Online Calendar

We are experimenting with an online schedule, to eventually replace the white board behind the circ desk. This will allow all of us to view the schedule from anywhere. Just follow the link at left. Please let me know what you think. We expect to phase out the white board sometime over the summer.

It's National Library Week!

National Library Week is the time each year that communities nationwide celebrate and promote the contributions of our libraries and librarians.
Every day, all over the country, libraries connect millions of people with a remarkable wealth of resources. Despite the Internet and downloadable media, the number of items circulated in the nation’s public libraries has grown every year since annual figures became available in 1990. If you haven't been to your public library in a while, go check it out.

Here at Mason, we are offering two programs this week. On Tuesday at noon, it's Summer Survival Skills and on Wednesday at 5:00, Preparing to Practice in Virginia. Please join us. Evaluation forms for these programs will be returned to the circulation desk. Please forward these to Mike and Maya. Thanks!

Redesigned Web Site

The Law School's web site is newly revised. Take a look!

Welcome Back

I hope you enjoyed your spring break and got at least a little bit of rest.

Please be mindful of the deadlines for payroll. In order to get paid, you must fill in the paper time sheet and submit your time electronically. Mike and Maya verify your paper time sheet against the circ schedule and forward them to me. Based on these paper time sheets, I use PatriotWeb to approve your time and submit it to payroll. Thanks for your cooperation.

Spring Break

We will be open fewer hours during spring break, Saturday March 11 - Saturday, March 18. Please see Maya's e-mail for details concerning your work schedule.

Spring Break Hours:
Sunday Noon - 11:00pm
Monday-Thursday 8am-11:00pm
Friday 8am-6:00pm
Saturday Noon-6:00pm

Snow!!

The weather is supposed to turn nasty this weekend. Please review the law school's official policy on inclement weather, which appears below. If you are scheduled to work and the library is open, you are expected to arrive on time. Please call me, Maya, or Mike to let us know whether you will be able to make it here for your shift. Please be sure you have our home and cell phone numbers with you. If the library closes, we will call you and let you know.


In the event of inclement weather, we will communicate information about the operating status of the law school and the law library in three ways:
E-mail notice via the law school listservs
Notice on the law school web site
Recording on the law school main telephone number (703-993-8000).

For a weather event that develops overnight, we will try to make a decision and have it communicated before 7:30 a.m. the next morning. Important note: The law school and the rest of the university do not always respond to a weather event in the same way. As a result, you should rely on one of the aforementioned means of communication from the law school to learn the operating status of the law school and the law library. Do not rely on public announcements made by the media or by the university because those announcements might not apply to the law school.

Is it Circulation? Or is it Reference?

Many library patrons do not distinguish between circulation help and reference help. Consequently, you may get some reference questions while sitting at the Circulation Desk. Please be very careful to refer ALL reference questions to the Reference Desk. If no librarian is on duty, tell the patron to call or come back during reference hours. Under no circumstances are the student workers to answer reference questions, even if you feel able to do so.

There are several reasons for the policy. The reference librarians are educated and highly trained for this work. They are skilled in conducting reference interviews to ensure the patron receives the correct information. They are also well aware of the restrictions against unauthorized practice of law and trained in ways to help patrons without violating these restrictions.

So, how do you tell the difference? Circulation questions include those wanting to know whether we have a book or other material, or where something is kept. Questions about how to use a code, how to look up a case, where to find rules about a legal topic - these are all reference questions. If you have any doubts, please ask a reference librarian. Thanks!

Change to Loan Periods

As you know, students may borrow most library materials for a period of 3 weeks. One notable exception is CD-ROMs, which are loaned for only 1 week.

There are some books in the general collection that have a CD included, so currently these items have different due dates, even though they are part of a set. We have decided to be change this policy so that CDs which are part of a book can be borrowed for the full 3 weeks. Note, this does NOT affect the CD-ROMs that are not part of a book set. That lending period will remain at 1 week.

