Research Support

RESEARCH ASSISTANTS POLICY

Authorized research assistants of Pierce Law faculty may use a variety of services provided by the library staff to facilitate their work. Specialized services include research consultation and instruction, photocopying and interlibrary loan, and proxy check-out privileges. Unless directed otherwise by the faculty member, the library staff will do everything possible to provide research assistants the same level of support provided to faculty.

Research assistants should contact their faculty’s librarian liaison (list of liaisons) soon after they are appointed for information on library protocol and suggestions on resources and research techniques.

RESEARCH CONSULTATION and INSTRUCTION

Faculty members are assigned a librarian liaison who is available to consult with them or their research assistants to provide guidance on major research projects. At the beginning of each semester, the reference staff will also conduct a training class for all research assistants for the purpose of introducing more sophisticated techniques and specialized print resources and electronic databases.

CHECKING OUT LIBRARY MATERIALS

Research assistants may check out materials on behalf of faculty members if current and completed proxy forms are on file at the Circulation Desk. The forms must be completed and signed by the faculty member and then filed at the circulation Desk. Proxy forms are valid for the term of the research assistant’s appointment, usually one semester of summer term. They must be renewed if employment is extended for another term.

When research assistants present their completed proxy forms to the Circulation Desk, the Access Services Supervisor will issue an RA Library Card to the researcher. Research assistants may then present this card whenever checking out items for their faculty. Research assistants should not use their own student ID card when checking out materials for the faculty.

Since faculty members authorize research assistants to check out items in the name of the faculty member, the individual faculty member is responsible for the return of the materials in good condition.

Research assistants are responsible for returning their RA Library Cards to the Access Services Supervisor at the end of their semester of employment.

PHOTOCOPYING

Research assistants may remove any library materials for the purpose of photocopying on the main law school photocopier. Research assistants should have a faculty photocopy account number supplied by the faculty member to use for photocopying. Except in extraordinary circumstances, the library staff will not photocopy materials for the use of a research assistant.

INTERLIBRARY LOAN

Research assistants are responsible for conducting a thorough search on MelCat before requesting materials for their faculty on interlibrary loan. If materials are requested in the name of the faculty member, the faculty member will bear responsibility.

DEDICATED LIBRARY SPACE

Due to the limited number of carrels and group student rooms, the library cannot provide dedicated reserved space for research assistants.

FACULTY INTEREST PROFILE

Faculty are encouraged to completed and return the Faculty Interest Profile Form to their liaisons at the beginning of each semester. This profile will identify your long and short term research interests and enable your liaison to offer you specialized services throughout the academic year. Additionally, the profile will single our faculty from whom the library may ask advice regarding the collection.

VISITING OTHER LIBRARIES

As a member of the Pierce Law faculty, you have privileges to use the library collections at any of the colleges and universities in New Hampshire with whom the library has a reciprocal agreement. (link to list of libraries with whom we have agreements). Additionally, Pierce Law is a member of the New England Law Library Consortium, Inc. (NELLCO), which includes every law school in New England as well as New York University Law School, Fordham, Columbia, Cornell, Albany and the University of Pennsylvania. If you are traveling and want to use any of these collections on-site, you will need to have some identification proving your faculty affiliation with Pierce Law. Check-out privileges are not available.

MelCat – Pierce Law Library’s On-Line Catalog

MelCat is Pierce Law Library’s electronic version of the old card catalog. MelCat provides multiple access points to the library’s holdings. MelCat also gives you the option of searching the online catalogs of other college and university libraries as well as many of the online catalogs of the NELLCO member law schools. MelCat should be a starting place when you are search for treatises and government documents.

COMPUTER ASSISTED LEGAL RESEARCH

LEXIS and WESTLAW

The law school subscribes to LEXIS and WESTLAW. You can access both systems from your office computer as well as from your home. Please contact Reference Librarian Barry Shanks for your password and your liaison if you would like individual training on either system.

INTERNET

The Internet has become a viable resource for many current research materials. Access to the Internet is available through the law school network and your liaison can show you how to maximize your use of Internet resources.

BIBLIOGRAPHIES

If you need a bibliography for topics related to your Pierce Law courses or research, your liaison can do this for you, provided you build-in sufficient lead time, especially if the scope of the bibliography is extensive.