Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, celebrated in the month of May, originated in 1978 when Congress passed a joint resolution that became Pub. L. 95-419. This law directed the President to issue a proclamation designating the week beginning on May 4, 1979 as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. Pub. L. 95-419 was amended in 1990 by Pub. L. 101-283  which expanded the observance of Asian/Pacific American Heritage week to the month of May in 1990. Finally, in 1992, Congress passed Pub. L. 102-450 which permanently designated May of each year as “Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.”

Pursuant to Pub. L. 102-450, American Presidents have annually issued proclamations designating May as “Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month”. President Biden issued A Proclamation for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, 2022.

Presidential Proclamations are policy statements issued by the president to the public. Although often ceremonial, they can have legal effect (examples are proclamations regarding national emergencies, foreign policy, and federal land management). An example of this would be President Biden’s Proclamation 10315 (revoked on December 28, 2021) which suspended entry of certain individuals in countries where the Omicron variant of COVID-19 had been detected.

This informative CRS Report Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month Speech Resources: Fact Sheet provides excellent summary of both Public Laws and Proclamations pertaining to Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. Also by CRS, the publication, Presidential Directives: An Introduction, discusses the differences between presidential directives.

The Law Library display features an assortment of academic and leisure reading books selected in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month for 2022. Be sure to stop by and check one out for summer reading!

The recent introduction of state legislation targeting books available in public and school libraries has resurfaced the idea of banning books. Several states have pending legislation that would prohibit libraries from carrying certain books in their collection, or even prosecuting librarians who included materials determined to be offensive or obscene.

Conflicts over the content of books available in libraries, however, have been happening for decades. The Bible, The Merchant of Venice, Catch-22, and Harry Potter have all been the subject of litigation related to book challenges in school and public libraries. The American Library Association tracks the most frequently challenged book each year. In 2020, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison were among the top ten most challenged books.

The American Library Association began advocating for the freedom to read in the 1980s with the introduction of Banned Books Week, which is celebrated every year in libraries across the country. UConn Law Library’s Banned Books research guide provides information on frequently challenged books, major cases on challenged books, and pending legislation.

The silver punch bowl and ladle on display in the law library was given to the School of law for the dedication of the new law building on May 1, 1964.   Engraved “From the Law Wives, May 1, 1964”, this set was a gift from the University of Connecticut Law Wives club. Formed on September 20th, 1961, University of Connecticut Law Wives club’s mission was to educate the law wife in the “problems and responsibilities of the profession her husband is about to enter” and to sponsor a yearly scholarship benefiting a “needy law student”. 

Initially founded to provide educational, social and civic activities for wives of students, activities later evolved to include bloodmobiles, food drives and children’s holiday parties.  Funds raised for scholarship and books funds benefited law students, families, and ultimately, clients of these newly minted attorneys. The club was renamed “University of Connecticut Law Partners” in 1973 to reflect the changing demographics of the law school student body.

The invariable signs of “wear and tear” on this silver bowl reflect the many occasions this bowl has made a cameo appearance at

 staff retirements, baby showers, and notable events commemorating the life and career events of UConn Law’s students, faculty and staff.  This gift provides a lens to a past era which highlighted altruism and public service, and inspired the public service opportunities  available to law students today.  These include UConn’s not-for credit Pro-bono pledge program ,  for-credit clinics and field placements, and the Public Interest Law Group (PILG),  a student organization developed to encourage UConn law students to perform work in the public interest field during their education and into their professional careers. 

Although UConn Law Wives Club is no longer in existence, the initial mission of dedication to scholarship and philanthropy was the precursor for the school of law’s present commitment to social activism.  It continues to serve as a tribute to the legacy of UConn Law Wives and reminder of its pioneering dedication to volunteerism and good works.

We’re back in business! 

The UConn Law Library will reopen with the start of in-person classes on Monday, January 31. The hours will be as follows:

Library Hours

Monday – Thursday 8:00am-10:00pm*

Friday 8:00am-5:00pm*

Saturday 9:00am-5:00pm*

Sunday 11:00am-7:00pm*

 *Law Husky ID card access only after 7:00pm, and all day Saturday & Sunday.

When we reopen, we will be fully enforcing masking rules in all of our spaces per the University’s campus guidance.

Questions?  You can contact any of the reference librarians during normal reference hours.  

Still have questions? Send us an email at lawlibrary@uconn.edu and we will do our best to help you!

See you all back in the stacks!  Welcome Back!

Hello 2022 and Welcome Back!

As we transition temporarily to online learning, here is an update to the UConn Law Library Hours and services for the month of January 2022.

The Thomas J. Meskill Law Library’s newly posted library dates and hours are as follows:

January 3-9:

The library building will be closed to all patrons from January 3 through January 9. Reference services will continue remotely through email and virtual chat Monday through Friday 9am-5pm.

January 10-30:

The library will be open only for course reserves, scanning, printing, and Library2Go pickups. Reference services will continue remotely through email and virtual chat during normal reference hours.  Study rooms, study spaces, and the stacks will be closed to all patrons.  The library hours will be as follows with keycard access only: 

Monday-Thursday: 9am-7pm 

Friday: 9am-5pm

Saturday: 9am-5pm

Sunday: 11am-7pm

Library2Go –  a scan-on-demand service that gives you remote access to the library’s physical collection. This service enables you to request digital scan and physical books remotely.  Detailed instructions are available here.  ‘

Please note that Course Reserves are not part of the Library2Go services – reserve and course reserves will continue to be accessed in person at the Access Service Desk.

Reference Assistance

Anne, Adam, Maryanne, and Tanya will be available to virtually answer your questions in January during normal reference hours.  You can contact any of the reference librarians by: scheduling an online research consultation, emailing refdesk.lawlib@uconn.edu, or sending us a Chat.  Also, don’t forget about our research guides and library catalog for accessing databases, and articles and books online.

Still have questions? Send us an email at lawlibrary@uconn.edu and we will do our best to help you!

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!