Spring is back and the library balcony is open again. The balcony outside the Library is accessible from the second floor landing of the Library’s south stairwell every day until dusk. Enjoy studying or eating at the tables during good weather. Both trash and recycling containers are located on the balcony.
The law library, like the rest of the Delaware campus, will be closed for the holidays from December 23rd through January 2nd. We will reopen on January 3rd. Please check our holiday hours for more information.
Enjoy the holidays!
The end of the semester is near, and most lending libraries want their books back before they close for the winter break. Please return all interlibrary loan books by their due dates. The rule is that you are responsible for materials which we borrowed for you from another library. Charges for damaged or lost materials are assessed by the lending library and are the responsibility of the borrowing patron. Loss, damage, or failure to return borrowed materials promptly may also result in the forfeiture of interlibrary loan privileges.
Whether you have requested a book or other material through Interlibrary Loan, you will be notified by e-mail when the request has been received by our Library. If you used your barcode when requesting materials, they will be checked out to you, and you may pick them up at the Circulation Desk in the Library. If you used a student organization barcode, the material will be sent to that organization; for example, all Law Review requests will be sent to the publications’s office in Polishook. The process is the same for photocopies, unless you request an electronic delivery through ILLiad. If electronic delivery was selected, your notification e-mail will advise you to go to your ILLiad account and download your copy.
Access to the balcony off the second floor of the Library will be closed after Thanksgiving until spring. We hope you have enjoyed using the tables and chairs during pleasant autumn days.
The revolving bookcase that stands between the Reference Desk [library maps] and Computer Hex 1 in the Library is called the “New Bookshelf” in our library catalog. It contains both books and DVDs, all of which have some type of legal theme. The DVDs may be checked out for three days, with one renewal allowed. Some of the titles are: My Cousin Vinny, 12 Angry Men, Inherit the Wind, and Sleepers. The books are all newly-acquired books, which maybe checked out for three weeks. Some of the titles are: One Nation,Underprivileged, Toxic Loopholes, The Law and Harry Potter, and The Myth of Rights. After several months on the New Bookshelf, the books are shelved in the treatise section of the Library according to their Library of Congress classification number.
Under Databases on the Law Library’s homepage there is a link to the A to Z Electronic Journal List. By entering the title of a journal, you will be given links to wherever there is an electronic version, from Lexis and Westlaw to ProQuest or EBSCO to HeinOnline or the publisher’s own website. Law reviews, other academic journals, or popular magazines may be found through this database. Because of space limitations, many libraries, including Widener, now rely on electronic access to serial publications and keep only the past few years on their shelves, if they subscribe to the print version at all. Links to online journals can also be found in the Widener catalog, when the Library subscribes to either the print or electronic version.
There are nine study rooms of various sizes on the third floor of the Library [map of the library floors]. They are meant for group study and are available on a first-come, first served basis. Individual students may usea room if it is not needed by a group of students. Room #8 may be reserved by a group for one to four hours up to a week in advance by signing up at the Circulation Desk.
The Full Database List accessible from the Law Library homepage begins with BNA Databases, the online versions of the trusted and prestigious Bureau of National Affairs reporting services.These services can be accessed on computers outside the library by following the prompt to enter your name and the 14-digit barcode number on the back of your student ID card. You can also sign up for free e-mail summaries of daily or weekly BNA services of your choice. There are over 120 services to choose from, dealing with a wide variety of legal topics. United States Law Week is a service that specializes in U.S.Supreme Court cases, tracking every case andanalyzing the significant ones. There are also summaries and analyses of other court decisions and circuit splits. Take advantage of free access to these costly services while you have a student ID barcode!