The Law Library’s “Cuban Connection”

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As a youngster growing up in Hialeah, Florida in the 1960’s and early 70’s, I had many friends who either were born in Cuba and emigrated to South Florida, or who were born shortly after their parents made the trip. Some of them remain my closest friends still. Cuba, its politics, and refugees from the island who lived in what was then Dade County were a big part of everyday life. When I arrived at UC nearly nine years ago to lead the law library staff, I was told a little about Jorge Luis Carro, who served as one of my predecessors from 1976 to 1986, and as acting dean of the College of Law from 1978 to 1979. Chelsea Jordan and Edwin W. Patterson III have authored a fascinating article about Professor Carro in the December issue of CBA Report, the monthly magazine of the Cincinnati Bar Association. The article recounts Carro’s life in Cuba, his role during and after Castro’s revolution, and the life he led in the U.S. after he joined his family here in 1967. The article is a must-read for those who are interested in U.S.-Cuba relations, and for friends of the law school and the law library.

-Ken Hirsh

Let the Exams Begin!

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Let Us Help You Do Your Best!

Final exams begin this week, and while this can be an anxious time for any law student, it is especially so for many 1L students, who have yet to face their first law school exam. We in the Marx Law Library are standing by to help you conquer the challenge. We offer you

  • Online study aids, available 24/7, from West Academic and Lexis Digital Library, and print ones in the Reference 2 collection.
  • Online research guides to help point you to the resources that answer your study needs.
  • 24/7 access to the library itself for access to our print collection, lab computers, and study areas where you can softly converse or isolate yourself, as you wish.
  • More than a thousand CALI lessons that will help you bone up on your knowledge or learn something new. Need the registration code? Stop by the library or send a message to request the code.
  • Librarians staffing our reference desk who are ready to answer your research questions.

So please take advantage of all we have to offer, and good luck!

Bagels, snacks, coffee will help.

We’re happy to partner with your Student Bar Association to provide morning bagel and coffee, water, and snacks throughout the day during exams. Stop in for a nosh!
 

Giving Thanks, and Working Toward the Semester’s End

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A Short Week Before the Big Push

With the Thanksgiving Holiday on many of our minds, the work week and class days last only through Wednesday. Following that, there is one more week of classes and exams won’t be far behind. We hope that each of you has something for which to be thankful, and we will do out best to helpmake your academic semester a success.

Legal Research Sessions Abide

Even in this shorter week, our librarians make the effort to help our students learn the principles of good legal research.

  • Tuesday, November 21st
    • Professor Smith’s Section 1
      • Researching a Problem from Start to Finish with Susan Boland
      • 1:30 – 2:55 P.M. in Room 100A
    • Professor Oliver’s Section 2
      • Researching a Problem from Start to Finish with Ronald Jones
      • 1:30 – 2:55 P.M. in Room 100B
  • Wednesday, November 22nd
    • Professor Smith’s Section 4
      • Researching a Problem from Start to Finish with Susan Boland
      • 10:40 A.M. – 12:05 P.M. in Room 100A

 

Resources for Exam Preparation and Writing Papers

Law Library Print and Online resources are available to students 24×7. Be sure to consider these in your preparation routine.

  • Law Library Exam Guide
  • West Academic Study Aids, including Nutshell, Legalines, High Court Case Summaries, Gilbert Law Summaries, and Black Letter Outlines.
  • Lexis OverDrive Study Aids, including Skills & Values, Understanding, Mastering, and Questions & Answers.
  • Print study aids in the Reference 2 collection area, near the Ohio area.
  • PowerNotes will let you annotate online and save both text and citation information to an outline, using Google Chrome.
  • A panoply of mechanical devices to put together your end-of-term papers, including staplers, hole punches, cellophane tape, paper clips, and a pencil sharpener.
  • And although we’re not here 24/7, skilled reference librarians are here during business hours to personally help you figure out how to find out what you need to know.

 

Native American Heritage Month

November is National Native American Heritage Month; please stop by the library and view our display materials.

This Week: Schott Lecture and Research Training Sessions

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Professor Jacob Katz Cogan Delivers Harold C. Schott Lecture

Professor Cogan will speak on “Money, International Organizations, and the Turn Away from Collective Decision-Making,” Wednesday, November 15th, from 12:10 – 1:10 P.M. in Room 114.

