Don't live in pre-historic times...
Stay current with technology used by practicing lawyers!

This Thursday, April 11, 2013 from 12-1pm in classroom 1337 the law library is offering a workshop titled Technology for Lawyers. Come learn how to use your tablet or smartphone to conduct a variety of legal tasks like word processing, e-filing, time tracking & billing, and blogging. You’ll also learn about some innovative software for presenting your case in the courtroom. This workshop is designed to be interactive, so please bring your devices!

Can't make it this week? The Law Library offers workshops on many different topics during the semester. Take a look at our library workshops page to view a list of workshop descriptions and a link to the workshop calendar.

Don’t forget the Library now offers legal research instruction tailored for your study group! Any group of 5 or more can order a custom session.  To request a session, complete this form.

Image from: ICThistory.co.uk blog

Conducting a search in the catalog can produce an overwhelming amount of results.  The good news is that these results can be narrowed by selecting facets.  Facets are located on the left side of the screen and allow the user to narrow by areas such as format, location and publication date.  These are just three of the many facets you can select.  A user can narrow by one or more facets at the same time.  I ran a search on adoption which returned 228 results.  I decided to narrow my results by electronic format and records that had my search term in the subject.  I now have 14 results, which is much more manageable.  Next time you conduct a search in the catalog use facets to find more pertinent results.

Have you used the online study aids on Westlaw, provided by your Law Library? From the comfort of your own laptop, access ALL of the study aids published by Thomson Reuters/West. Here's how:

1. Log-in at lawschool.westlaw.com
2. At the top of the screen, click on My e-Products.

   

3. Below the top menu bar, click on West Study Aids Subscription.

   

4. Search for a study aid using the search box provided, or browse by subject to see all study aids available within that subject area.

   

Some helpful tips:

• Feel free to highlight pages, as the highlights will remain after you log off.
• Copy and pasting is allowed, if you need stuff for your personal notes.
• There is a limit to printing the study aids. Only 150 pages per 30 days.
• Printing is only to your attached printer- it does not print to the Westlaw printers.

Any questions, don't hesitate to Ask a Librarian!

Best of luck on your midterms!!

 Need help with your legal research or navigating a library resource?  Then make an appointment with a librarian!  While you are always welcome to stop by the Legal Research Help Desk during regular Legal Research Help Desk hours, the PSL law librarians also encourage you to schedule an individual appointment that works with your schedule to provide personalized assistance.

Law students can request an appointment with a librarian by e-mailing research@phoenixlaw.edu  Please be sure to include information on your topic or assignment so we can prepare before we meet. A librarian will contact you to confirm your appointment.

 Image from Morguefile.com

Most patrons think of the Catalog as a resource to find a call number for a book located on a shelf.  While this is still the case the Catalog has so much more to offer.  A simple search on Adoption produced records with links to resources in databases like Lexis, HeinOnline, and Westlaw.  Records for additional electronic formats include websites that are both useful and credible.  Over 50,000 articles were located; an advanced search should be done to narrow results.  Finally, five eBooks and over 60 print books were found. 

The next time you begin a research project you may want to start with the Catalog.  You never know what you’ll find! 

(Image from Catalog)