LIBRARY RULES

1. Food is not permitted in the library. Beverages are allowed in
non-disposable, spill-proof containers.
2. Smoking is prohibited in the library.
3. With the exception of guide dogs, animals are not allowed in the
library.
4. Library telephones are not available for public use. Public
telephones are located on the first floor of the law school. The
library does not page library users.
5. Library carrels and study rooms may not be reserved. Books left
in a carrel or study room will be reshelved.
6. Please reshelve all books after use.
7. Upon hearing the fire alarm, all library patrons must immediately
leave the building.
8. Personal belongings should not be left unattended; the library is
not responsible for their safekeeping.
9. Cellular telephones may not be used in the library.


ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE LIBRARY

The Schaffer Law Library is an essential component of Albany Law School’s educational
mission. In support of this mission the library houses and maintains one of the largest
legal research collections in Northeast New York and also serves as a quiet study area
for law students and faculty, who are the library’s primary patrons. In addition, the library has long had a tradition of serving the regional bench and bar and
persons needing to use the library’s government documents collections. These users may
conduct research whenever the library is open. Members of the public and students from other academic institutions are permitted to use
the library’s collections to conduct legal research from morning opening until 5:00 p.m.,
except during posted reading and exam periods. Please note that the library is not available
as a study facility or for any other non-legal research purposes. Please also note that all library users must be prepared to show appropriate identification
upon request by Albany Law School staff or University Heights security personnel.


CIRCULATION POLICIES

BORROWING PRIVILEGES The library's collection is available to the
general public for "in-library" research during posted service hours.
Loan of materials is restricted to persons with a valid ALS I.D. card.
Capital District Library Council (CDLC) Direct Access cards for faculty
and staff from other academic CDLC institutions are honored. All loans
should be initiated at least 15 minutes before posted closing times.


LOAN PERIODS Generally, single-volume treatises circulate for a four
week period, while course reserve materials are limited to three hours.
All other materials, including case reports, statutes, Shepard's citators,
periodicals, newsletters and reference works, as well as multi-volume
treatises, are restricted to use in the library.

Borrowed books must be returned to the circulation desk. Books may be
renewed provided that they are not needed by another person.

FINES Fines are imposed on overdue material according to the following
schedule:

Reserve items (3 hours) - $1.00/hour per item
Treatises (4 weeks) - $.25/day per book

Borrowing privileges may be suspended if outstanding library
obligations are not met. Grades for all students, and bar examination
information for graduating students, may be withheld until all
outstanding library obligations are settled.


I.D. CARDS ALS student I.D. cards are required for borrowing library
materials. ALS students who have lost I.D. cards should contact
Administrative Services for replacement.

THE COLLECTION

The collection consists of over 600,000 volumes and volume equivalents
and is rapidly expanding. Most of the collection is housed on open
shelves.

AUDIO VISUAL MATERIALS The collection contains programs on audio
cassette and video cassette. These are listed in the online catalog
by author, title and subject. Printed materials accompanying these
programs are stored with the tapes.

AV materials are to be used only in the library. Audio tapes and
cassette players are available at the circulation desk. Video tapes
are stored in room L-13 on the lower level. The Media Viewing Room,
which contains a VCR and monitor for viewing, is located on the main
level.

DOCUMENTS The United States government documents collection is
located on the lower level of the library, and the New York State
documents collection is located on the main floor. Additional federal
and state documents are available in the library's microform
collection.

In 1980, the library became a selective depository for U.S. government
documents. Among the publications received are those of the Judiciary,
the Justice Department, and the various regulatory commissions, as well
as annual reports of departments and agencies, statistical compilations,
and reference works.

Significant documents in the collection are fully cataloged and can be
located by author, title and subject in the online public access catalog.
Indexes in Schaffer Law Library include the Monthly Catalog of U.S.
Government Publications and Autographics, Inc.'s CD-ROM,
Government Documents Catalog Service. U.S. government documents
are arranged according to the Superintendent of Documents classification
system and bear the location designation "USdoc". Documents
on microform and the indexes providing access to them are listed
in the Guide to the Microform Collection, available on the Internet
at http://www2.als.edu/lib/mlist.html and in the media room
and at the circulation desk.

The Library was designated a New York State Research Depository Library
in 1989, and, as such, receives all New York government documents
cataloged at the New York State Library. These materials may be either
paper or microfiche. The New York State documents collection is arranged
according to the classification system developed by the State Library
and is designated "NYdoc".

LAW SCHOOL CATALOGS A collection of catalogs of other law schools
is available for general use. It is shelved behind the reference desk.

MICROFORMS The microforms collection is housed in the Media Center
on the lower level. Holdings include legislative histories, back
issues of the New York Times and a number of legal newspapers,
state and federal regulations, session laws, Congressional documents,
and records and briefs from the New York State Court of Appeals and
the Appellate Divisions, the U.S.Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Second Circuit.

All materials are listed in the online catalog and are designated
"Microfiche" or "Microfilm". For a list of microform materials, check
the Guide to the Microform Collection at the circulation desk or in
the Media Room. This Guide indicates which indexes can be used to
obtain access to the individual microform collections. Microforms
or microfiche should not be refiled; place them in boxes supplied
on top of the microform cabinets.

PERIODICALS The Library subscribes to a large number of law reviews,
as well as law-related journals, popular magazines and newspapers. Bound
periodicals are located on the lower level of the library. Current
unbound issues are kept behind the circulation desk. A list of
periodicals by title is kept at the circulation desk. Check the online
catalog for holding information. Periodicals are shelved by call number
and bear the designation "Per".

REFERENCE MATERIALS The library reference materials are classified,
bear the designation "Ref," and are located in the reference collection
on the main floor. This collection includes dictionaries, general
encyclopedias, directories, abstracts, and indexes. Reference books
do not circulate.

RESERVE MATERIALS Items on reserve include course and non-course
materials, current issues of law reviews, magazines, newspapers, audio
tapes and tape players. Request these materials at the circulation desk.
Reserve materials may be identified by course or professor using the
online catalog and are also listed in card files kept at the circulation
desk. Use of reserve materials is limited to three hours. All ALS
students must present an ALS I.D. card to sign out these materials. Guests
will be required to surrender a valid form of identification to use reserve
materials.

TREATISES The treatise collection is located in open stacks on the upper
level. This collection includes books and standard looseleaf services,
organized by subject according to the Library of Congress classification
scheme.

NEWSPAPERS Current newspapers are on racks in the newspaper reading
area. Older newspapers may be kept at the circulation desk or on microform.
Please ask for assistance.

LOCATING LIBRARY MATERIALS

INTERNET HOME PAGE The library's Internet home page is available
through Albany Law School's home page .
It provides access to the library's online catalog, the text of the
library's policy handbook, links to Internet resources and other
pertinent materials.

ONLINE PUBLIC ACCESS CATALOG The library's online system allows users to
search the Catalog, the Reserve Desk for course materials on reserve, and to
access the Info. Desk for lists of new books and library hours.

SEARCHING THE CATALOG

QUICK SEARCH is the opening screen. (Select the type of search you wish to
use: The options are Quick Search, Power Search and Call No. Browse. Most
searching can be done using Quick Search.) KEYWORD is automatically
selected, but can be changed to BROWSE or EXACT

With the KEYWORD selection, you can view records containing the
word(s) or phrase you entered

With BROWSE you can view lists of headings meeting your search term

With EXACT you search the catalog for terms exactly as they are typed.

After you have entered the search term, click on the appropriate button
below the search box to further define the search you wish to perform

SEARCH EVERYTHING: finds and displays library materials containing
the word(s)or phrase in the record

AUTHOR: finds and displays library materials using all or part
of an author's name

TITLE: finds and displays library materials using all or part of a title

SUBJECT: finds and displays library materials using all or part of
a subject

PERIODICAL TITLE: finds and displays library periodicals using all or
part of a title.

Search results: If your search retrieves a single record, it will be displayed
in full. If multiple records are returned, the number of records retrieved
will be displayed at the top of the screen. You may have to page forwarad to
view them all. You can retrieve a full record by clicking on the VIEW button
to the left of the title. In this way you can determine how many copies/volumes
are in the collection and if any are expected to be on the shelf.

To print the results from the terminals in the library's main lobby, put a
checkmark to the left of the title you want to be printed. Select Print
Capture at the top of the page. Select the appropriate boxes on the Print/Capture

Screen and click on the PRINT button.

Alternatives to QUICK SEARCH

POWER SEARCH allows you to enter words or phrases in one, some or
all of the GENERAL, AUTHOR, TITLE, SUBJECT or SERIES fields. After
typing in any one of these fields, move to the next area. When you
press RETURN or ENTER in the last field, you will then see the location

of every record that matches your criteria.

CALL NO. BROWSE allows you to see a list of the call numbers in the
catalog. To use this feature click on the appropriate tab and enter
all or the first part of a call number and complete the search form.
The result of a call number browse is a list of call numbers that begin
with the characters as specified.

CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM The Library of Congress classification system
is used for books, looseleaf services, reference material and periodicals.
The Superintendent of Documents system is used for United States documents,
and the New York State Library system is used for New York documents.
Under the Library of Congress classification scheme, material is
classified by subject and by jurisdiction. K is the general classification
for law, KF for United States law, KEN for New York law, and KA through KU.
for the law of other states.

UNCLASSIFIED MATERIALS Since a large portion of the collection (including
most case reports and statutory codes) is not classified, many catalog
entries will not have a call number. To locate a book without a call
number, ask a library staff member.

