To put it mildly, this has been a difficult year.  Despite all of the discord and uncertainty, however, it is important to take a moment to remember that it is because of veterans that we are able to express our thoughts and emotions freely, have meaningful debates on vital issues, strive for positive change, and exercise our rights as Americans.  In the words of President Biden, “For generations, millions of Americans have answered the call to serve — taking the sacred oath to defend and preserve our Nation’s ideals of liberty and democracy.  These patriots represent the best of us.  On Veterans Day, we honor their service, dedication, and valor and are forever grateful for their sacrifice.”

As Governor Lamont said, “There are nearly 280,000 veterans of the United States Armed Forces who call Connecticut home, and we are indebted to the sacrifices they have made in their lives in order to protect and serve our great country.”  In the words of Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, “There will never be enough words or the right words to express the gratitude we feel toward our Connecticut veterans. . . . Every day, we should take the opportunity to thank those who served, not just on Veteran’s Day. It’s important to remember that we are able to enjoy the freedoms we have today because of their courage, their bravery, and their sacrifice.”

This week, please take a moment to thank all of our veterans for their service. Learn about why we celebrate Veterans Day on November 11, how you can volunteer to help veterans in your neighborhood, how you can get involved with UConn Law’s VALOR (Veterans and Armed Forces Legal Out Reach) Society, or how UConn supports veterans and their families.

At the library this week, we asked our patrons to honor individual veterans by adding their names to our display. The UConn Law Library, along with UConn students, faculty, and staff, thanks all of our veterans for their courageous service.

We are about a month into the new semester and are so excited to have everyone back on campus!  For the majority of our student body, this is your first time experiencing everything in person and with that comes a lot of questions.  We here in the library always aim to be proactive and helpful and so thought we’d try to put down into writing some of the most common questions we’ve seen at the front desk.  This way you can make the most of your time here on campus and focus on other things like getting ready for class!

Top 5 Campus Questions

1. Where are the lockers?

Lockers are located in a couple of different places on campus.  We have a handful here in the library located on the fourth floor in the Student Org space.  There are also a few full-length lockers in the basement of Knight Hall, right by the new gym.  By far the largest number of lockers to be found on campus are in the basement of Hosmer (along with a ping pong AND foosball table).   You’ll need a combination to access those specifically, so reach out to Student Affairs for permission.

2. Where can I find a filtered water fountain/fill station?

While there are a number of water fountains all over campus, the fill stations are located in a few specific spots.  From the front desk of the library, we often tell people to go through the double doors and take a right down the hallway to find the one we have in our building.  Otherwise, there is a station outside the gym in Knight, and two in Hosmer, one of the first floor and one on the second.  They are located down the hallways amongst the faculty offices, so maybe say hi to a professor while filling up!

3. Where is the best printer located?

Wepa printing stations are located on the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th floors of the library, but the one on the 2^nd in the computer lab, is a high capacity printer and can handle much more volume than the others.  Also, don’t forget that it’s free to print material from Lexis to the Lexis printer also located on the 2^nd floor!

4. What’s the best way to return Course Reserve materials?

When the library is open be sure to bring those books back to the front desk.  If you put them in the drop box, you may end up getting late fines, and you also deny your fellow students the ability to check the book out for themselves.  Be considerate and return them back to the desk when you can.

5. As a student, how can I get my hands on library materials?

Since we are finally back in business, you are always welcome to come into the building and pull things from the shelves yourself and check them out at the front desk.  During the pandemic, we also created a new on-demand service called Library2Go.  It’s still a thing!  Check out our page explaining the service, https://library.law.uconn.edu/services-for-students#library2go, to learn how you can request books for pickup or digital scans!

At the end of the day, we here at the library understand how the transition back to campus and the start of a new semester can be a lot.  Always remember that we are here to help and available to answer any questions you may have.  Stop by the front desk anytime to say hi or feel free to reach out to us electronically: https://libraryh3lp.com/chat/uconnlaws-queue@chat.libraryh3lp.com?identity=Librarian&skin=15576! 

Welcome to the UConn Law Library! For many students, this will be the first time you have ever stepped foot in the building. We have worked hard over the past year to prepare the building for you, and we hope you take advantage of all the services we offer.

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

Our Library2Go service for Law students, faculty, and staff will continue through the Fall semester! While the stacks are open for browsing, Law students, faculty, and staff can continue to request books for pickup across from the Circulation Desk.  Law students, faculty, and staff can also request scans that fall 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

As always, our 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 using the Ask a Librarian link on the library home page.

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.

Still have questions about how we can help you? Let us know! 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.

I hope you all have a wonderful semester!