MISSION STATEMENT
The Libraries’ mission is to provide faculty, staff and students access to resources, instruction and services that are paramount to the Law School’s objective of advancing practical legal scholarship. The Libraries are committed to offering services that promote legal research and meet the information needs of its primary users. In pursuit of this mission, the Libraries provide information and materials through a wide range of print, multimedia and electronic resources.
Subject to the needs of its primary users, the Libraries provide limited access to services and resources to members of the bar, the general public, and other educational institutions.
Faculty members may use the Library when it is closed by making arrangements by contacting the Associate Dean for Library and Instructional Support at ext. 3400.
TELEPHONE NUMBERS
For a full listing of staff and their telephone numbers, please consult the directory found on the portal or the library staff directory. All staff have email access and routinely check for messages.
LIMITED ACCESS
The Thomas M. Cooley Law Libraries serve all currently enrolled Cooley students, staff, faculty and alumni. Members of the bar, students from other law schools, and members of the general public conducting legal research are welcome. The Lansing location is open to patrons requiring access to U.S. Government Depository documents. For the security of our community and our collection, the Libraries reserve the right to refuse, rescind, or restrict admission to parties who do not comply with library policies. Please note that access procedures may vary at each location. For specific procedures, please contact the particular location.
LIBRARY ACCOUNT
You may access your library account from the CoolCat page under the link "MyCoolCat". From this page you may review your account and renew items. You will need to set up an access code by informing the library what code you want to employ when accessing your account. Any items checked out to you from our Libraries and through MelCat will be listed in your account.
FACULTY RESEARCH LIBRARY
The Faculty Research Library is located on the third floor of the Honorable Thomas E. Brennan Library building. There are closed and open carrels, study tables, and two computers that access LEXIS, WESTLAW, COOLCAT, Internet, and word processing software. Wireless network access is also available. This Library is kept locked so faculty members may work undisturbed. The Faculty Library phone extension is 517-371-5140 ext. 3350.
Reserving Carrels. There are nine enclosed carrels, four open carrels, and sections of shelving which may be reserved. Preference in assigning closed carrels (based on demand) is given to:
The Associate Dean for Library and Instructional Support allocates closed carrels one term at a time, and therefore cannot guarantee in advance that a carrel is available for more than one term. If carrels are in high demand and those assigned appear to be under-utilized, the Associate Dean may contact the faculty member about reassigning the carrel. An e-mail is sent to all faculty prior to each term on the process of reserving a carrel. To begin the process of reserving carrels or shelving, call the Associate Dean for Library and Information Services at 517-371-5140 ext. 3400.
OTHER FACULTY LIBRARIES
Additional library space is provided for faculty on the 7th and 8th floors of the Cooley Center. Each location has a small specialized collection and a computer workstation. For additional information, please contact your campus’s Head of Public Services.
FACULTY CENTER
The Faculty Center, located on the 7th floor of the Cooley Center, houses a variety of resources related to teaching and learning, including a professional development library. The Center’s primary mission is to support faculty who seek to enhance their teaching and continuing professional development. Along with scheduled conferences and workshops, discussion forums and group formations are offered to encourage dialogue and foster community interaction.
For more information about the Center or to sign-up for a scheduled session, go to the Center for Instructional Support’s TWEN page. The Center page is posted in the course listing as "Faculty: Center for Instructional Support." You may also contact the Director of Instructional Support & Distance Education at 517-371-5140 ext. 2007.
If you wish to borrow items from the Center in Lansing, please help yourself. Simply write the last 7 digits of the item’s barcode and your name in the black binder kept near the collection. Faculty at Grand Rapids/WMU and Auburn Hills may contact a librarian at any location to have the desired book from this location sent to them.
FACULTY-LIBRARIAN LIAISON
A librarian is assigned to each faculty member to serve as their Library Liaison. The Liaison Program is set up to assist you with research and library needs. If you have any questions about the program, please call the Associate Dean for Library and Instructional Support at 517-371-5140 ext. 3400. If you have a request for information, library materials or a problem concerning the Libraries, please call your Library Liaison. If your Liaison is not available, please call the librarian on Reference at any one of our libraries for assistance.
Your Liaison may also support you in your efforts to publish by assisting you in your research, aiding you in your preemption check and by identifying methods for submission of your completed work to multiple journals, law reviews or publishers.
Once your work has been published, please send a copy of your work to your Liaison in order that it may be archived and your faculty bibliography updated.
LEGAL AWARENESS/CILP
The Libraries invite you to receive, either electronically or in hard copy, the Current Index to Legal Periodicals (CILP). CILP subscribers get to view titles of forthcoming law review articles in subjects of their choosing. Legal Scholarship Network, a database of working/forthcoming paper abstracts with full-text or scholarly contact-info is also available. Contact either your Liaison or the Reference and Faculty Instructional Services Librarian at 517-371-5140 ext. 3308.
