You may have noticed some changes in the Law Library since you left for the holidays. While we are confident you will find most of the changes to be improvements, one that may not be so popular is the strict ban on food and drink in the library. Let me explain why the ban is necessary.
In October, we had a preservation expert visit the library because we had noticed mold growing on some books, a sure sign of environmental problems in a library. The expert's report, complete with color pictures of mold cultures, concluded that the Law Library has several serious environmental problems that, taken together, are cutting the life expectancy of the collection by about two-thirds. We are addressing some of the problems through improved cleaning, ventilation and climate control. One problem, though, requires your cooperation: we must keep food and drink residue out of the library.
The connection may not be immediately obvious to you. After all, you are adults and you can be trusted not to spill your food on the books can't you? But spills aren't the main problem. The main problem is the empty cups, cans, and wrappers left in the trash. Those attract a whole catalog of book eating-insects that stay around long after the trash is carried out. Unnoticed crumbs and smears of grease provide an ideal environment in which ever-present mold spores can flourish - and mold is as bad for people as it is for books.
Our collection is worth millions of dollars. Much of it is irreplaceable at any price. Please do your part to assure it's still here when your grandkids come to UGA Law School!
Thanks - and Happy New Year.
The Law Library receives and keeps copies of old Georgia Bar Exams. Exams prior to 1991 are bound, and some volumes contain exams from more than one year. Exams since 1991 are velo- bound individually by date. Ask at the Circulation Desk if you wish to check out copies of these old exams to use in studying for the Bar Exam.
From January 12 - January 23 the first year law students will be receiving training on Westlaw and Lexis. This year for the first time the training will take place in the library labs. The Lexis and Westlaw labs will be closed from 11:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. weekdays on most days during this time period.
Need access to Westlaw and Lexis during these times? Never fear. Don't forget you can access Westlaw and Lexis from the 12 PCs in the computer lab in room A2-- of the Annex as well.
Daily print limits on Westlaw are now set at 6000 lines per day for law students. 6000 lines are roughly equivalent to 120 pages per day. If you need to print something that is longer than 120 pages, check with the Reference Desk. We'll be happy to print longer documents if the materials are unavailable in the Law Library.
You can't help but notice the rearrangement in the library. During the semester break while you were away, we've been VERY BUSY! Some of the changes you will notice:
Our new on-line catalog !!! Yes, folks, it's finally here. We have a winner for the Name the Online Catalog contest (more about that later). The first four PCs where the card catalog used to be will allow access to our new on-line system. We are still testing and cleaning up the database for our on-line catalog, so please be patient. We think you'll approve of the final product.
Our new technology row. We've put the PCs for accessing our new on-line catalog and our PCs with CD- ROMS (including Infotrac) where the card catalog used to be. Solitaire is no longer available on these PCs nor is access to e-mail. But, the good news is that you can play Solitaire and read your e-mail in the computer lab in the Annex.
The card catalog has shrunk! We've removed all cards from the card catalog for items that are on-line. To do a complete search for library materials you should check both the on-line catalog and the card catalog.
Where's the Shepard's? You'll notice a lot of the books have been moved around. Shepard's and the periodical indexes are now adjacent to the Reference Desk. The CJS, Decennials and Am Jurs are now near the ALRs. If you need assistance locating any of these books, don't hesitate to ask at the Reference Desk.
New PCs with COLOR monitors in the lab. We've added five new 486 PCs with color monitors to the computer lab in the Law Library Annex. Those of you who are Internet gurus can use these PCs to access World Wide Web materials. Those of you who are Internet novices, don't worry. We'll be offering basic Internet classes again in a few weeks. WordPerfect for Dos and for Windows is available on these five PCs. Lexis users take note: WordPerfect for Windows has been removed from the Lexis PCs.
We have a winner in the name the on-line catalog contest. The Law Library staff is hosting a reception for the arrival of the new on-line catalog. The reception will be Thursday, January 26, 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. All law students are invited. We plan to award prizes and announce the name of the catalog at the reception. It will definitely be a festive occasion. Make plans to attend.
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