Law Library Feedback Blog

Absolutely!  We welcome feedback at any time. The best way to do this is to submit suggestions or feedback through our Suggestion Box Form to let us know what 's on your mind.

 

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Photo: question from the audience  / sean dreilinger / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

This entry was posted on April 17, 2012 at 1:20 PM and has received 1271 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

The survey is now closed. Thanks for all the input!

Our annual student survey is a great way for current students to give feedback on library services and resources.  Once each year, we survey current students for input on our materials, services, resources and facilities.  The 2012 law library student survey is going on now, and will end Thursday, April 12.  We encourage all current students to give us your feedback with as much detail and specific suggestions as possible.

One luck student will win an Amazon Kindle Fire.  All students get the satisfaction of telling us what you think.

Thanks in advance for any input during these last few days of our survey.  After the survey closes, you can always stop by and use our Suggestion Box Form to let us know what you think.

This entry was posted on April 9, 2012 at 2:41 PM and has received 1468 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Yes. Beginning today, November 28 until the end of the exam period, December 17, the entire Williams Library is open for the benefit of Georgetown students studying for exams.  Previously, only the Reading Room was open during the library's extended hours.

During the exam reading period, students from other law schools will not be admitted.

Operating hours for both library locations, including reference availability, is found on the Library Hours Calendar.  Details of the limited access period are available on the Library Hours for Exam Reading Period page.

Photo: Open 24 hours / Marcin Wichary / CC BY 2.0

This entry was posted on November 28, 2011 at 4:28 PM and has received 9347 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Yes. We now have a completely new system for Georgetown Law students to access copies of past exams. Over the summer, the law library worked with the Registrar's Office and developers in the Information Services Technology (IST) department to create a completely new system for accessing past exams.  This includes all prior documents and adds several system improvements.

Access the Law Library Exam Archive to find copies of past exams from 1998 through the present.  This new system includes the more than 8,000 exam documents available through the library's online archive.  All new documents the library receives from the Registrar's Office are added to the new system as we receive them.

In the new system, there's an improved search form, which displays matching professors or course titles as you type. In addition, students will see a personalized list of professors teaching courses for the current term. Fall 2011 data should be active now, so students can log in and quickly see a list of exam documents from your professors. 

An added feature of the system lets you download all documents from a professor/course list in a single zip archive.  For instance, with a single mouse click to 'download all', you can get all twenty documents from Professor Spann's Contracts class or all eighteen documents from Professor Cohen's Property course.

In 2009, 2010 and again in 2011, exam access was the most popular content our students sought on the library's website.  Hopefully the improvements will help make it easier and more efficient for all of our students.

This entry was posted on August 19, 2011 at 11:09 AM and has received 14826 views. There are currently 1 comments. Print this entry.

Return them! Your account will be charged a replacement fee for any books that are not turned in prior to the end of exams, even if they are not officially due by that time. In addition, Student Accounts and the Registrar will be unable to release your final transcript and diploma for graduation until your account is settled.

If you do have books out beyond the end of exams, return them no later than noon on Wednesday, May 18th. The replacement charge will be dropped and your final transcript and diploma will be released in time for the graduation ceremony.

After noon on Wednesday, May 18th, the library will be unable to waive the $120 per book charge for any unreturned books.

Any fines you may have incurred for late books prior to May 1st must be paid at Student Accounts.

Please contact Laura Piacenti at (202)662-9138 or Craig Lelansky at (202)662-9155 with any questions

This entry was posted on May 5, 2011 at 9:42 AM and has received 24309 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

To help people troubleshoot database access problems, we've created a page that explains some of the most common causes for access problems. In some cases, it may help you find a solution.

Visit the Database and Electronic Resource Triage to find tips on troubleshooting database access problems.  On this page, you can also find a link to a form to report the problem to us.

