Many law students record their feelings as they progress through law school in Blawgs intended to inform their peers, but they also provide a wealth of information and amusement for librarians. These student Blawgs have creative names: So The Bear Says, Three Years of Hell, Parenthetical Statement, Reversed and Remanded, Buffalo Wings and Vodka, Inter-Meddler, and Mr. Uninhibited of the Cloudland, and many others. * Law libraries claim a significant amount of attention in some law student Blawgs.
During first year library orientations tours, one student wrote: “I’m finding it hard to imagine that there’s 45 minutes of stuff to see in the library. Unless they’re going to have us shelve books, or complete a short research assignment while we’re there.” (Jeremy’s Weblog, Aug. 1, 2002).
The Blawgs make it clear that many of law students flaunt Library rules, for instance:
Another point of resistance to library rules involves hiding, removing, or ripping library materials: “Tear the pages from important library books! You may have heard the rumors that this goes on at law school. Well, maybe it doesn’t, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take it upon your self to bring back a tradition from the days when people were cutthroat and generally uncivil towards each other.” (Jeremy’s Weblog, June 3, 2003). However, a year later that same student author seemed to retreat from his own boasts: “No more removing the copies of all relevant study materials from the library and hiding them under my desk so no one can find them.” (Jeremy’s Weblog, Mar. 3, 2004). Others state mixed emotions: “We don’t stab each other in the back, we don’t hide books in the Law Library, and we don’t beat each other at flag football. Okay, it wasn’t for lack of trying.” (So the Bear Says, Mar. 9, 2004). A distinct bit of malevolence can be found, too: “I’ll post more when I get home, but if I’m in the library a second longer, someone’s ALRs are going to get mixed up on the shelves. Ha-ha. Put those in order, I’ll just mess ’em up again.” (So the Bear Says, July 8, 2004).
The art and decor of the library is important to law students: “What we need (here) are some gigantic stone lions in front of our library. That funky oxidized-copper bear sculpture is lacking in gravitas.” (So the Bear Says, Apr. 8, 2004). Or from Columbia: “It is much easier to read and absorb 350 pages of Property while sitting in front of a roaring fire in an old stone fireplace, sipping a well-mixed Manhattan, than trying to do the same in Columbia law library. From this we can conclude that the library would be markedly improved by the addition of a large fireplace, comfy chairs, and a staffed bar. At present it has none of these things.” (Three Years of Hell, Nov. 29, 2004). Library art has significance to more than one student: “The library was repainted over Christmas break. While this is a good thing, I guess, it also sucks because they had to take down all the paintings and one hasn’t returned yet. It’s my favorite painting in the entire law school - it’s a representation of Egon Guttman. I used to look at him every day walking to my favorite study spot … but no more.” (Parenthetical Statement, Apr. 14, 2004).
One of the most commented on issues in the law library is the temperature. The basic rule here, it appears, is that it is impossible to please everyone: “Can we turn off the Air already? The air conditioner seemed to be always on in the library and it would get especially cold in the study group rooms where the incessant whir of the air conditioner is heard.” (Reversed and Remanded, Dec. 12, 2003). On the other hand, the same student writes: “But today it is Hot. And Sticky. Very unpleasant, though on the upside it makes going into the chilly library a refreshing moment.” (Reversed and Remanded, July 20, 2005). Another student puts it this way: “And the library seems to be kept for the benefit of its books. The place is nose-bleedingly dry, which undoubtedly (is) good for old pages but it gives me perpetual colds.” (The Columbia Continuum, Nov. 23, 2003).
Students remark on the presence of so many books in the library and wonder about their relevance: “So it turns out that law school libraries (which these days consist mostly of dusty federal reporters missing their digests and places you can plug in your laptop to get on Lexis-Nexis) can contain some hidden jewels. Last week I discovered a small collection of legal comic books in a basement corner …” (Inter-Meddler, Aug. 25, 2003). “The law library here isn’t quite as old, musty, and archaic as the Bodelian [sic], but it’s getting there, and it definitely has that same feel of thousands of books, most of which languish untouched for ages.” (Three Years of Hell, Aug. 25, 2003). “But some books, like “important law stuff,” may have a less clear point of view. These require reading. But first they require finding. Luckily, every library in the world has every book ever written, and owns an unlimited number of copies so the book you need is never missing from the shelf.” (Jeremy’s Weblog, July 2, 2003). It is not clear from the context of this last statement that any sarcasm was intended!
One student had this picturesque take on the Reserve collection at his library: “Studying in the reserve room at the library is like going over to somebody’s house to play with their Nintendo, or their complete set of GI Joes, or Star Wars action figures. It seems amazing and inexplicably fun, but if I actually owned all these Hornbooks and Restatements and Nutshells and stuff I’d never even open them.” (Dairy of a 1L, Oct. 1, 2003).
Students write that the law library is a place to find critical support: “So this afternoon I decided to read in the library. And after just a half hour, what a difference. I didn’t get as much done, but just the fact that there were all these other people around - just the fact that I wasn’t all alone in my room - made all the difference in the world. At least this afternoon it did. Hence, my advice. Get out of your room. Go to the library. You’ll feel saner that way.” (Jeremy’s Weblog, Sept. 9, 2002).
The law library is the primary place that study groups meet, and this dramatically adds to a sense of support: “We did a nine hour stint in a group study room at the library a couple of Sundays ago. That’s the longest I have ever sat and studied. I’m more focused while working with the group. It’s nice to receive help and reciprocate it while affirming what understanding I have of the material. It makes me feel less lost, more in control, less behind.” (Southwestern, July 8, 2002).
However, at its worst the library is unsettling: “A bit of explanation … the library is my preferred location for studying because - outside of finals - it is a quiet, not-too-stressful place to be,” one blawger wrote, “but when finals come, boy you better watch out. The library turns into a churning cauldron of frantic outlining, hair-pulling, and general fretting about everything related to law school. Yesterday was even better, because the geniuses that run our school’s IT system had the entire network down ALL DAY. Not that people need email or an outside connection to the Internet when trapped in the library for hours. Nah.” (Reversed and Remanded, May 5, 2005).
Some of the tenderest moments discovered in the Blawgs involved feelings and reactions to other students in the throws of despair, for example: “I think someone is crying in the library. I’m really sorry that they’re sad. I hope they’re not crying because of law school. I really don’t think it’s so important that it’s worth crying over.” (Diary of a 1L, Dec. 18, 2003).
Finally, the famous meeting of Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham in a law library is repeated often for others, or so the Blawgs tantalizingly hint: “I’m totally selling out my slackitude! I’m here at the library at 6:45 PM! Then again, I did spend maybe half an hour of that time chatting with the lovely Miss V.” (Diary of a 1L, Feb. 11, 2004). Or, another Romeo wrote hopefully for “… 1L chicks who are into making out with minor (but brilliant) literary figures in the library.” (Buffalo Wings and Vodka, Nov. 24, 2004). Another Blawger reported: “I’m at my usual spot in the library and I’ve noticed an increase in the number of hot chicks walking in to presumably study. Apparently, a lot of them made a New Year’s resolution to spend more time in the library, especially the blond ones.” (WaynesRoller, Jan. 11, 2004).
The world of law students is greater than just the Law Library, of course. Many students can be quoted as saying: “Library? I don’t even know where the library is!” (Jeremy’s Weblog, Mar. 22, 2004). This is why understanding the needs and experiences of our student patrons can be very helpful.
My Law Student Blawg portal - http://www.blawg.org/modules.php?name=Web_Links&l_op=viewlink&cid=12
I used this portal to find the following student blawgs: