New Exhibit: Paula Isenberg ~ A View into the Holocaust

An inspirational exhibit was recently opened at the Gould Law Library, entitled: “Paula Isenberg ~ A View into the Holocaust.” Using original artifacts, books, and documents from Mrs. Isenberg’s life, the exhibit shows how a brave young woman directly participated in the trial of 31 defendants accused of committing war crimes at the first and the largest concentration camp in Germany, called the Buchenwald Camp. During the Holocaust, this camp housed thousands of alleged political prisoners and over 4,000 Jews, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel. After enlisting in the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps in 1943, Paula was assigned as a court reporter to the 7708 War Crimes Group in 1947. As a court reporter, she directly witnessed the criminal trials of 31 officers of the Buchenwald Camp. After returning to the United States and retiring from her civilian career as a court reporter, Paula shared her experience at programs and presentations for children and adults, so the memory of her experience would not be lost. At the exhibit, you can see many original artifacts and documents from Mrs. Isenberg’s service to the 7708 War Crimes Group and her presentations and programs made long after her service.

Please take some time to explore the important history of Paula Isenberg, at the Third Floor Exhibit case, next to the Rare Books Room. You can also explore an article about Mrs. Isenberg published in Verve magazine in 2010 here, or register to view Mrs. Isenberg’s video testimony provided to the Survivors of Shoah Visual History Project here. In addition to seeing the original artifacts provided to the exhibit, you can view online artifacts that Mr. and Mrs. Isenberg donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum here.


Article Consulted for this Post:

Verve-acious (2010, July 29). For the Record. VERVE Magazine | Asheville's Magazine for Women | News | Fashion | Food | Events - Current Issue. Retrieved October 16, 2013, from http://www.vervemag.com/august-2010/2010/7/29/for-the-record.html

Want to Win a $25 Gift Card to iTunes? 2013 Legal Trivia Contest Open!

Want to Win a $25 Gift Card to iTunes?

Enter the 2013 “Ghouls and Gould” Law Library Trivia Contest!

The Gould Law Library is offering all students a chance to win a $25 iTunes gift card!

To win, all you have to do is come to the Law Library Circulation Desk and pick up an official entry form. There are three legal trivia questions to answer. For every question correctly answered, your name will be entered as an official entry into a drawing. You only need to answer one question to enter, but if you answer all three, you get three entries to win! Each answer equals one entry.

Return your entry to the Circulation Desk. The contest closes at 8:59 p.m. on October 30, 2013. On October 31, 2013, a winner will be selected by the Gould Law Library Staff through a lottery drawing of official entries. The prize awarded will be a $25 gift card to iTunes.

Have fun! Good luck!

Election Law – The New York State 2013 Judicial Election Race

Although it is considered an off-year election, several important races are taking place in our area.

In addition to the proposal on the ballot to raise the mandatory retirement age of state judges, which would allow them to serve to the age of 80, many of the seats of our state judges are also up for election. A list of the candidates for Supreme Court has recently been released by New York State, which you can view here: http://www.elections.ny.gov:8080/reports/rwservlet?cmdkey=Candidat_32

Considering the number of judicial seats up for election, if you are interested in the history of the judicial election process, you might consider reading this newly published book: 

  

The People's Courts : Pursuing Judicial Independence In America (2012)

Written by Jed Handelsman Shugerman

Mr. Shugerman of Harvard Law School has published a well-researched and readable book on the history of the appointment and election of judges, and how those contests have become increasingly challenged over the years.
 

 

Check back soon for our next blog post to highlight resources on this topic.

In the meantime, keep calm and read on.

Election Law – The New York State 2013 Ballot

Welcome back to our series on Gould Law Library resources! In this month’s posts, we will be highlighting some of our resources on election law, in recognition of Election Day, November 5th, which is just around the corner.

It’s always important in this field to know what issues and elected positions are at issue in any given election year.

