Welcome, new HLS students! We at your new library are excited that you’re here.
We know you’re probably experiencing information overload right now, so we’ll keep this short and, we hope, whet your appetites to learn more about how the HLS Library can make life as a law student easier for you. Here are some things we think every new HLS student should know about their library.
- You can ask us anything.
There’s no such thing as a stupid question at this library. In fact, so-called “stupid questions” often turn out to be the trickiest to answer, while questions you might think are hard turn out to be easy.
- Follow the 10-minute rule.
Don’t spend more than ten minutes struggling with any task related to research or information. Come visit the reference desk, email us, call us, or chat with us at
http://bit.ly/askhlsl. You’re here to read, analyze, study, think, and write — not to fight with database interfaces or struggle with search results.
We’re here because we love helping you find information. Make everyone’s lives happier by coming to us before wasting two hours looking for a Congressional report we can find in two minutes.
- You can check out more than just books at the library.
We’ve got board games, sports equipment, laptop power cords, popular movies on DVD, and toolkits. This summer we used the results of our student survey to add to this list with noise-canceling headphones, USB monitors, laptop stands, and additional options for device chargers.
- We’re your source for help with your Canvas course sites.
Our Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum Solutions (TLC) staff is available to help you with all aspects of trouble-shooting Monday-Friday 8:30-5:30 at
ask@edtech.libanswers.com or
(617) 500-1038.
Don’t get frustrated with Canvas — just ask us for help! You can read the Canvas FAQ and view tutorials anytime at http://bit.ly/canvashelp16.
- Take a tour!
Our tours go beyond finding your way around and quoting library policies. We focus on important issues, like where to take a comfy nap, where to get your late night and weekend coffee fix, cool things to show family and friends when they visit, and, for our true library nerds, where to enter the building when you want to take advantage of the 24/7 access for HLS students. Sign up for a tour at http://bit.ly/hlslcal.
- Ask us.
Yes, it’s so important we’re saying it twice. Physically and virtually, the library is full of resources for you. Don’t wait until you’re a 3L or about to finish your LLM thesis to find out everything we can do for you!
This piece was a part of the 2016 orientation issue. To read more, click here.