LEGAL AUTHORSHIP SOCIETY
The Legal Authorship Society is a non-profit organization established to encourage and give recognition to persons associated with the Thomas M. Cooley Law School who contributed to the advancement of legal scholarship through their writing.
Membership is opened each fall to persons listed as authors of a published law book, chapter in a book or law review. For the work to be eligible, it must be indexed in Bowker’s Law Books in Print or Current Law Index or Index to Legal Periodicals. For more information, please contact Aletha Honsowitz at ext. 6930 or by e-mail, honsowia@cooley.edu.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC ORIENTATION FOR CLASSES, READING LISTS AND BIBLIOGRAPHIES
The Library provides bibliographic instruction for classes upon request. Activities range from compiling reading lists or bibliographies to presenting formal lectures on how to do research in a particular field.
Possible topics include:
• Specialized Legal Research;
• Internet Research; and,
• Advanced Computer Assisted Legal Research (CALR).
To request a guest lecture, please contact your liaison or your campus’s Head of Public Services. We kindly request two weeks advance notice.
COURSE RESERVE COLLECTION
Course reserve materials are housed at the Circulation Desk. When possible photocopied material may be posted in digital format on the Libraries’ web site or on TWEN (for more information on TWEN, see the section in this manual entitled "TWEN"). Please submit all requests for materials to be placed on Course Reserve (i.e., temporary, course-related material) to the Circulation Librarian at your particular location. All photocopies placed on Course Reserve must comply with the copyright law.
Due to space considerations, past exams are not placed on Course Reserve. For more information on exams, see the section in this manual entitled, "Exams in the Library and on the Network."
PHOTOCOPY REQUESTS
For copying of articles and cases, please call your Library Liaison .
Keep in mind the following Copyright Law guidelines. You may generally copy:
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One chapter or no more than 10% of a book, thesis or dissertation;
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One article from a periodical or newspaper;
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Federal and State documents in their entirety unless it is stated on the document that it is protected by copyright restrictions; or
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An unpublished work in its entirety, for the author only.
When a photocopy request is in violation of the above guidelines, the Associate Dean for Library and Instructional Support will be notified.
For large copy jobs, please contact Postal and Printing Services at 517-371-5140 ext. 2162.
BOOKSTORE(S)
Course books will be placed on course reserve at the libraries. Faculty, please contact your secretary for information and current ordering procedures.
Auburn Hills Bookstore: The Textbook Outlet across from the campus at OU
contact info: www.e-textbookoutlet.com
Grand Rapids/WMU Bookstore: Brian’s Books in Downtown GR
contact info: www.briansbooks.com
Cooley Bookstore: Located in Lansing’s Cooley Center
contact info: http://www.cooley.edu/bookstore/index.htm.
For the convenience of all students, books and materials for all three campuses will be available at the Cooley Bookstore in Lansing.
ROUTING OF LIBRARY MATERIALS
To have a certain journal or law review routed to you regularly, please contact the Serials Assistant at 517-371-5140 ext. 3433 or your Liaison. Each issue is sent to you as it is received. Regarding loose-leaf services, we generally route only the newsletter accompanying each release. For exceptions to this policy, call the Associate Dean for Library and Instructional Support at 517-371-5140 ext. 3400. Routed items are checked out to you for seven days. After seven days, you will receive notices from the Library requesting the return of the item as soon as possible.
INTERLIBRARY LOAN
Books, journal articles and materials not available in the Library may be requested from other libraries through interlibrary loan or through MelCat (Michigan Electronic Library Catalog). Feel free to contact a reference librarian if you have any questions concerning MelCat. If you are unsuccessful in locating a desired item in MelCat, you may also contact the Interlibrary Loan Librarian at 517-371-5140 ext. 3304 or your Library Liaison to place your request.
BOOK DELIVERY AND RETURN & HOW TO REQUEST A LIBRARY ITEM FROM ANY CAMPUS
Books are checked out for an entire term. Please call your campus’s Circulation Supervisor or Assistant to request delivery of books to your office. Return books via campus mail or by calling the Circulation Desk to ask for assistance with large numbers of returns. Materials not returned to the Library by the due date are automatically renewed until the end of the following term.
To request a book from another Cooley campus use CoolCat’s Request feature. Once you have located an item located at another campus through CoolCat , you will notice a request icon near the top of the page. Click this icon and enter your name and user ID and the item will be delivered to the campus of your choosing.
