New Books at The Zief Law Library: December 2022

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

Welcome back and Happy New Year! The Zief Law Library added new materials to its collection in December. Check out some of our new titles, with topics including: evidence; blockchains and cryptocurrencies; trademarks and unfair competition; and judicial error, false imprisonment, and discrimination in criminal justice administration. Here are just some of our new items, but explore our monthly New Materials at Zief Law Library webpage for the full list of recent arrivals.

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” →

Law Library Hours: Thanksgiving

Posted on by Mike Muehe

Hi all!

Please note that the law library will have the following adjusted hours for Thanksgiving 2022:

Wednesday, Nov. 23: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday / Friday, Nov. 24-25: CLOSED
Saturday / Sunday, Nov. 26-27: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

For a full calendar view of our current and upcoming hours, visit our Law Library Hours of Operations website. We hope you all have a safe and restful holiday!

See you then!

Beyond Lexis & Westlaw: Bloomberg Law

Posted on by Suzanne Mawhinney

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 Books at The Zief Law Library: 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” →

New Books at The Zief Law Library: September 2022

Posted on by Randall Seder

Covers of new titles added in September.

The Zief Law Library added new materials to its collection in September! Check out some of our new titles, with topics including: East Asian politics, civil rights, and legislation; global economic conditions; project management; terrorism and the law; and US administrative procedure. Here is a list of some of our new items, but explore our monthly New Materials at Zief Law Library page for the full list of new arrivals!

Brixton the Therapy Dog: Upcoming Visit – Updated Date!

Posted on by Mike Muehe
Brixton The Therapy Dog. Photo Credit: Linda Gordon, brixtonatlarge on Instagram.

This post reflects a change from the original published event date of Wednesday, Oct. 12.

In celebration of Wellness Week at USF Law School, our pal Brixton is back! Stop by the Zief Law Library on Friday, October 14th from 1:00pm-2:00pm for some playful stress-relief and tail-waggin’ fun with one of our favorite golden retrievers!

Brixton is a golden retriever with several years of experience as an SPCA therapy-assistance volunteer. Brixton loves belly rubs, making new friends, dressing up in holiday-themed costumes, and smiling for the camera.

The SPCA is one of San Francisco’s leading animal welfare nonprofit organizations. The SPCA is dedicated to matching animals with loving homes, providing access to high-quality veterinary care, and promoting programs such as adoption, animal assisted therapy, and behavioral training. Explore the SPCA website for more information on upcoming events.

Tech Tip: Digital Knowledge Management Tools to Organize Your Life, Studies, and Law Practice

Posted on by Steffi Ando

Being exposed to so much information, in school, work, and life, can feel overwhelming and chaotic, so managing and organizing the information we gather is critical for our own sake; but, it will also be expected from clients and supervisors. Whether it’s collecting information on a favorite hobby in your free time, gathering sources for an upcoming seminar paper, or capturing your experience and documents after successfully representing a client, knowledge management (“KM”) systems, tools, and practices help us stay organized and produce great outcomes. Continue reading “Tech Tip: Digital Knowledge Management Tools to Organize Your Life, Studies, and Law Practice” →

New Books at The Zief Law Library: Summer 2022

Posted on by Randall Seder

Covers of new books available through Zief Law Library

Over the summer months, the Zief Law Library added several new titles to its collection, including materials on: environmental policy; evidence; animal law; property; black liberation; law practice and mental health; transparency and accessibility in the law; and recent US legislation.

Forget your textbook off-campus? Not to worry – we’ve also got all of your casebooks available! Stop by the Zief Circulation Desk for more information!

Here’s a list of just some of our new items. But, for a full list of the new materials collected from May, June, July, and August, check out our New Materials at Zief Law Library page!

Continue reading “New Books at The Zief Law Library: Summer 2022” →

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?” →

Research Help From the Zief Librarians

Posted on by Mike Muehe

Hi Dons!

Need help with your research assignments? Your research librarians are just a click away! Whether you’re navigating a 1L LRWA memo, tackling an upper-division or directed research paper, or even completing an assignment for a clinic, externship, or internship, the librarians have one-on-one research consultation appointments available to you.

Credit: Scott Graham for Unsplash.com

Having also been through law school, the research librarians know how tricky research planning can be, especially if you’re diving into an area of law that you’re unfamiliar with. Plus, there are lots of resources in our databases, our catalog, and across the internet that can be really overwhelming to navigate alone. So, you can book a research consultation with Suzanne, John, and Mike at the beginning or even throughout your project, to make sure you’re staying on target and getting to the sources you need (or didn’t know you needed). Plus, we’re available to meet in Zief or on Zoom, so you can make an appointment whether you’re on- or off-campus!

Need other research help but don’t necessarily need a full consultation? The librarians also hold regular hours for live reference assistance. You can stop by the library to see us or send us a question via instant message or email! Visit our Zief Research Help page for more information and instructions!

See you then!

Group Study and Interview Rooms Available

Posted on by Randall Seder

Are you looking for a new place to study? Try one of our nine Group Study Rooms or our Virtual Office Hour/Interview space on your next visit to the library. Our study rooms offer a variety of features to help you and your colleagues work or study collaboratively.

The “Five-A’s” of Zief’s Group Study Rooms:

Access: Our group study rooms are available to all current USF law students, faculty, and staff. Each offers a variety of essential resources. Group Study Rooms can accommodate 2 to 8 people for up to two hours at a time and are equipped with large tables, whiteboards, power outlets, and big screen TVs suitable for screen sharing. Our Virtual Office Hour/ Interview space offers students a private, professional environment for virtual meetings.

Continue reading “Group Study and Interview Rooms Available” →