While law students may not feel like it, this semester has just flown by! It's already 70+ degrees outside, the flowers are stunning and students are lining up to get their photos taken on Abe's lap at the summit of Bascom Hill.

Even as campus becomes a bit emptier over the summer, that doesn't mean the Law Library is no longer a resource for law students. On the contrary, law librarians are here and happy to help you as you begin summer jobs, study for the bar, or take a summer class.

First, the Law Library is open throughout the summer. If you need space to study, you can't beat our reading rooms! Our hours are a bit shorter during the intercession and over the summer, but you can find all the hours here. On top of that, our great reference librarians are available in-person, via phone, email, or chat from 9AM-7PM during the summer hours Monday to Friday. We look forward to helping you track down those hard-to-find resources or to help you construct those complicated legislative histories! I dare you to find someone else as excited as we are to do a legislative history.

Law students also have access to Lexis, Westlaw, and Bloomberg Law over the summer. Even graduating law students retain access for six months following graduation. Lexis and Bloomberg Law access continues without registration, but Westlaw requires that graduates complete the Grad Elite program. To do so, graduates must either log in to www.lawschool.tr.com. Use the drop-down menu by your name to go to Grad Elite Status, or Click on this link: https://lawschool.westlaw.com/authentication/gradelite.

Students also retain access to University resources over the summer. If you are a returning student in the fall, all your NetID resources (HeinOnline, Proquest, JStor, many others) are available all summer. Graduating students have access to these same resources through likely at least August, or until campus removes their IDs from active status. Of course, you can always visit the Law Library (or the amazing State Law Library located on MLK Boulevard, right near the Capital) to access these resources anytime in your legal career since all the NetID-based resources are available via hard-wired desktops or Wifi on campus.

The Law Library has also created a whole list of resources that are available to alumni, whether you are on campus or settling into a new home far away. We encourage you to use these databases frequently as they will go a long way towards making your legal career all the easier!  If you are staying in Wisconsin after graduation, note that you can get a law card and continue to check out materials. That is pretty cool, if I do say so myself.

The bottom line - please remember you can always contact the Law Library for assistance, whether it's the winter holidays or the dog days of summer. Congratulations to our graduates, and an even bigger congrats to all you law students on your hard work this last semester. Enjoy your summer and we'll hopefully see or hear from you soon!

Submitted by Turner,Kristopher on May 7, 2025

This article appears in the categories: Law Library