Resources

New Materials: February 2023

Posted on by Randall Seder
Ten book covers from Zief library’s new materials.

The Zief Law Library added new materials to its collection in February 2023! Check out some of our new ebooks, with topics including: women’s rights; environmental law; restorative justice; arbitration; property; international law; maritime law; multilingual learning; and the 1972 World Heritage Convention. Explore our monthly New Materials at Zief Law Library webpage for the full list of recent arrivals.

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Celebrating Women’s History Month: Legal History, Research Resources, and Community Events

Posted on by Randall Seder

In celebration of Women’s History Month, Zief Library Assistant Randall Seder takes a look at the social and legal history of the commemorative month, highlights Zief research resources, and presents some Bay-Area events of interest.

Women’s March 2017 - Pennsylvania Ave
Women’s March 2017, Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC. Unsplash.

LEGAL HISTORY

The legal beginnings of National Women’s History Month have California origins. Efforts to adopt a commemorative month-long observance of women’s history began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California with The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women. The Commission was established on December 23rd, 1975 (Ordinance No. 1850) with the intended purpose of eliminating discrimination and prejudice on the basis of gender in areas of domestic, economic, and educational influence. In 1978, the Commission on the Status of Women planned and carried out “Women’s History Week.” They chose a week in March that would include International Women’s Day, which is celebrated annually on March 8th and commemorates the 1908 New York City protestors who marched to voice opinions on child labor, sweatshop working conditions, and women’s suffrage. Continue reading “Celebrating Women’s History Month: Legal History, Research Resources, and Community Events” →

Blockchain Resources at Zief

Posted on by skmawhinney

You may have heard the good news that Professor Michele Neitz has joined the USF School of Law faculty and brought the Blockchain Law for Social Good Center and a seminar on Blockchain Technology and the Law with her. This week, we take a quick dive into what blockchain is and highlight some blockchain research resources available to you through Zief Law Library.

What is Blockchain Technology and Why Should Law Students Care About It?

In general, blockchain technology helps decentralize the movement and management of data and digital representations of assets or other value. It enables transaction authentication and settlement without centralized intermediaries or authorities. Importantly, there are many evolving applications for blockchain technology, including cryptocurrencies, online voting, medical records, insurance policies, property and real estate records, copyrights and licenses and supply chain tracking. In “smart contracts,” blockchain technology embeds payouts between the contracted parties and automatically executes when the parties meet their contractual conditions. Continue reading “Blockchain Resources at Zief” →

Celebrating Black History Month: Legal History, Research Resources, and Community Events

Posted on by Randall Seder

In celebration of Black History Month, Zief Library Assistant Randall Seder takes a look at the social and legal history of the commemorative month, highlights Zief research resources, and presents some Bay-Area events of interest.

“Civil rights march on Washington, D.C. / [WKL].” Original black and white negative by Warren K. Leffler. Taken August 28th, 1963, Washington D.C, United States (@libraryofcongress). Colorized by Jordan J. Lloyd. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2003654393/

LEGAL HISTORY

(Left) Photograph of Dr. Carter Woodson Public Domain, 1910. Hulton Archive/Getty Images
(Right) Lincoln Jubilee Choir, Chorus of 650 Voices. Lincoln Jubilee Album 50th Anniversary of Our Emancipation. Compiled by Lincoln Jubilee Photographer John H. Ballard. 1915.

Congress legally adopted Black History Month after passing Public Law 99-244 in 1886, but the true beginning of this annual month-long celebration of African American accomplishment, contribution, sacrifice, and culture began 70 years earlier with the work of the Virginia-born Black historian, author, and scholar Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson.  Continue reading “Celebrating Black History Month: Legal History, Research Resources, and Community Events” →

Level Up Your Studies with Resources From CALI!

Posted on by Mike Muehe

While Zief has many traditional study aid books and eBooks, like our Examples & Explanations or Glannon Guides, it also provides you with access to the CALI (the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction) website. Built by law professors and law librarians, it has 1,200 interactive lessons on law school topics, podcasts, outlines, and open-access casebooks. While your professors may assign material from CALI, you can also take full advantage of this resource on your own! This week, we’ll explore some of its resources, when you might need them, and how to access them.

CALI, who also sponsors the law school’s CALI Awards (awarded to the top earners in each law school course), is a non-profit consortium of most U.S. law schools and legal educators. For over 40 years, the organization has helped research and develop computer-mediated legal education and, today, it provides law students with a wealth of materials to help with law school success.

CALI’s most popular resource, CALI Lessons, bring you interactive lessons and quizzes on specific topics from your 1L and upper-division classes. In addition to helping you fortify your knowledge of the black-letter law, the CALI lessons also cover law school skills, with topics such as “Law School Success,” “Legal Research,” and “Bar Success and Planning.” For example, its newest lesson, “Cases & Outlining: The Basics,” offers 1Ls a step-by-step lesson in creating a course outline with content from case law. Not sure which lessons might be helpful? Check out their handy Lessons by Subject Outline to see which lessons correspond to your topics.