These changes will be made through the catalog/circulation system, so you will not need to take any special steps. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Inclement Weather Policy

The law school's official policy on inclement weather appears below. If you are scheduled to work and the library is open, you are expected to arrive on time. Please call me, Maya, or Mike to let us know whether you will be able to make it here for your shift. Please be sure you have our home and cell phone numbers with you.

In the event of inclement weather, we will communicate information about the operating status of the law school and the law library in three ways:
E-mail notice via the law school listservs
Notice on the law school web site
Recording on the law school main telephone number (703-993-8000).

For a weather event that develops overnight, we will try to make a decision and have it communicated before 7:30 a.m. the next morning.

Important note: The law school and the rest of the university do not always respond to a weather event in the same way. As a result, you should rely on one of the aforementioned means of communication from the law school to learn the operating status of the law school and the law library. Do not rely on public announcements made by the media or by the university because those announcements might not apply to the law school.

Happy Thanksgiving

Have a safe and happy holiday. No matter how much work you have to do before exams, take a break and enjoy some time with family and friends.

We will be closing tomorrow (Wednesday) at 6:00 and reopening Saturday from noon to 6:00. Normal hours resume on Sunday, November 27.

Old Exams

We have a small collection of old exams given by our professors. The most recent exams are located in the course reserves filing cabinet. The older exams (pre-1999) are located in bound books at the bottom of the audio reserves shelves.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Audiovisual Equipment for the Atrium

There is new equipment and a new procedure.

Event planners may check out the following items at the Circulation desk: Key to the Atrium a/v closet (room 110); Microphones (one handheld and one lavaliere), and Microphone Stand. All items are barcoded and kept in/near the filing cabinet behind the Circulation desk.

Patrons wishing to borrow any of these items must show a copy of their event confirmation form. Check out is handled the same as for any other library item.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Exams are Coming!

A couple of things to keep in mind:

Study rooms - beginning on Saturday, November 19, peak usage rules apply. Use of the seven smaller rooms requires a minimum of two users, while the two large conference rooms require at least four. These rooms must be reserved in advance, and we do take reservations over the phone.

After hours study halls - Although they are not run by the library, we get questions about this. Rooms 120 & 121 are available until 2:00 am. Students must be in the building before 11:00 pm (when the building closes), and must have a current GMUSL ID card with them.

Please start thinking about your work schedules for exams and the holidays. Maya and Mike will be in touch with details. Thank you all for keeping the library running so smoothly!

Punctuality

Being on time for work is important. Please make every effort to be punctual. If you are going to be late, please call the Circ Desk at 703-993-8120 or the supervisors at 703-993-8237/8. Traffic is not an acceptable excuse for being late on a regular basis; please plan ahead.

Discharging Items

Please be sure to discharge all items that have barcodes, especially study room keys and reserve items. Remember, fines for these items accrue by the minute.

Columbus Day & LRWA

Although there are no classes, the library will be open as usual on Monday, Oct. 10 (8 am to 11pm).


Next week, the first year students begin working with the state materials on the second floor. Please pay special attention to shelving and shelf reading in these areas, as they will get a lot of usage over the next few weeks.

Getting Paid!

In order to get paid, you must submit your hours both on paper and online. Get in the habit of recording your time in both places during each shift you work. Please be mindful of the deadlines for submitting wage hours - alternate Tuesdays before noon. The next due date is October 18. See the complete calendar here - http://hr.gmu.edu/time/calendar.html.

LRWA Exercises

First year students will be turning in their homework for the secondary source classes at the Circulation Desk. There is a box on the shelves behind the desk for this purpose. I will pick them up. Thanks!

Research Classes Begin Next Week

Next week, Rae Best and I will be teaching the first year students how to use secondary sources. The students will use AmJur, CJS, ALR, & the Restatements to answer several questions. These collections will get a lot of use over the next two weeks, so please shelf read these areas during your shift, and ensure that everything is shelved properly. Thanks!

Time for a little levity

It looks as if the a/c & power issues have been resolved. Thanks for your patience & help during this weird week.

And now, something that never fails to make me smile, no matter what kind of a day I'm having (provided I can get my PC to work!): http://www.millikin.edu/staley/fluff/peep_research.html