Upcoming Research Training Sessions

  • Wednesday, November 15th
    • Professor Oliver’s LL.M. students
      • Terms & Connectors Searching with James Hart and Susan Boland
      • 10:40 A.M. – 12:05 P.M. in the Computer Lab
  • Tuesday, November 21st
    • Professor Smith’s Section 1
      • Researching a Problem from Start to Finish with Susan Boland
      • 1:30 – 2:55 P.M. in Room 100A
    • Professor Oliver’s Section 2
      • Researching a Problem from Start to Finish with Ronald Jones
      • 1:30 – 2:55 P.M. in Room 100B
  • Wednesday, November 22nd
    • Professor Smith’s Section 4
      • Researching a Problem from Start to Finish with Susan Boland
      • 10:40 A.M. – 12:05 P.M. in Room 100A

 

Featured Resources

With Thanksgiving arriving next week, it won’t be long before final exams begin. Start your preparation with law library resources, including these:

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Vote Tuesday, then Elect to Use the Library!

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Off-Year Elections

While elections in odd-numbered years are often not considered as crucial as those in even-numbered ones, they still offer the purest form of participatory governance generally available in the United States. Governorships are on the ballot in a handful of states, and there are local elections and statewide ballot initiatives in many states, including Ohio. We hope that you will exercise your vote if your jurisdiction holds an election tomorrow.

Upcoming Research Sessions

  • Library & Lexis Lunch & Learn with Shannon Kemen and Ashley Russell
    • Thursday, November 9th, 12:15 – 1:15 P.M. in Room 118
    • 1-L Research Review; Lunch & Lexis points.
    • Please register in advance.
  • Tuesday, November 7th
    • Professor Oliver’s Section 2
      • Terms & Connectors Searching with Ronald Jones
      • 1:30 – 2:55 P.M. in Room 100B

 

Featured Resources

 

Welcome Back from Fall Break!

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2017 Schwartz Lecture: Paul Taylor

Paul Taylor, Chief Counsel for the House Committee on the Judiciary, will present “Federal Tort Reform: Policy, Law and Practice.” he presentation will start at the level of general policy, addressing federal tort reform’s role in our representative republic within a separation of powers system. It will then discuss the legal framework that governs federal tort reform, including its basis in the original understanding of the Commerce Clause as set out in the Federalist Papers. It will conclude at the level of practice and discuss the nuts and bolts of modern federal tort reform, including specific legislative responses to particular problems, such as federal tort reform statutes facilitating public responses to the threats posed by terrorism, pandemics, and cyber-attacks. Join us for the lecture at 12:10 P.M. on Tuesday, October 17th, in Room 114.

Upcoming Research Sessions

  • Thursday, October 19th
    • Professor Oliver’s Section 2
      • Researching Statutes with Ronald Jones
      • 1:30 – 2:55 P.M. in Room 100B
  • Wednesday, October 25th
    • Library & Lexis Lunch & Learn
      • Business Filings with Susan Boland and Ashley Russell
      • 12:15 – 1:15 P.M. in Room 302
      • Lunch & Lexis Points awarded; advance registration required.

 

Fall Break Week: Some New Resources to Consider

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Powernotes and Procertas Legal Tech Assessment

No doubt, your fall break schedule is already full. When you come back, we recommend that you take a look at two new resources that can help you now with your research and writing, and later when you want to show future employers that you are a technology wiz.

PowerNotes is an online research platform that helps you manage research and organize it. The Law Library has purchased a trial subscription for the law school. Enable the PowerNotes Chrome Extension and you can highlight and file away information. Your highlights, notes, and urls are saved under custom topics that you create in project folders. PowerNotes allows you to gather excerpts from any online resources, including Lexis and Westlaw, and save, highlight, or annotate this content within customized research subjects with a single click. You can build and edit an outline as you research — if you want to change your outline, you can drag and drop your research subjects to restructure your outline. PowerNotes also saves links to all of your sources to help ensure that you cite to sources accurately. Create your PowerNotes user ID using your UC email address.

The Procertas Legal Tech Assessment helps you learn how to powerfully use the Microsoft Office Products — Word, Excel, and PowerPoint — which are the most widely used productivity applications at legal employers. It includes both training and assessment modules, and is available to all UC law students. To gain access, contact Professor and Library Director Ken Hirsh.