempting. You’re welcome.

Flicker photo by silverlunace

Starting Saturday, December 22, 2012, the Law Library will be closed until January 7, 2013 for Winter Break.  The Law Library will reopen on Monday, January 7, 2013 at 8 am.

Winter Break/Spring Semester Hours:

• Friday, December 21, 2012:  8am – 6pm
• Saturday, December 22, 2012 – Sunday, January 6, 2013: Closed
• Monday, January 7, 2013 – Friday, January 11, 2013:  8am – 6pm
• Saturday, January 12, 2013 – Sunday, January 13, 2013:  10am – 6pm
• Monday, January 14, 2014: Spring Semester Begins, Regular Hours

For a complete list of library hours, check the Law Library’s Hours page.

Flicker photo by photosteve101

For many of you, this is the first time in the past four months that you haven’t had your day meticulously planned out.  No classes, study group meetings, student org events, or final exams.  What is a law student to do with all of this free time?  Here are a few suggestions:

1. Sleep.  Many of you were probably sleep deprived over the past couple of weeks of the semester.   Now is the time to hit snooze and make sure you get the doctor recommended 8 hours.  Naps are also encouraged!
2. Shopping.  If you’re like me, you probably put off all of your holiday shopping during exams.  Who has time to shop when you worried about your contracts final or a moot court brief?  Don’t fret, you can still find some great deals out there in the last few days.  If all else fails, drop people a big IOU and pick up something at a day after Christmas sale.
3. Bar Application.  If you didn’t get your Georgia Bar application in by December 5, no worries, you can still meet the final deadline of  March 6, 2013 (late fee required).
4. Read a book.  Reading may be the last thing you want to do right now.  However, think back to your time prior to law school when you used to actually read for fun.  If you need a few suggestions, check out our previous blog post for summer reading.
5. College Football.  Conveniently, classes let out right around the time college football bowl season begins.  Games started on December 15 and will last until January 17, 2013, the national title game.  You can keep up with all of the bowl coverage and find a complete schedule on ESPN’s College Bowl page.
6. Atlanta Botanical Garden.  If you need to get out and stretch your legs, one of the biggest holiday events going on in Atlanta right now is the Garden Nights Holiday Lights at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.   The holiday lights will last until January 5, 2013.  To get more information, check out the Garden Nights info page.
7. Atlanta Falcons.  Checkout the hottest team in the NFL right now, the Atlanta Falcons.  The Falcons are currently leading the NFC South division with a league best 12-2 record.  Don’t miss the chance to see the Falcons play their final home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 30, 2012 at 1:00 p.m.   Game Day Preview
8. Atlanta Hawks.  The Hawks are putting together another solid year, currently bested in their division only by the Miami Heat.  There are several opportunities to see a home game over the winter break, so stop by “The Highlight Factory” and support your Hawks.  Hawks Schedule

Image by Flickr user futureshape.

Recently the ABA Journal named its 2012 “Blawg 100,” the 100 best legal blogs (or “blawgs”) out there. The list includes some of our old favorites, like Law and the Multiverse (seriously, love that blog), but some others that deserve mention:

Abnormal Use: Abnormal Use focuses on products liability litigation, including litigation about football turf and the Star Wars prequels.

The Careerist: The Careerist provides tips and advice on getting and managing a job in the law, including some helpful chats with partners at top firms about what they’re looking for when they hire.

Circuit Splits: Every student who makes law review hears it – “Circuit splits make great note topics.” The Circuit Splits blog provides an easy way to get the latest information on areas of the law where the circuits disagree.

Hollywood, Esq.: There are a lot of lawsuits in Hollywood. A lot. This blog from the Hollywood Reporter covers them all, whether they relate to movies, TV shows, music, you name it.

The Jury Room: Keene Trial Consulting provides practical advice and information on how to make the best impression on a jury, often using examples from their own cases.

LawProse: Want to know how to write more effectively? Follow this blog from Bryan Garner, the guru of legal writing. Garner provides a usage tip of the day and answers questions about usage and style.

Lowering the Bar: You can get a sense of what this blog covers from the post categories. Assorted Stupidity. Lawsuits (Ridiculous). The Inexplicable. Make sure to check out the Case Law Hall of Fame.

Screw You Guys, I’m Going Home: Covers information on any aspect of labor and employment law, including on just what can and can’t get you fired and myths about employment laws. It also may win the contest for best  blog name.

Supreme Court Haiku Reporter: Can’t read through the whole opinion? You can get a sense of it in three lines. (Note that reading haiku instead of the cases will not be enough to get you through being called on in class. Or your exams.)

ZombieLaw: Whenever zombies show up in legal documents, this blog is there, complete with pictures of senators, judges, etc. as zombies.

Image by Flickr user jasonlparks

Law school exams can do crazy things to your brain, but if you’re worried that you’ve been imagining the library staff wandering around and seemingly staring vacantly at the books lately, we just want to reassure you that you’re okay. Once a year, we go around the whole library, doing “shelf reading”. That’s a fancy way of saying we’re making sure the books are all in the right order and lined up nicely together so they’re easy to find when you go looking for them. We also look for books that may have been damaged, to see if we can repair or replace them. We go book by book and row by row. Yes, it is absolutely as thrilling as it sounds.

Although we only formally do this project once a year, we also keep an eye out for problems throughout the year, whenever we happen to be out in the stacks. If you ever notice a book out of order, or about to fall apart, just let us know, and we can take care of it.

Photo by Flicker user @Doug88888

With exam season in full swing, the Law Library would like to extend a helping hand to you as you navigate the maze of law school exams.  While we can’t take the exam for you, we can offer you a quiet place to study, access to the best study aids available, and last but not least, free coffee and hot tea.

The Law Library will have free coffee and hot tea for law students in the Law Library Conference Room on the following dates:

• Thursday, November 29th
• Monday, December 3rd
• Thursday, December 6th
• Monday, December 10th

Good luck on all of your finals!

Image by Flickr user aigle_dore

A recent study showed that looking at pictures of cute animals can help focus your attention more carefully. Since we here in the library want to do all we can to help you prepare for finals, starting Nov. 29, we’ll be displaying different pictures of cute animals on our digital screen. As you come in to study or to take your exams, take a quick gander at the screen near the library entrance for a few seconds of adorableness before diving into that Torts outline.