ASL Library

News and events at the Appalachian School of Law Library (Grundy, VA).

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Overcoming test anxiety

Some anxiety during a test is helpful; it will keep you motivated and it will provide you with energy. Just remember, keep it manageable. Here are some tips that might help!

BE PREPARED! Nothing can beat anxiety like actually studying for the exam.

Get a Good Nights Sleep the night before taking the exam.

Avoid thinking that an all night cram session will help.

Eat a good breakfast before taking the exam; fruits and veggies are recommended to reduce stress.

Take a deep breath and remember, you were accepted into law school, you have what it takes to pass!

Exam Tip: Review Sessions

Just before exams begin, many professors offer "review sessions" to allow students one last opportunity to solidify their knowledge about particular nuances in the law. Some of these can be incredibly helpful, but only if you are fairly prepared. Here are some suggestions:

* DON'T expect that the professor will tell you exactly what questions and topics will be covered on the exam.
* DON'T expect a complete semester-long review of every topic.
* DON'T expect to have every one of your questions answered (other people have questions too!).

* DO have your outline prepared beforehand, or at least come as prepared to the review session as you would to the exam.
* DO listen for subtle hints about the exam -- when the professor says "Hmmm, good question, but I'm not sure I can answer that in-depth" might suggest "Don't worry about that; it won't be on the exam."
* DO listen to other students' questions, since they may be asking about a topic that you hadn't thought was important.

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Exam Tip: Practice!

One good way to prepare for taking exams is to .... take exams! Professors may pass out copies of their prior exams in class; others place them on Reserve in the Library. Check with us at the Circulation Desk to see if we have exams for a particular professor or class.

It's often best to take the practice exams under the same time pressure as the normal exam. Block off three to four hours, and lock yourself away. No peeking at textbooks or outlines (unless you know for sure the exam will be an open-book test). When you've finished, either give your answer to someone else to critique, or wait a day before comparing it with your textbook and outline.

Monday, November 28, 2005

Exam Tip: Outline!

As the exam period gets closer, the ASL Library wanted to pass along some study tips and ideas, especially for our 1Ls.

Today's tip is to outline your courses. Some "experts" say you should begin outlining while the course is in progress; others say you should wait until the end so that you have the "big picture" in mind.

We would recommend trying to put together an outline based on black-letter law. Pull out the majority rule, and then perhaps any exceptions. Here might be a short snippet from our 1L Torts outline:


Battery
(1) intent to harm
example: infant pulls out chair from adult; Court says "not enough that act is intentionally done" but must have intent to harm (Garratt v Dailey)
(2) actual harm

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Thanksgiving Hours

A reminder about Thanksgiving hours for the ASL Library:








Circulation Desk hoursCard Access hours
Tuesday, November 228 am – 10 pm (regular)6 am – midnight (regular)
Wednesday, November 238 am - 5 pm6 am – 5 pm
Thursday, November 24not staffedno access
Friday, November 25not staffed9 am - 9 pm
Saturday, November 26not staffed9 am - 9 pm
Sunday, November 279 am – 10 pm (regular)9 am – midnight (regular)

Friday, November 18, 2005

Harry Potter and the Law

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire opens tonight in most theaters (including Grundy's!).

Somewhat amazingly, Harry and his wizarding world have been the topic of a few scholarly papers. Through the Legal Scholarship Network, these law review articles are available to you even before they are published!

* Harry Potter and the Half-Crazed Bureaucracy by Professor Benjamin Barton

* Harry Potter and the Three-Second Crime: Are We Vanishing the De Minimis Doctrine from Copyright Law? by Professor Julie Cromer

* Harry Potter and the Law by Professor Aaron Schwabach

* Harry Potter and the Unforgivable Curses: Norm-formation, Inconsistency, and the Rule of Law in the Wizarding World by Professor Aaron Schwabach

These links work only for students and faculty on campus. Check with Chris if you want off-campus access (not on Friday night, though, because he'll be watching the movie!).

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Last "Get REAL!" of 2005 tonight!

The last "Get REAL!" (Research and Electronic Assisted Learning) class of 2005 will be held tonight at 4:30 pm in the Library Seminar Room. Tonight's topic is "Advanced Lexis Tricks."

We plan another full slate of classes next year, too. If you have a recommendation for a class, see Dan or Chris.

CALI Authorization Code: Ask at Circulation Desk or send us an e-mail

Since finals will soon be here, we get lots of requests for the CALI authorization code. We did post it in the last few newsletters, but it is also available at the Circulation Desk and the Reference Desk. If you're at home, send us an e-mail from your ASL account (so we know you're really a student!).

If you would rather have all of the lessons, we do have the CALI CD on Reserve for a three-day checkout. We even provide instructions to install it!

If you have problems, just look for Chris.

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Web Resource: AnnualCreditReport.com

In our December 2004 newsletter, we wrote about a new law that provided a free yearly copy of your credit report. In September 2005, Virginians finally became eligible. The free web site is https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp.

For an informative description of how to read your credit report, and what to do if the information is wrong, check out the Federal Reserve Bank of San Fransisco's web site.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Resource: Information on Supreme Court Nominee Samuel Alito

If you have some free time over Winter Break, be sure to study the documents produced by Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, Jr. The University of Michigan has helpfully compiled a massive documentary history of his court opinions and even newspaper articles about him.

Check the site out at http://www.law.umich.edu/library/news/topics/alito/alitoindex.htm

Monday, November 14, 2005

New Library web page

We've updated the look of our Library web page. We hope that by adding new "headlines" the site will be looked at more often. We've also added a "quicklink" to our webmail service. Check us out at http://www.asl.edu/library/

Friday, November 11, 2005

Legal Heroes on display in Library

Check out the Library's new display of legal heroes. We profile eight leaders in the law: John Adams, Myra Bradwell, James Horton, Abraham Lincoln, John Marshall, Thurgood Marshall, Sandra Day O'Connor, and Roberta Cooper Ramo. Learn how these extraordinary people helped shape law.