Fall 2022

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 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.

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” →

Welcome, All!

Posted on by Mike Muehe

The Zief Law Library team welcomes our new 1Ls, LLMs, and returning upper-level law students to a brand new school year! We hope you’ve had a restful summer and are ready to start the semester off strong. Stop by and let us know what you were up to!

Photo of a sign with "welcome" in cursive letters.
Credit: Katherine Hood for Unsplash.com

We would also like to introduce you to the new-and-improved ZiefBrief Blog! Here, we’ll be providing regular updates and articles about our hours, services, collections, research tips, and technology tricks to help you. Of course, we also have many other great resources at Zief to help you, such as:

Continue reading “Welcome, All!” →