Welcome (or Welcome Back)

Professor Ann Puckett

As the new semester settles in to a familiar routine, the staff of the Alexander Campbell King Law Library welcomes all new and returning law students. We hope your time spent in the library is pleasant and productive. The most important rule in the library: if you can't find what you want, JUST ASK! We made asking convenient. You can't miss our beautiful Reference Desk near the entrance to the library. It is staffed from 9-5 Monday, Wednesday and Friday; from 9-7 Tuesday and Thursday; and from 2-6 Sunday. You can call the reference librarian on duty if you cannot come to the library in person (542-6591). All the professionals on the staff have degrees in law, library science, or both. We all know secrets about this library and about legal research that took years to learn -- and we don't charge a penny extra for teaching you our secrets.

For the last several years, we have focused major efforts on upgrading our physical plant by renovating much of the library and repurposing several rooms to bring them more in line with the needs of 21st century law students. This past year, however, has been dedicated to enhancing the law library’s collection, particularly in the area of electronic resources. The changes might not be as immediately apparent as changes to the physical plant, but they are no less important. We have added thousands of new titles in collections such as the Making of Modern Law. In addition, we have made finding electronic resources much more transparent through enhancements of our online catalog GAVEL. The newly redesigned GAVEL home page conveniently links to a number of our electronic databases. Searches in GAVEL now provide access to the full text of electronic journals. We are truly a library without walls, in that students can access much of the library’s accumulated knowledge without coming to the library, but we take great pride in the fact that law students in large numbers choose to study and work in the library. Please let us know how we can continue to improve your library experiences.

It’s a good idea to keep up with what’s happening in the law library and the law school. We try to make that painless and maybe even pleasant for you. Most official communication will come to you via your UGAMail email account, which every law student is required to have. The library uses the email system to send courtesy notices as a due date approaches and when an item is overdue. A new communication tool from Computing Services is the Georgia Law Forums. You can use the forums to discuss serious political issues or sell surplus personal possessions. Amicus Briefs, our monthly newsletter, announces policy changes or new databases. We soon hope to launch a news feed to provide even more timely information.

In sum, we wish you a happy and successful year. And remember the Law Library motto: JUST ASK!

New Staff Members Join the Circulation Department

by Sharon Bradley

For the first time in several years we have a fully staffed Circulation Department. We will now be able to have full-time staff on the weekend and in the evenings. This means complete library services more hours each week, like being able to pay a fine in the evening or on weekends.

Lauren is an Air Force brat; she's lived in Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Maine, Illinois, and Missouri but claims St. Louis as home. She has a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Truman State University which is located in northeast Missouri. Before deciding libraries were her life (my phrase not hers) Lauren apprehended shoplifters, canvassed for environmental issues, performed data entry for the law school, and worked as an assistant/lead teacher with 3-4 year olds at a child development center. Lauren works Sunday, 8am to 5pm, Monday to Thursday, noon to 9pm.

ExpressO Service from Berkeley Electronic Press (BePress)