Dear 2011 Graduates –
 
In making your plans to prepare for the July Bar Exam, don’t forget to to plan for where you will be doing your studying.  Most NYLS students will use the study spaces here in our Library and on campus, and for these students the planning is simple.  All summer long, NYLS will provide ample study spaces that are quiet, air-conditioned, and open every day, including evenings and weekends.
 
But other students will find it more convenient to study elsewhere, for any number of reasons.  This may be especially true for students who are enrolled in Bar review courses hosted at other law schools.  These students may find it convenient to study in the other school’s library, before or after the review sessions.
 
Some students may be under the impression that NYLS Library can arrange free access to other law schools’ libraries for Bar Exam study. Please note that this is NOT the case.  Our Library’s reciprocal access arrangements with other law schools extend to students, not to graduates.  And by the time you are studying for the Bar you will be a NYLS graduate, no longer a student.
 
If you wish to use to another law school’s library for Bar study this summer, you must make arrangements directly with the other library.  Most local law school libraries charge other schools’ graduates a fee for a Bar study pass, and several sell only a limited number of passes.  This may be true whether or not you are enrolled in a Bar review course hosted at the school.  Thus, if securing a study seat in another law school’s library is important to you, you must plan ahead.
 
This chart details summer Bar study access policies that have been announced by local law schools.  Note that many of these schools begin selling passes in mid-May, and sell only a limited number on a first-come, first-served basis. The sooner you purchase a pass, the more likely you are to secure a seat!

NYLS Library’s Reference librarians can help you contact other libraries, and we will pass along any new access policy information that comes our way. You may call us at 212-431-2332, e-mail reference@nyls.edu, or IM (AOL: nylslib; Google Talk: nylslib; Yahoo: nylslib).  Keep in mind, though, the general rule that we cannot arrange access to other libraries that are sold out of passes, or are otherwise closed to NYLS graduates.