Month: August 2024

Labor Day: More Than Just a Long Weekend

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UConn Law Library will be closed Monday, September 2, in honor of Labor Day. Although considered the “unofficial” end of summer and celebrated with cookouts, parades and athletic events, Labor Day’s purpose is to pay tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers.

Labor Day  was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday on June 28, 1894, when President Grover Cleveland signed a bill, S. 730, establishing Labor Day as a national holiday.

The earliest known celebration of Labor Day is recognized as September 5, 1882 when a parade, followed by a picnic, was sponsored by the Central Labor Union in New York City. Many workers risked their jobs to participate in this parade.

 

Photo from 1882 showing first Labor Day Parade
Illustration of the first American Labor parade held in New York City on September 5, 1882 as it appeared in the September 16, 1882 issue of Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper.

 

Did you know that many Federal holidays fall on a Monday because of the 1968 Uniform Monday Holiday Act? This act enabled federal and state employees to enjoy more three day weekends.

For more information on the history of Labor Day, check out this collection of blog posts about Labor Day at the Library of Congress Blog.  and this article, What Is Labor Day? A History of the Workers’ Holiday by the New York Times.

As we enjoy the holiday, let’s remember the dedication and struggles of those who came before us and continue to strive for a fair and equitable workplace for all. See you all on September 3, when the library reopens.

Welcome Back to the Stacks!

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Welcome Back to the Stacks!

Welcome to our new and returning students! We are eager to get to know the ILs as you begin your law school journey and are thrilled to welcome back the 2 and 3L students!  The library staff are here to aid in a successful transition to law school and excel in your academic year.  We offer a variety of services and resources to support you in your learning and research:

Study Rooms

Our study rooms are available for group study! Students can reserve a seat at  s.uconn.edu/lawlibstudyrooms, by scanning the QR code outside the room you want to use, or by clicking the quick link on the Law Library homepage. Each student can reserve a room for up to two hours per day.  We ask that you please cancel your reservation if you no longer need it so that other students can use the space. You can always reschedule for another time that day as long as the time block is available. View the entire study room policy here.

Library2Go

Library2Go is a free book and article retrieval service. Simply request a book from the library’s collection and it will be retrieved and checked out to you. Need a book chapter or an article from a print journal? We will scan and email material that falls within our copyright guidelines.  For more information on UConn’s Copyright Policy, click here. Please allow for 5 business days to fulfill your requests. Learn more about Library2Go here.

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

Need a book, chapter, or article that the Law Library doesn’t own? Law students, faculty, and staff can request these items using our ILL system, tILLapia. Staff will do their best to obtain the item from libraries all around the world. Just like Library2Go, scans will be emailed, and physical items will be made available across from the Circulation Desk. To learn more about ILL or to submit a request, click here.

Reference Services

The Reference team is here to answer your research questions. While they can’t do your homework for you or give legal advice, they can show you the ropes and help you when you get stuck in your research.   You can schedule a research consultation or find them at the reference desk on the main floor of the library. You can also email them at refdesk.lawlib@uconn.edu, call (860) 570-5200, or chat with them online.

Course Reserves

The Law Library keeps one copy of each required textbook that can be checked out at the Circulation Desk on short-term loan.   Please be mindful that we only have one copy to share with you and all your fellow classmates!  The Law Library also has study aids that will cater to a variety of different learning styles. For more information, check out the Study Aids section in our Student Toolkit.

The law library is a welcoming space to research, study and relax.

More questions?  You can find us at the Circulation Desk on the main floor of the Law Library, by email at lawlibrary@uconn.edu, or by calling (860) 570-5012.  Stop by with any questions or just to say "hi"!

We can't wait to see you all!

Image of students studying in the library

 

 

Get Ready for 1L Year!

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It’s August and 1L year at UConn Law is about to start!

For many of you, the law library will be considered a key part of your law school experience.  The adjoining cafe, classrooms, study rooms, IT, admissions, and of course research materials and librarians, are all housed in the library building!

There’s alot to absorb, so we figured we would start with the best resource to learn about the law library.

