The Goodson Blogson

Congratulations to the Class of 2008! If you are a recent graduate who plans to remain in the Triangle area this summer for bar exam study, please note the following information about Duke Law building access and library resources/services. Building Access : Although your law student IDs (which provide 24-hour access to the Law School and Law Library) are deactivated shortly after graduation, you are eligible for a free alumni card from the DukeCard Office . E-mail your alumni card number to the Law School's Building Manager, Catherine Hall ( chall@law.duke.edu ), in order to activate 24-hour access for the summer. The access will continue until August 15, 2008. LexisNexis : Graduating students may extend their passwords until August 1, 2008. To register for summer access, see http://www.lexisnexis.com/myschool/myschool.asp?sc_id=284 Westlaw : Graduating students who extend their passwords for the summer receive ten hours of Westlaw access during the summer months (5 hours of acc...

Effective 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 2, the Law Library is operating under summer hours . All service desks will be staffed Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. , with the exceptions of Memorial Day (Monday, May 26) and Independence Day (Friday, July 4). Duke Law students, faculty and staff will retain 24-hour access to the Law School and Law Library with a current DukeCard. Best wishes for a safe and productive summer.

Lexis and Westlaw passwords are provided to Duke Law students for educational use only. For this reason, Lexis and Westlaw restrict students' access to these passwords over the summer break, beginning at the end of May. (You will still be able to log in for administrative functions, but access to most basic databases within the services will be cut off on these passwords. Your summer employer will issue you a separate ID and password on the employer's account; under no circumstances should an educational password be used at a for-profit employer.) Fortunately, exceptions exist for those students who will pursue certain educational and non-profit ventures in the summer: Summer school School-related research assignment Moot court research Law review or journal research Research for a professor Work for pro bono/non-profit organization To extend your password, follow these instructions: LEXIS : Register for a summer extension via the link on the Law School home page. You must ...

Love it or hate it, the Bluebook is the preferred system of legal citation both at Duke Law and in most jurisdictions. Before the editors of the Bluebook prepare the 19th edition (due summer 2010) for publication, though, they're seeking input from users. Sound off on improvement ideas in their survey: http://www.legalbluebook.com/survey . Surveys must be received by June 30, 2008. 10 survey responses will be selected at random to receive a free copy of the Nineteenth Edition as well as a one-year subscription to The Bluebook Online ( http://www.legalbluebook.com )!