Here's a quick summary of our database troubleshooting tips: 

• Lexis and Westlaw: these alsways require passwords. Use the LexisNexis or Westlaw law school pages for access assistance, or contact the library reference desk for help online or on the phone.
• Off campus, be sure to access licensed databases through our online catalog.  By doing this, database providers recognize your use a being authorized.
• If nothing works off campus: then the problem is commonly fixed by adjusting your account information in our online catalog.
• Some problems are browser-specific: Internet web browsers each vary in the way they render web pages and support certain features.  Sometimes a database access problem can be solved by switching from Internet Explorer to Google Chrome (or vice versa).

We try to fix database problems as soon as possible, once reported.  Of course, we want every database to work for everybody, all the time.  Sometimes this doesn't work.

If you have problems accessing an electronic database, online book or other resource from the library, let us know.  The Database and Electronic Resource Triage should get you started in diagnosing problems we're happy to help solve.

This entry was posted on March 25, 2011 at 3:16 PM and has received 24437 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Some do, but most don't.

Here at Georgetown Law Library, we recently discovered a copy of the Rotunda and Nowack "Concise Hornbook" on Constitutional Law that was much more concise than expected.  Chapters 1 through 9 had been ripped out.  The book now starts on Chapter 10, "Individual Liberties - An Overview".  Apparently somebody took individual liberties with this book, which will force us to throw it away and buy a replacement copy.  

This book, published in 2010, is found in the library's reading room reserve collection, and is meant only for in-library use so all students can access it.  Seeing a book mutilated like this is thankfully a rare occurrence.  Most people treat our books well, but this one case is a reminder that not everybody does.

In the library, thousands of our titles are available in electronic format, and some content (such as cases) are available from multiple sources.  Sometimes though, users want access to exactly one book, which won't work with pages removed.

If there's a book that can't leave the library, remember that you can take a small section with you for personal use by using either a photocopier or scanner.

Thanks in advance for treating our books with respect.  We like them and like to share them with all our patrons.

While we prefer to spend library money on new items, rest assured:  we'll purchase replacements for damaged items when we discover them or others bring them to our attention.

This entry was posted on March 17, 2011 at 11:53 AM and has received 27498 views. There are currently 2 comments. Print this entry.

The majority of exams and authorized feedback are currently online. However, the registrar's office still occasionally delivers additional items, especially feedback.

As the registrar sends exams and feedback to the library we strive to make them available to students as soon as possible.

If you do not see your exam or feedback, please check back regularly or contact the Williams Circulation Desk and we will try to get copies of that item as soon as possible.

This entry was posted on March 2, 2011 at 12:47 PM and has received 25181 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Yes!

The library is pleased to announce that it is expanding the library's food policy to reflect the success of last semester's food trial. From now on Georgetown Law Library patrons may eat snacks in both the Williams and Wolff library locations. The following policy and associated rules will limit food consumption to best meet the needs of all patrons.

1. Patrons may eat cold foods, such as fruit, nuts, candy bars, and crackers in most areas of the library (Williams and Wolff). Meals and hot foods, such as pizza, burgers, and soup, will not be permitted.
2. Food will not be permitted in the 2nd floor of Williams (with the exception of the lobby and atrium), Special Collections & Archives, the Computer Learning Centers, and the Media Rooms.
3. Out of consideration for your colleagues and the library, please avoid foods that are odorous, noisy, or greasy.
4. Library users must take any uneaten food with them when they leave the library. Do not place food in the library's garbage cans, as this can cause rodent or insect infestation.
5. Drinks in closed containers continue to be welcome in the library. Should you spill a drink, please let one of the circulation desks know immediately so that custodial assistance can be called if needed. These desks also have some cleaning wipes if you need them.
6. For those who wish to bring in larger meals, the canteen (1st floor in Williams) is open to all students.

Please note that we are aware that food has been making its way into the library already and that this has caused infestation problems (in the form of rats) as recently as last spring. The rules above are intended to create a friendly environment where food is permitted, but in return, users must handle food responsibly so as to protect the health, safety, and comfort of everyone.

If you have any questions about this trial or about the library, please drop a note at the library's suggestion form.

This entry was posted on January 26, 2011 at 6:31 PM and has received 24262 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.