The Student Toolkit provides information on all aspects of the law library, from study aids, research help, course reserves and study rooms, check out this research guide to get started.

Image of landing page of research guide named Student Toolkit.
Landing page of Student Toolkit research guide

Our in-library display also features many great resources to start your 1L year, all come recommended from 2 and 3L’s who have been there, done that!

Book display featuring books about 1L year.
Book display at UConn Law Library

We look forward to greeting, and meeting you all!

New Connecticut Laws in Effect July 1

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It’s August, the bar exam is over, summer internships are winding down and the beach and back to school shopping await.  With so much activity, it’s easy to be late to the party, but it always good practice to note the new Connecticut laws that went into effect on July 1!

In fact, nearly 100 laws that the Connecticut General Assembly passed during the 2024 legislative session will go into effect on July 1. They cover a range of issues ranging from standards on THC products to medical debt to video surveillance requirements at absentee ballot drop boxes.

New laws include expanding state-funded medical assistance, HUSKY, by increasing the maximum age of eligibility from 12 to 15 years of age, and changing the kindergarten start age of 5 by September of the school year. Other laws include mandatory video cameras at absentee drop boxes, allowing firearm sellers access to the arrest records of potential buyers under 21, prohibiting the selling of a person’s health data without their consent, and requiring the departments of Social Services and Public Health to post a reporting tool on their websites that use a five-star system to compare nursing homes.

For a complete list of all the laws, take a look at the Connecticut General Assembly Site here.

Drones and Doping – The Court of Arbitration at the Olympic Games

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It’s August, the Bar exam is over, summer internships are wrapping up, the rest of the summer looms, what a law student/graduate to do?

The answer at UConn Law Library would obviously be to glue yourself to your favorite media outlet and follow the 2024 Olympics! (Full disclosure, sports enthusiasts abound at the Law Library. Cheering on sports such as swimming and gymnastics are popular pastimes with certain UConn Law librarians!)

Busy with celebrating athleticism and international unity, I became disillusioned when a news alert, Canada lose ‘disruptive’ appeal in ongoing Olympic soccer drone scandal shocked my inbox, discussing a drone spying incident in which a Canadian staffer was caught using a drone to spy on New Zealand team practices before the start of competition at the Paris Olympics.

In this case, the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Wednesday upheld a six-point Olympic tournament deduction issued by FIFA, the sport’s global governing body. On Wednesday, the panel of three judges at the CAS dismissed Canada’s appeal of the point deduction. (FIFA released a full report of the findings that led to its decision to punish Canada for using a drone to watch New Zealand practice ahead of their Olympic opener. digging into the FIFA site reveals this redacted statement)

This news piqued my curiosity, given that resolving these issues swiftly and impartially is paramount to maintaining the integrity of sporting competitions. How exactly do drones, doping and cheating get resolved in Olympic time?

Not knowing where to begin, I sought out one of the law librarian’s favorite research hacks – Research Guides! In this case, Georgetown had a Research Guide ridiculously on point; even its title, Olympics and International Sports Law Research Guide promised to guide the researcher towards introduction to researching the structure and legal aspects of the Olympics.

This research guide pointed me to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in particular the CAS Ad Hoc Division, which is a temporary tribunal convened for the Olympic Games. In addition, since news outlets often times do not provide the primary source, I learned where to find the decisions for further research.

Operating under specially tailored procedure rules, the Ad Hoc Division’s task is to quickly adjudicate disputes that arise during the course of the Olympics, operate around the clock during the Olympics and render decisions within 24 hours. They have jurisdiction over disputes arising from or connected to the Olympics, excluding field-of-play matters.

Ad Hoc Divisions have been organized during all Olympics ever since, being composed of 12 arbitrators (9 for the Winter Games) from different countries and profiles. The Ad Hoc Division has jurisdiction to hear any disputes arising on the occasion or in connection with the Olympics, from 10 days before the opening ceremony and up to the closing ceremony.

Armed with this knowledge, I can relax knowing that any disputes are covered from here until the Olympic torch is extinguished! Go Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky!!