Category: Mindfulness

Take a Break and Color in a Rare Book

Exam takers at UVA Law have a new study break opportunity: an adult coloring book filled with art and ornamentation from the Law Library’s rare book collection. Titled The Art of Law, this 10-page coloring book includes portraits, decorative title pages, and other illustrations dating back to the 1560s. Anyone looking for a brain break can grab a copy and some colored pencils by the Circulation Desk while supplies last. This is your chance to color in a rare book!

Would-be artists near and far can also download a PDF here.

Law Special Collections produced Art of Law and houses the law library’s rare book collection. UVA graduate student Janice Murray began work on the coloring book in summer 2021 as part of an internship through UVA’s Institute for Public History. Law Special Collections staff, led by Jane McBrian, completed design and production of the book in fall 2021. This coloring book project accompanies the exhibition The Art of Law in UVA’s First Law Library, which is currently on display at the UVA Law Library.

 

Title page from Robert Brooke, La Grande Abridgement (1576).
Initial letter from George Mackenzie, The Works of that Eminent and Learned Lawyer (1716).
Illustration from John Selden, Titles of Honor (1672).
Images from The Art of Law

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Randi Flaherty

Randi Flaherty

Randi Flaherty is Head of Special Collections at the Arthur J. Morris Law Library. She is an early American historian with a focus on foreign maritime commerce in the early American republic.

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Library Services to Get You Through Exams

The Law Library’s student services are designed to support academic study and self-care. Here are some services that we hope will make your life a little easier during this fall’s end-of-semester crunch.

Longer Hours

The Law Library has extended its hours through the end of the semester. We’re now open from 8am to 8:45pm Monday through Friday. Please remember to wear your mask at all times while in the library, including during evening hours. If you forget your mask, please stop by the circulation desk for assistance.

Study Aids

Did you know that the Law Library provides free access to study aids? With a Lexis+ (formerly Lexis Advance) password, you can view BARBRI course outlines using the links in our database directory. Print study aids, including the popular Examples and Explanations series, are available in the reserve room, and we’re happy to scan excerpts for students who are learning remotely this semester. To request a scan, use the “Request a Scan” button in the Virgo catalog.

Courtesy Services

The Law Library offers many courtesy services, including some that you might not expect. At the circulation desk, you can:

  • Check out a power cord, a flash drive, headphones, or a book stand
  • Borrow an umbrella or a bike pump
  • Use our sewing kit and lint brush
  • Get a free envelope
  • Access our basket of emergency menstrual products
  • …and more!

And don’t forget—whether you’re taking classes on grounds or remotely, we’re here to assist you with more traditional library tasks like accessing books. Email us at Refdesk@law.virginia.edu for research assistance and Circ@law.virginia.edu for general library questions.

Outdoor Games

The Law Library’s Klaus Collection (in the reserve room) contains materials to help you recharge from your studies—including board games, DVDs, mindfulness resources, and non-law books. Starting this week, we’ll also be offering a selection of outdoor games, which we hope will provide opportunities for fresh air, sunlight, and socially distanced time with your friends. Stop by to check out Cornhole, Kubb, Ladder Toss, Giant Jenga, or another game from our collection. (Be sure to wear a mask and stay 6 feet apart while you play!)

Newspapers

To keep up with current events, take advantage of your free subscription to the online editions of the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. You can sign up for these and other law-school-only resources via LawWeb. From the LawWeb homepage, just click on the “Student Services” tab, and then select the resource you’d like to access. (To sign up for your NYTimes.com and WSJ.com accounts, you must be on grounds or using a VPN.)

Written by

Kate Boudouris

Kate Boudouris

Kate is the Research, Instruction & Outreach Librarian at Arthur J. Morris Law Library.

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Your End-of-Semester Survival Guide

If you’re studying for exams or finishing up a seminar paper, the Law Library staff is rooting for you! Here are some resources to help you get through the end-of-semester crunch.