So, whether you’re a 1L or upper division law student, CALI’s lessons, podcasts, and open-access eBooks offer you a broad selection of resources to help you succeed in law school. While you can always check them out throughout the semester, now that we’re in a new semester, it may be most helpful to see which resources they have for your new course load. That way, you’ll be ready with access to the materials you need.

Interested in learning more? See the Zief staff to get your CALI access code, or chat with one of the research librarians for more tips on how to use CALI alongside your other favorite learning materials!

Final Exam Preparation

Posted on by Steffi Ando

Final Exam Season is right around the corner, and with that comes plenty of preparation, stress, and excitement. The Zief Law Library is here to help and support you through it all. This week, we take a look at some resources geared towards law students and designed to help you manage exam stress and prepare for your exams. Good Luck!

Self-Care and Managing Exam Stress

Law school demands lots of unique dedication and discipline when it comes to studying and exam-taking. If you’re experiencing stress around exam time, you might check out these resources targeted to law school students.

Blogs and Reading Material

  • New England School of Law’s How to Deal with Law School Stress in Healthy Ways is a quick overview of healthy habits to incorporate into your busy schedule to relieve stress and anxiety over time.
  • Meditate! Professor Rhonda MaGee explores in her article, “Educating Lawyers to Meditate?” the role of contemplative practices in legal education and finds evidence in her students at USF Law.
  • Get outside! The Yale School of the Environment discusses time in nature’s therapeutic effects on https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1689769the brain and body, resulting in lower blood pressure, reduced nervous system arousal, and overall improves your physical and mental health.

Audio and Video

Continue reading “Final Exam Preparation” →

Beyond Lexis & Westlaw: Bloomberg Law

Posted on by skmawhinney

You’re probably familiar with Lexis+ and Westlaw Edge (soon to be Westlaw Precision) and have used them to find primary and secondary legal research resources. As we told you in our post about HeinOnline last month, there are other research tools that we recommend you try. This month we’re taking a look at Bloomberg Law and highlighting some of its unique features.

What is Bloomberg Law?

Bloomberg Law is a legal research platform that combines the latest in legal technology with workflow tools, news, primary and secondary sources, and business intelligence. Sixteen Practice Centers (e.g., Bankruptcy, Labor & Employment, and Tax) group Bloomberg Law resources by areas of legal practice, providing resources for that practice area: primary sources, dockets, news, treatises, practice tools, and Practical Guidance. Continue reading “Beyond Lexis & Westlaw: Bloomberg Law” →

New Materials: October 2022

Posted on by Randall Seder
Covers of new titles added in October 2022

The Zief Law Library added new materials to its collection in October! This month’s new books list is small but mighty. Check out some of our new titles, with topics including: United States race relations, white supremacy, and multiracial democracy; trusts; consumer credit; intellectual property; immunization laws; and environmental law. Here is a list of some of our new items, but explore our monthly New Materials at Zief Law Library webpage for the full list of recent arrivals.

New Election Law Resource from LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation

Posted on by Mike Muehe

In celebration of the upcoming Election Day, Zief Law Library presents a brand new, publicly-available voting law resource created by Lexis. Whether you have a deep interest in election law or simply want to keep abreast of legislative changes that might affect voting rights, the LexisNexis® U.S. Voting Laws & Legislation Center by the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation is a robust tool to keep you in-the-know. This week, we take a look at some of its helpful features. Continue reading “New Election Law Resource from LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation” →

Beyond Lexis and Westlaw: HeinOnline

Posted on by Mike Muehe

You’re probably familiar with Lexis+ and Westlaw (soon to be Westlaw Precision) and have used them to find legal research resources, like cases, statutes, regulations and secondary sources. But legal research sometimes requires more than those – and there are other research tools that you can – and should – consider using to help find materials. Here, we’ll dive into HeinOnline, a multidisciplinary legal research platform, and highlight some of its newest database offerings in LGBTQ+ Law, Civil Rights and Social Justice, and Water Law. Continue reading “Beyond Lexis and Westlaw: HeinOnline” →

Study Aids: What are they, how do you use them, and where do you find them?

Posted on by Mike Muehe

Now that we’re a few weeks into the semester, you’ve likely accumulated a solid amount of information from your courses and, with midterm exams nearing, now may be a good time to look back and make sure you’re confident with that knowledge. Is there an area of Torts you need to review? Did a certain rule in Evidence not stick? Or, are you ready to test your issue-spotting skills in Constitutional Law? Fortunately, the Zief Law Library is stocked with a wide variety of study aids in book, eBook, and audio/video formats to meet your learning styles and help you review. Here, we’ll dive into what study aids are, how you can use them, and where you can find them.

Continue reading “Study Aids: What are they, how do you use them, and where do you find them?” →