INDEXES An index provides the necessary bibliographic information about
a specific publication. The Index to Legal Periodicals and
Current Law Index are two valuable periodical indexes to law and
law related material, as is Legaltrac, a CD-ROM database to which the
library subscribes. Other indexes commonly used in the law library
are Current Index to Legal Periodicals and the Readers' Guide
to Periodical Literature. These and other indexes are shelved at
the beginning of the periodicals collection on the lower level of the
library.

AUDIO-TAPING POLICY

AUDIO-TAPING POLICY There is no school-wide taping policy. Each
professor decides if taping of a class is permitted. Schaffer Law
Library will provide audiotaping service for classes that have been
approved by the professor.

To request audiotaping of a class:
1. Speak to the Professor.
2. If the Professor permits audiotaping, contact Bob Eaton (445-2387)
or Audrey Bell (445-3334) at the Library. You may also send an
e-mail to AV, at AV@mail.als.edu
3. All requests need to be made at least 24 hours in advance to ensure
that they are placed on the Audio-Visual schedule.

Tapes made by the Library will be placed on Reserve for a period of
two weeks following the date of the class or the event unless other
arrangements are made.

In case of of an emergency, or if you will be absent from school for a number
of days, it is best to contact the Registrar's Office (445-2330).
They will assist you in making arrangements to audiotape classes that will be
missed (pending approval from the Professors).

If you wish to tape the class yourself, the Library will provide
audiotaping equipment. Arrangements for borrowing equipment must be made
at least 24 hours in advance. Individuals will be responsible for
providing their own audiotapes which will remain their personal property.
The Library will not place these tapes on Reserve and will not provide
any duplication service.

LIBRARY SERVICES AND RESOURCES

BULLETIN BOARDS Library hours, a book jacket display of new titles,
and current newsclippings are posted on the bulletin boards located in
the newspaper reading area on the main floor of the library.

INTERLIBRARY LOAN Materials required for academic research that are not
in the library's collection can often be borrowed from other libraries
through interlibrary loan (ILL). This service is available to ALS faculty,
students, and staff only. ILL request forms may be obtained at the
circulation desk. Requests handled by local libraries are normally
filled within one week, but requests for materials outside the Albany
area may take longer. The library is a member of the OCLC library network,
allowing access to an international interlibrary loan system. Please
inquire as to applicable charges for this service. Schaffer Law Library
is a member of the New England Law Library Consortium. This affiliation
provides ILL access to some of the best law collections, such as those of
Harvard and Yale. CDLC Direct Access Cards are available to all Albany Law
School Students, faculty and staff. These cards may allow the holder to
borrow directly from local libraries. For more information about this
service, see the Head of Public Services.

COMPUTER SERVICES The library has several computer rooms for use by
ALS students, faculty and staff. Most library microcomputers are
IBM-compatible, with hard disks and 3-1/2" disk drives; some are similar
machines originally provided by the WESTLAW or LEXIS research services.
All library microcomputers are networked with access to laser printers,
and with commonly used software accessible on the machines' hard drives
through a menu-driven system. The networked laser printers are available
by paid subscription, and are maintained by the Law School's Computer
Resources Office.

LEXIS and WESTLAW are computerized, full-text legal databases containing
case law and statutory and administrative materials. LEXIS also provides
access to the NEXIS newspaper/periodical databases, and WESTLAW to many
of the Dialog abstracting services. Both can be used by ALS students,
faculty, and staff. Students can use LEXIS and WESTLAW for law
school-related research only. Materials that are otherwise unavailable
in the library can be printed directly from either service on the
school's networked laser printers.

PHOTOCOPIERS Standard photocopy machines are available for patron use
on all three floors of the library. Copiers can be operated by coins
or by copy cards which are sold by machines in the photocopy rooms, or
by ALS students' charged I.D. cards.

REFERENCE SERVICE Reference librarians are available during most hours
the library is open. The reference desk is located on the main floor
next to the card, and the reference telephone number is 445-2390.

STUDY ROOMS Small group study rooms are available for use by groups
(that is, more than one person) of ALS student on a first-come,
first-serve basis. The study rooms may not be reserved. No library
materials or personal belongings may be left unattended in these rooms.

TYPEWRITERS Typewriters, for the use of ALS students only, are
available in room L-13 on the lower level.

MISCELLANEOUS

LOST AND FOUND Personal items found in the library are kept at the
receptionist's desk in the law school foyer.

REST ROOMS Rest rooms are located on the upper and lower floors of
the library.

SUGGESTIONS Suggestions for improved services and book purchases, as
well as complaints or other comments concerning the library, may be made
to any library staff member.

SUPPLIES Pencil sharpeners and paper cutters are available in the
photocopy rooms. Staplers are available at the circulation desk.

WATER FOUNTAINS Water fountains are adjacent to the rest rooms on the
upper and lower floors and behind the elevator on the main floor.

MAPS Maps of the library, with legends indicating the location of library
offices and rooms and the general arrangement of the collection, are
located just inside the entrance of the library on the main floor, and to
the right of the elevator on the upper and lower floors.