Study Guides

The Law Library has a room full of books to help you review for finals. Browse them online and in person in the Reserve Room next to the Circulation Desk to find Examples & Explanations with short hypos and answers, Nutshells with straightforward narrative overviews, more detailed Hornbooks, and Sum and Substance audio CDs. Check them out from the Circulation Desk before you leave with them (three-hour checkout period). Access detailed BARBRI class outlines from the comfort of your couch or other favorite study spot through Lexis Advance.

Study Breaks

Even though the Library will be open longer starting December 2 (6am-2am weekdays, 8am-2am weekends), we encourage you to take regular study breaks and get a good night’s sleep. To help you take some deep breaths and manage exam stress, check out the audio guided meditations in the Reserve Room’s low shelves and the meditation mats and cushions in the second floor Collaborative Classroom. The UVA Mindfulness Center’s website has free study-break length guided meditations – try the 5-minute mindful breathing one between class outlines, the 10-minute kindness one when the “how could I have missed that practice exam answer!” thoughts come, and the 16-minute body scan if you’re having trouble getting to sleep at night. For more peace and quiet, CALI earplugs are available at the Circulation Desk. Head to MyLab for coloring books and puzzles and keep an eye out for surprise toys throughout the Library.     

Grilled Cheese Night

If comfort food is more your style than meditation, stop into the Law Library on Wednesday evening, December 11, for grilled cheese sandwiches prepared by librarians Ben Doherty, Micheal Klepper, Rebecca Hawes Owen, and Tim Breeden. Grilled Cheese Night is guaranteed to take your mind off of exams for at least a few minutes!

Written by

Kristin Glover

Kristin Glover

Kate Boudouris

Kate Boudouris

Kate is the Research, Instruction & Outreach Librarian at Arthur J. Morris Law Library.

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Mindfulness for Law School

Maybe you’ve taken yoga classes or seen mindfulness on the cover of Time magazine—but what does mindfulness have to do with law school? Learn how mindfulness tools like meditation, mindful eating and movement, and mindful communication can help you handle stress, improve focus, retain information, and enjoy the present moment. The Law Library has collaborated with the UVA Mindfulness Center’s Susanna Williams to offer introductions to mindfulness designed for law students since 2013. This Fall we are hosting drop-in sessions where Susanna will teach you how to integrate mindfulness tools into your everyday law school life. You do not need any prior experience with mindfulness, and you are welcome to drop in on one, a few, or all of the sessions. Stop in the Library’s 2nd floor Collaborative Classroom, 3:45-4:45, for snacks and to learn about:

  • Stress Less, Learn More (Tues., Sept. 18)
  • Mindfulness in Everyday Life (Tues., Sept. 25)
  • Mindful Communication (Tues., Dec. 4)

For a preview, check out the UVA Mindfulness Center’s free guided meditations online, and the Law Library’s collection of mindfulness books, CDs, and magazines in the low shelves in the first floor Reserve Room. For information about other mindfulness activities at UVA, like yoga and speakers, visit the UVA Contemplative Sciences Center’s site.

Written by

Kristin Glover

Kristin Glover

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End of Semester To-Do List: #1 – Study Break

What do you need to get your end-of-semester reading, outlining, and research papers done? “Quiet,” “books and databases,” “study space,” “research expertise,” “massage chair”…. Massage chair?!    

Yes. Studies say taking breaks (even naps) makes you more productive. Challenge yourself to be more productive the last weeks of the semester and this finals period by taking ten-minute study breaks to[1]:  

  • Flip through Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, Essence and other magazines and newspapers in the first floor Klaus Reading Room.
  • Take a walk around the Library’s second floor to check out our annual art show and photos from the 1970 protest on the Rotunda.
  • Get a cup of tea or coffee and chat with friends in MyLab.
  • Browse for a winter break destination in one of the 57 Eyewitness Travel guides in the first floor Klaus Reading Room.
    massage chair
    Karl Lockhart enjoys a quick breather from exam time stress.
  • Try a guided audio meditation (check them out from the short shelves in the Klaus Reading Room). There are meditation cushions and mats in the second floor Collaborative Classroom space.
  • Curl up in a comfy chair in the second floor Collaborative Classroom space.
  • Eat grilled cheese hot off the griddle – stay tuned for date and time of this finals period’s grilled cheese night in the Law Library.
  • Watch an episode of The Office, Scandal, or your favorite TV series and movies from our Reserve Room DVD collection.

