Summertime: What to Know Before You Go

Hitting the road after exams? Tie up a few loose ends in the library before you leave the area! Wherever the summer months may take you, follow our simple steps to ensure a hassle-free transition. (Class of 2011, be on the lookout for a separate post within the next few days which will address special issues related to graduation, such as how to obtain 24-hour building access if you plan to remain in the Triangle for bar exam study.)

Check your library account: Log in to the libraries’ My Account site with your NetID and password, and double-check your outstanding loans, hold/recall requests, and any fees or fines which have been incurred. Be sure to return any remaining items before you leave the area, and speak with the Circulation/Reserve desk in the event of a discrepancy (such as a book that you’re sure you already returned, or a fine for a study room key).

Clean out your study carrel: We’re sure that all of our students respect the fact that library study carrels are shared space, and always try to take their belongings with them to make space for the next person. But we also know that final exams can cause a bit more “hoarding” and “camping” behavior than is the norm. Please look over your usual study spaces to ensure that you haven’t left behind any library materials or personal items. Library staff will clear all carrel spaces after May 20; remaining books will be checked in and re-shelved, and personal items will be taken to the lost & found. (If you will be at Duke over the summer and would like to store library materials in a carrel after May 20, be sure that they are clearly flagged with a carrel checkout slip; speak with the Circulation/Reserve desk for assistance.)

Extend your LexisNexis and Westlaw passwords: If you missed our post in March about Summer Access to LexisNexis and Westlaw, now’s the time to extend those Law School passwords for academic purposes. Please read the sites’ definitions of “academic purposes” carefully – they do not include use at a for-profit law firm! If you don’t meet the exceptions to extend your passwords for the summer, your LexisNexis and Westlaw accounts will reduce to a very limited number of employment-related databases on June 1, and will resume full access in August.

Ask for a “letter of introduction” to any private law libraries you plan to use. If you plan to haunt a law school library in your summer city (for bar study or any other purpose), check out their access policies online before you leave Durham. Many private law schools require a letter of introduction from a law student’s “home” library before they will grant access. If you need such a letter, speak with the Reference Services desk.

Note our new service hours: If you forget any of the items on this list before leaving town, we’re here to help – but during different hours. Effective Friday, May 6, the library entrance and service desk will move to summer hours, Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Evening and weekend services will resume at the start of the fall 2011 semester.

We wish all of our students a safe and happy summer, and look forward to hearing about your adventures when you return in Fall 2011.