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News of the Hastings Law Library

The Newcal Copy Center, located in the 200 building in room 445, provides reprographic services ranging from full-service copying, resumes, and faxing. Copy and print cards may be purchased at the Copy Center or at one of our convenient card vending machines located in the Research Alcove - 200 McAllister, 4th Floor, and in the Gold Reading Room - 198 McAllister, 3rd Floor. They also provide post-structuralist/deconstruction, semiotic, and hermeneutical services upon request.

Posted by Julie Horst at 02:24 PM | Permalink

West eLearning Center has free web-based modular courses with short lessons (4-10 minutes) to help you become a more efficient researcher. West eLearning allows you to learn at your own pace, on your own schedule and to track your progress online. If you need a refresher, try the Westlaw Fundamentals course: this series of short lessons teaches you the basics so that you can get right to work!

Posted by Julie Horst at 08:39 AM | Permalink

To keep our new Library nice and clean and free of creatures who don't read, the policy allows drinks only in covered containers. There are some covered drink containers available at the Reference Desk if you need one. No food is allowed in the Library.

Posted by Julie Horst at 11:19 AM | Permalink

Should you be required to pay to find out information about federal government jobs? Is it a violation of U.S. law to solicit for foreign lotteries? Are you aware of the scams out there? If not, take the Grand Scam Challenge and test your consumer savvy.

Posted by Julie Horst at 08:49 AM | Permalink

Use HeinOnline to find .pdf versions of 1,200 law and law-related periodicals. Link to it from the Library's Subscription Database page.

Besides the Law Journal Library, HeinOnline carries the:
• Federal Register vols 1-72, 1936-current
• US Reports, 1754-2003 and US Reports Slip Opinions, 2002-To date
• Treaty collections: TIAS 11060-12734, UST vols 1-35 [1950-1984], ILM vols 1-45 [1962-2006], and also Bevans, Malloy, Miller, and KAV.
• Phillip C. Jessup Library
• U.S. Attorney General Opinions
• U.S. Presidential Documents
• U.S. Statutes at Large

Posted by Julie Horst at 03:55 PM | Permalink

To all 2Ls and 3Ls who have never borrowed an item from the Library: Stop by the Circulation or Reference Desks in the Library and let us turn your Hastings ID into your library borrowing card, the process takes about a minute. Once completed, you will be able to check your library record online, and you will have access to electronic resources from off-campus.

Posted by Julie Horst at 11:36 AM | Permalink

Most of the study aids in the library are available by asking at the Circulation Desk. This is a list by subject of the study aids in our collection.

lf you're looking for professional outlines such as Gilbert Law Summaries, they are available in the bookstore at both new and used prices.

Posted by Julie Horst at 03:00 PM | Permalink

The drilling and hammering sounds you hear in the Library are the study tables being constructed. Once installed most will have power connections available. In the meantime, power outlets can be found in the study rooms and in the window seating at the columns.

Posted by Julie Horst at 09:34 AM | Permalink

The Hastings Law Library is on floors 4, 5, and 6 of 200 McAllister. You can only reach the upper floors once you're inside the Library. There are two inner elevators near the foot of the grand stairway.

The 5th floor has most of the bound law journals, library staff offices, and call numbers A - KF6075 (ending with KF6075 .H65 2006 Holocaust Restitution : perspectives on the litigation and its legacy).

The 6th floor has government documents, some professors' offices, special collections, the faculty library, and call numbers KF6200 - Z (the last book being ZA5075 .N682 The United States Government Internet Manual).

All three floors of the library have study rooms, copy machines and restrooms.

Posted by Julie Horst at 11:12 AM | Permalink

What does American Jurisprudence look like? Why would I ever want to read an ALR? These answers and more can be found by taking a look at Adam Engelhart's fantastic photographic field guide to the law library. A Hastings 3L, Adam posted pictures of all of the "principal legal reference works for 1Ls in the Hastings library, along with short descriptions and Bluebook citation rules."

Posted by Julie Horst at 09:13 AM | Permalink

Upon arriving at the 4th floor, turn right out of the elevators and enter the Library. Directly ahead of you is the Circulation desk and to the right of that is Reference desk. Reference hours are Monday - Friday 8:30 A.M. - 5:30 P.M., Saturday 9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M..

Toward McAllister Street, there is waist-high shelving holding the 4th Floor Reading Room collection. The open space nearby has lots of light, comfy chairs, with good visibility to be able to meet up with friends or perhaps study in groups. Peruse the subscription magazines in the Popular Reading Area for a little light reading.

Continuing around in a clockwise direction, you will encounter the computer lab. This is the place to check your email, search online resources or take care of printing and scanning. Further down the hallway and through two doors is the NewCal Copy Center. This is run by two terrific folks who will help you with copy card purchases or jammed printers.

Beyond their office the Federal collection begins with book stack number 1. Congressional Record, Federal Register, US Reports, regional reporters and the like are found in these stacks which circle around to Golden Gate Avenue.

As you near the Hyde Street side of the building, the California collection begins and includes sets such as Deering's, West's, Statutes and Amendments to the Code, etc. The area from stack one to this point is called "4th Stacks."

The few stacks near the foot of the Grand Stairway contain our small Research Alcove Collection. This consists of current treatises and practice materials that do not leave the Library.

A small room near there is where you will find our microfiche and microfilm collection. If the machines are giving you any problems whatsoever, just ask for help at the Reference desk, our job is to help you.

Posted by Julie Horst at 01:50 PM | Permalink

The Congressional Research Service is the neutral research arm for the Congress. It publishes detailed and concise reports on a variety of topics, and has just released a new edition of a report on deaths in the U.S. military from the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 to the present. The new report, American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics has been updated to include Operation Iraqi Freedom.

According the the CRS:

"This report is written in response to numerous requests for war casualty statistics and lists of war dead. It provides tables, compiled by sources at the Department of Defense (DOD), indicating the number of casualties among American military personnel serving in principal wars and combat actions."

Beginning with the Korean War, the report provides information on specific cause of death and demographic data.

UC Hastings subscribes to the Congressional Research Service, or you can access the report from Secrecy News.

Posted by Susan Nevelow Mart at 01:43 PM | Permalink

Welcome back 2Ls and 3Ls, and greetings to 1Ls, Visiting, Transfer, Exchange and LLM students. This is the blog of the Hastings Law Library. Check here for research tips, library news, and links to websites of interest. This is where we announce new titles, holiday hours and information about the computer lab. You can find info about new electronic resources and we'll give you search hints on how to use them. And then every so often, you'll see a posting like the one below....

Posted by Julie Horst at 10:30 AM | Permalink

Ever wondered if all those stories your relatives have told you are true? Well, there is a wonderful new noncommercial, educational web site that will help you get FBI Files for any deceased family member, entirely free of charge. The site is designed to generate a printable letter that asks the FBI to search their files for records concerning a specified deceased family member, or for that matter any other deceased person. So if the time has come to prove - or disprove - those tales you've been told about grandpa's days on the commune, here's your chance. The site is at: http://www.GetGrandpasFBIFile.com

Posted by Susan Nevelow Mart at 10:01 AM | Permalink

Some chairs are like this one, others have arms:

This is one of the couches that has already been delivered:

This seating will be for the information kiosks:

Posted by Julie Horst at 01:21 PM | Permalink