And, let the Klaus Reading Room massage chair work out some of your studying muscles’ kinks.

[1] Many of the resources mentioned here are courtesy of the Walter Whitlock Klaus ’36, endowment fund. 

Written by

Kristin Glover

Kristin Glover

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Fall Introduction to Mindfulness for Law Students Workshop

Sign Up Now!

Law school teaches you how to think like a lawyer. The UVA Mindfulness Center’s introduction to mindfulness enhances your law school learning by giving you tools to focus, retain information, communicate effectively, and handle stress.

What is it? Eight, 75-minute weekly sessions of hands-on, expert-guided practice in mindfulness techniques like meditation, mindful eating, mindful listening, and mindful movement, led by the UVA Mindfulness Center. 

When does it meet? Tuesdays, 3:45-5pm, September 13 to November 8 (no meeting during Fall Break). There will be a half-day Saturday retreat.

Where is it? At the Law School.

Who can sign up? The workshop is open to all law students, and free of charge (sponsored by the Law Library). Enrollment is limited. To sign up email Kristin in the Library (klg3n@virginia.edu).   

Written by

Kristin Glover

Kristin Glover

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Spring Introduction to Mindfulness for Law Students Workshop

Sign Up Now!

Law school teaches you how to think like a lawyer. The UVA Mindfulness Center’s introduction to mindfulness enhances your law school learning by giving you tools to focus, retain information, communicate effectively, and handle stress.

What is it?

Eight, 75-minute weekly sessions of hands-on, expert-guided practice in mindfulness techniques like meditation, mindful eating, mindful listening, and mindful movement, led by the UVA Mindfulness Center. 

When does it meet?

Tuesdays, 3:45-5pm, February 9 to April 5 (no meeting during Spring Break). There will be a half-day retreat on March 19.

Where is it?

At the Law School.

Who can sign up?

The workshop is open to all law students, and is free of charge (sponsored by the Law Library). Enrollment is limited. To sign up email Kristin in the Library (klg3n@virginia.edu). In order to get the most out of the workshop, commit to attending all eight sessions and the half-day retreat.   

If you’re curious about mindful meditation, drop in anytime at the Wednesday noon 15-minute meditation study breaks, every Wednesday in the Library’s 2nd floor Klaus Collaborative Classroom. Also check out books and audio about mindfulness, available in the Library’s Reserve Room.

– Kristin Glover 

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Kristin Glover

Kristin Glover

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A Resource Guide to Mindfulness at the U.Va. Law Library

A Resource Guide to Mindfulness
A Resource Guide to Mindfulness.

Integrating mindfulness practices into law school life can lead to less stress, and ultimately, to better career performance. For students interested in learning about mindfulness, we have a workshop, books, audio materials, and twice-weekly meditation sessions. Our latest web guide by Kristin Glover gathers information about all of these events, programs and resources into one place.

Visit “Mindfulness Resources” under “Services” on our website home page and explore!

– Amy Wharton 

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Amy Wharton

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Virginia Lawyer: Mindfulness in Law Schools and Legal Practice

The June 2015 issue of the Virginia Lawyer features an article by U.Va. law librarian Kristin Glover, “Mindfulness in Law Schools and Legal Practice.” The article discusses the emergence of mindfulness programs at U.Va. and other law schools. Glover spearheads the Law Library’s mindfulness program, which offers mindfulness workshops for law students, a collection of mindfulness-related books and materials, and an ongoing series of twice weekly meditation sessions. 

– Amy Wharton 

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Amy Wharton

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Mindfulness Meditations Break on Mondays and Wednesdays

You’re welcome to 15-minute meditation breaks, every Monday at 3pm and Wednesday at noon in the Library’s Klaus Room (2nd floor). No prior meditation experience or registration required – just come on in, sit in a comfy easy chair, & relax as we follow along with a short guided meditation.

– Kristin Glover 

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Kristin Glover

Kristin Glover

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