What do you think of when you think of a school library? As an undergrad, it might have had certain unwelcome associations—all-nighter cram sessions before finals or finicky printers that seemed intent on eating your term papers (half-hour before they were due).
Now that you’re pursuing your J.D. or LL.M., we hope you develop a new appreciation for libraries. Here at the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law Library, we’re here to help you do just that. We want you to feel like the library is a place of solace, a place of discovery. Heck, it’s even in our mission statement:
“The University of New Hampshire School of Law librarians shall maintain a law library that is a central, active, responsive force in the educational life of the law school … and providing welcoming space conducive to intellectual discovery.” (To read the Library’s mission statement in its entirety, scroll to the bottom of this page).
To help you ease into this new appreciation for and understanding of the library, we asked our amazing Reference and Public Services Librarian, Kathy Fletcher, to provide us with five offerings that the library has that you may not know about—but will definitely want to take advantage of now that you’re here:
- Study Rooms – The Law Library has five study rooms available for students to check out for three hours per day. These are perfect for group projects. Each is equipped with a large flat screen monitor – for shared screen use—and a white board.
- Standing Desks – On the lower level of the library, we now have two standing desks which are fully adjustable so that anyone of any height can feel comfortable using them. Tired of holding that big Contracts book? We also have bookstands available at the circulation desk.
- Quiet space – when was the last time you were able to truly concentrate in a quiet space? The Law Library’s third floor is a silent area. You can breathe up there.
- Library Week – First year students don’t know about this yet, but there is a week in April when the Law Library celebrates National Library Week. This celebration includes games, candy, contests and prizes! It’s a chance before Spring semester exams to have fun for five days.
- Librarians! – What’s the one asset the Law Library has that can help students more than any other? The Librarians! Between us, we have over 30 years of experience in legal research and reference. (It may seem like we’re always “busy” and you don’t want to “bother” us. But, honestly, please ask. We are never too busy for you. We are, truly, happy to help you be successful in your law school career.)
Thank you to Kathy Fletcher for these wonderful suggestions.
To learn more about all our library has to offer, visit here. We hope to see you there soon!
