Classes & Orientation Programs for Visiting, Transfer & OneL Students

The staff of the Pappas Law Library welcomes you to the School of Law. We are looking forward to working with you during the next three years.

Throughout the year, check this web page often to see available classes or to find research guides for your First Year Writing Program assignments.

 

Optional Library Tours & Introduction to Computer Services

These 45 minute orientation sessions are designed to give you some basic library and computer services information that you will need to know. No sign-up is necessary. Meet in the library classroom, room 323.

Tuesday, September 6 1:00pm & 4:00pm
Wednesday, September 7 1:00pm & 4:00pm
Thursday, September 8 1:00pm & 4:00pm
Tuesday, September 13 1:00pm & 4:00pm
Wednesday, September 14 1:00pm & 4:00pm
Thursday, September 15 1:00pm & 4:00pm

These 45 minute tours are designed to show library and computer locations, services, and more. All tours start in the library classroom, room 323.

If you are interested but unable to attend during one of these times, please contact Stefanie Weigmann, sweig@bu.edu.

Research and Reference Services

The legal information librarians have law degrees as well as library school degrees. Our reference desk is staffed 7 days a week, 7 or more hours a day. Reference assistance is available in person, by phone, text, email, chat, or reference appointment.

Legal information librarians can help you navigate our collection and will answer questions about the many legal and non-legal resources at your disposal. We look forward to meeting and working with you!

The law school and the university subscribe to hundreds of databases that provide legal and non-legal information. We invite you to explore the vast collection organized by subject or by database. You may also want to explore the research guides provided by the Pappas Law Library. Most of the databases are available for home use.

Research Guides & Tutorials

Library Research Classes

The legal information librarians will be providing the legal research component of your first year writing classes. These classes, combining print and electronic research, will be taught in the library classrooms.

The classes include:

You may also attend optional classes on Lexis and Westlaw to improve you skills at using these databases. The library highly recommends these Lexis and Westlaw classes.

In the Spring the library offers a Certificate in Research Skills for Practice. This program provides advanced legal research training in topics not covered in the fall classes. You may obtain a Certificate or take individual classes.

If you can find four other people who have the same questions you have the library will design a class session just for you with its Classes on Demand program.

The library also provides specialized classes for the journals and research assistants. The weekly schedule of research classes may be found on the room 323 and room 334 library classroom calendars. The legal information librarians also create research guides to aid you in your research. If you need assistance with your research, please see a legal information librarian who will be happy to work with you.

LexisNexis and Westlaw Optional Classes

  • Research classes may be found on the room 323 and room 334 library classroom calendars.

The library has designed research interactive research tutorials to assist you with using LexisNexis, Westlaw, and other library resources.

LexisNexis and Westlaw Passwords

Distribution: Your passwords were distributed with your registration materials. Please take a moment to locate these documents.

Registration: You must register your LexisNexis and Westlaw passwords. The passwords will not work unless you register them! Registration takes only a few minutes. If you have questions about the registration process, please stop by the reference desk in the Reading Room, 2nd floor of the Law Tower, for assistance. Or, you may contact Stefanie Weigmann at sweig@bu.edu or 617-358-4997.

Usage Guidelines: Passwords may be used for any law school related research. Passwords may not be used for research for law firms, government organizations, internships, externships, public interest, pro-bono, or other purposes unrelated to law school coursework.

Printing, Scanning & Copying

There several ways to print at the law school:

  • MyPrint: All BU Law students receive a 1000 sheet allotment per semester that may be used at any MyPrint location throughout the campus. In the law school, these are located in room 320. We recommend that you select double-sided printing whenever possible to maximize your MyPrint allotment.
  • Card printing: Students may purchase a card for printing (and copying) at library printers and copying. Library printers are located in the Pappas and Annex reading rooms, and in rooms 320 and 370 of the law tower.
  • Wireless Printing: Students may print wirelessly to any MyPrint or the library card printer location.

Scanners: there are book scanners available in the Pappas copy room and the Annex.

Copiers are available in the Pappas Copy Room and the Annex.

For more details on these services, please visit our pages on Computer Services: Printing and Circulation Services: Copy, Print & Scan.

Email and Computing at BULaw

Check out the general information about Computers and Technology at BULaw. Computer Services walks you through the process of setting up your BU e-mail account.

Also, refer to BU's IT Help Center, including information about accessing your BU e-mail account via the web with BU Google Mail, Horde and connecting into the BU network from home.

You can also access BU licensed databases from off-campus or via the wireless network.

Wireless Network

The Law School is part of the University's wireless network. At the law school, you may use the wireless connection throughout the law tower and at the law library annex. You will need to configure your laptop for the wireless network and wireless printing.

The library's computer services page has self-help instructions for wireless configurations and a self-extracting program for wireless printer setup (Windows users only).

Staff at the Systems & Technology Help Desk are also available for assistance with wireless configurations. Please visit room 1770, Mondays-Fridays, 9am-5pm or call 8-5555.

Page maintained by Stefanie Weigmann
Last updated: June 2011