Help

Get Ahead in Your Research: One-on-One Support from the Zief Librarians

Posted on by Tim Sanzi

Elevate Your Legal Research: One-on-One Consultations with Zief Law Librarians

Are you grappling with a challenging research assignment? Your Zief Law Library research librarians are just a click away! Whether you’re crafting your first 1L LRWA memo, delving into an upper-division paper, or working on a project for a clinic, externship, or internship, our expert librarians are ready to provide personalized research consultation appointments tailored to your needs.

Credit: Scott Graham for Unsplash.com

Why Book a Research Consultation?

Our research librarians have walked in your shoes. They understand the complexities of legal research, especially when venturing into unfamiliar legal territories. The vast array of resources available in our databases, catalog, and across the internet can be overwhelming to navigate alone. That’s where we come in! By scheduling a consultation with Suzanne, Tim, or Mike, you can:

  • Get expert guidance at any stage of your project
  • Ensure you’re on the right track with your research
  • Discover valuable resources you might have overlooked
  • Learn efficient research strategies to save time and effort

Flexible Appointment Options

We understand the demands of law school life. That’s why we offer both in-person consultations at the Zief Law Library and virtual appointments via Zoom. Whether you’re on campus or studying remotely, we’re here to support your research needs.

Beyond Consultations: Quick Research Help

Need a quick research tip but don’t require a full consultation? We’ve got you covered:

  • Regular Reference Hours: Stop by the library during our scheduled hours for immediate assistance.
  • Email Support: For less urgent inquiries, drop us an email.

For more information on all our research support services, visit our Zief Research Help page. Don’t let research challenges slow you down. Book your one-on-one consultation with a Zief Law Librarian today and unlock your full research potential!

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!

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!