NEW TITLES
The Library publishes a New Titles List each month on the libraries’ catalog homepage. The list includes materials newly acquired and cataloged by the Libraries. A request feature allows you to electronically request items to be checked out to you. An e-mail alert is sent from the Library’s cataloging department which provides you with a list of New Electronic Resources found on the Library’s website as well as new teaching sources located in the Center for Instructional Support on the seventh floor of the Cooley Center. Questions concerning this service should be directed to your particular library’s Head of Public Services.
LIBRARY BOOK ORDERS
Faculty members may recommend or request books for purchase by the Libraries for the Libraries’ collection. Please direct requests and suggestions to your Liaison or use the "Suggest a Purchase" feature in CoolCat. Each request is considered by the Collection Development Team, and you will be informed of the action taken. For titles you wish to keep in your office permanently, we recommend that you use your 1% fund. Please contact the Cooley bookstore for information about pricing.
AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS
Lansing faculty may schedule audio/visual equipment for classroom use through the Operations Department at 517-371-5140 ext. 2154. Additionally, any faculty secretary should have forms available for scheduling audio/visual equipment.
Faculty in Auburn Hills should contact their secretary for current procedures.
For Grand Rapids/WMU faculty, audiovisual equipment requests are made through the Campus Deputy Director at 616-301-6850 ext. 6985.
In Lansing, any additional room reservations beyond your prescheduled classroom location and time may also be made through the Operations Department. Auburn Hills may contact their secretary while Grand Rapids/WMU faculty may, once again, contact the Campus Deputy Director at 616-301-6850 ext. 6985.
The Brennan Law Library has two electronic classrooms located on the fourth floor that you may schedule and reserve through the Library Computer Lab by contacting either Karin Gilley at 517-371-5140 ext. 3321 or Linda Blankenship at ext. 3322. At Auburn Hills, to reserve the computer lab for classroom purposes, faculty should contact their adjunct secretary.
You may request CD’s, DVD’s, audio or video tapes found in our collection through the Circulation Department.
WESTLAW & LEXIS
Cooley faculty are entitled to Lexis and Westlaw access. Please note the conditions:
• Access is for EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY and does not extend to use for personal practice or commercial purposes.
• Passwords can be obtained through your Liaison or via the Reference Desk. Grand Rapids faculty are asked to contact Grand Rapids’ Head of Public Services at 616-301-6850 ext 6930.
• The Cooley Law Libraries provide training and support for both services.
• Lexis and Westlaw representatives are also available for training and consultations.
For more information, or to obtain assistance with either a password or online search, please consult your Liaison or the Reference desk.
TWEN
TWEN or The West Education Network, is a virtual classroom support software system created and maintained by Westlaw. It enables faculty to create an online classroom environment with discussion lists, live chat capability, electronic document posting and more. This is a terrific avenue for professors to digitally post photocopied materials for use by their students. This service is open to all Cooley faculty and is accessed via your Cooley Westlaw password. The library offers training and support for TWEN.
If you would like more information or training, please contact your Liaison or the Associate Director for Library and Instructional Support at 517-371-5140 ext. 3402 or the Lansing Reference Desk at ext. 3111.
Grand Rapids faculty may also contact the Grand Rapids Reference Desk at 616-301-6850 ext. 6822.
Auburn Hills may also contact the Auburn Hills Reference Desk at 248-751-7800 ext. 7702
EXAMS ON THE NETWORK
The Library has a restrictive policy regarding Thomas M. Cooley exam material. Students have access to this material dating from 1996 to the present. Exam material is defined as Exams, Answer Guides, Model Answers and Blue Books. Students gain access to exam material in three Library locations:
Unless expressly released by faculty, multiple choice examination questions and Blue Book award answers are not part of our collection.
Please contact the Exams Coordinator, at 517-371-5140 ext. 2950 for complete details concerning submitting exams.
Although you must submit exams to the Faculty Dean’s office, we also encourage you to create exam packs and/or make exam study materials beyond the questions themselves available for students through the Cooley Bookstore and its Cooley Prints program.
ACADEMIC COMPUTER SERVICES
Call your Library Liaison or the Reference Desk with any questions about our academic computer services, including: Lexis and Westlaw and CoolCat. Also, feel free to contact your Liaison or the Reference Desk with questions regarding the other databases available which include: HeinOnline, Congressional Universe, Net Library, Matthew Bender, RIA Checkpoint and Legal Scholarship Network. They are located in our Electronic Resources page. If you would like instruction on any of the above mentioned resources, please contact your campus’s Reference Desk or your Liaison.
All faculty are provided with a personal computer loaded with the following applications:
For instruction or questions regarding office support software (WordPerfect, Groupwise File maker, etc.), please contact the Information Technology Department at 517-371-5140 ext. 2100.
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