This year, there are several proposed amendments to the New York State Constitution. You can learn about them here: http://www.elections.ny.gov/ProposedConsAmendments.html. These proposed amendments would, if enacted by the people of New York, allow for:

• Legalized gambling in New York State and the establishment of up to seven casinos
• Veterans with combat-related disabilities to be granted extra points in their application for civil service job promotions
• Municipalities to continue exceeding their debt limits for sewage facilities
• The resolution of a land dispute and a land exchange in the Adirondack forest preserve
• The mandatory retirement age of all state judges to be raised to 80 years old

No matter your stance on these amendments, it is important to exercise your right to vote if you hold that right. For reference, you can check if you are registered to vote in New York State here: https://voterlookup.elections.state.ny.us/voterSearch.aspx.

For information about registering to vote in New York State, visit: http://www.elections.ny.gov/VotingRegister.html. A mailed application must be postmarked no later than October 11th (just three days away) in order to register to vote in this year’s general election.

Check back soon for our next blog post to highlight resources on this topic.

In the meantime, keep calm and read on.

Legal Process Students: It's Westlaw and Lexis Training Time!

Attention all Legal Process students: It is time to start signing-up for your mandatory Westlaw and Lexis training sessions. To view session times and sign-up, you must access the West and Lexis Training Calendars.

WESTLAW TRAININGS:

Westlaw sessions are available Monday, September 30th – Sunday October 6th. For West, on your homepage after logging-in, click the “Training Calendar” link on the left side of the page. 

LEXIS TRAININGS:

Lexis sessions are available Monday, October 7th - Sunday, October 13. For Lexis, on your homepage after logging-in, click the “Training at my School” button on the left side of the page. 

Please consider signing up soon, as the sessions tend to fill up quickly! As always, if you ever have any questions about using any online database, please stop by the Reference Office.  We're happy to help!


 - Isaac Samuels, Reference Librarian, Contributor

Register Your Passwords - Fall 2013

Welcome, welcome, welcome!  We are so excited to introduce our 1Ls to the world of legal research.  

Alexander Graham Bell is remembered for once saying: "Before anything else, preparation is the key to success."  In law school, there are two keys to success:  preparation and passwords.  You cannot hope to succeed without either one.

After our Library Orientation sessions, the Librarians will be offering password registration assistance to 1Ls. At each session, we will walk you through registering your passwords for Westlaw, Lexis, and Bloomberg Law, and we can assist you with any technical difficulties you may be having with any registration process.

Each session will take place in the Library Computer Lab (Room 308) on the third floor of the Library. Once you exit the elevator or stairs, turn right, and the Lab will be on your left.

The sessions will take place as follows:

• Tuesday, August 13th at 6:30 p.m.
• Monday, August 19th at 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, August 20th at 9:30 a.m.
• Wednesday, August 21st at 9:30 a.m.
• Thursday, August 22nd at 12:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m

There is no need to pre-register, so simply come when you can.  

Please consider attending one of these sessions.  We're happy to help!

Literature for Law Students II – Summer’s Subject

How is your summer going? We hope our graduates are doing well and taking care of themselves as they successfully prepare for the bar exam next month. We know you’ll do great! We also hope all of our students are having a wonderful and educational summer.

Have you heard of the The Law School Guys? They run a website that is made for those going through the exciting yet stressful process of applying to law school, and for those in the equally exciting yet equally stressful process of getting through law school.

One of the resources they offer is a list of recommended books to read before you get here. Even if you’re a 2L or a 3L, many of these books are well worth a read. Two of the books on the list were written by Touro Law Center faculty, who clearly know their stuff. They are:


Mastering The Law School Exam : A Practical Blueprint For Preparing And Taking Law School Exams By Professor and Director of Academic Development Suzanne Darrow-Kleinhaus

Call No. KF 283 .D37 2006 

The law school exam can be a daunting prospect. Professor Kleinhaus takes the uncertainty out of the process by guiding you in “how to do it,” and “how to write it.” Her book will help you along the way to learning how to “think like a lawyer” and also how to successfully bridge the gap from class to exam.




Bridging The Gap Between College And Law School : Strategies For Success By Touro Law Assistant Dean Charlotte D. Taylor & Ruta K. Stropus

Call No. KF283 .S77 2009

Wondering how you can step up your game and translate your success in college to further success in law school? Look no further. This definitive guide will help you successfully navigate the educational terrain of law school, including how to take notes differently, prepare for class differently, and prepare for exams differently than you did in college.


We’ll post again soon with some more interesting reads about the study and the practice of law.

In the meantime, keep calm and read on.