Category: Students

Fun Sites for Stress Relief

It has been an interesting experience working from home, with many advantages as well as challenges. One of the biggest challenge is both letting work go and staying focused. There are times when I get so involved in what I’m doing that I forget to “leave work.” My family has to remind me to “come home!” Other times it’s a challenge to stay focused.

One way to find balance is to build in structured breaks. Just like in the workplace you need to take a break from what you are doing to stay productive. The law library has provided a wide selection of ways to take fun breaks from your work and studies on the “De-stressing Activities” page of our Remote Access to Library Services LibGuide.

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Here are a few of my favorite activities.

I enjoy playing Mahjong and like the Mahjongg Solitaire game from USA Today games site. The USA Today site has a huge variety of games that are quick and fun. I highly recommend this site for online games to play. 247 games If you happen to like Mahjong, another good site is 247 Games. This site has a large variety of games to play including Mahjong and Solitaire. This site is a fun place to find de-stressing games.

The De-stressing Libguide also includes a variety of de-stressing tips and strategies including the Texas Tech University School of Law Mental Wellness Toolkit. There are also a variety of online workout routines! You can stay in shape and improve your mental well-being. If music helps you relax, there are a wide-variety of links to music, especially classical music. Another idea is looking for your favorite radio station online! Many radio stations have streaming music available online and it’s easy to click and listen to your favorite songs.

Something else to check out are the virtual cultural tours. The art museums are wonderful to visit. I also enjoyed the National Park Tours. This site provides 360⁰ views of various national parks. This helps you get outdoors in the wilderness virtually when you are stuck inside. monterey bay I enjoy watching various animal cams including the Monterey Bay Aquarium web cams and the webcams from the San Diego Zoo.

It is still possible to go outside for a walk in the real world and enjoy a great live break from studying or working. However, if you get tired of the view from your neighborhood you can always go outside with other people and take a walk with them and see their neighborhood. You can watch people who have posted videos of themselves walking around in other locations. The “Let’s Go for a Stroll Outside” site has collected some of these videos for easy viewing.

When you feel like you are going stir-crazy, watch other places with webcams. One fun site is the EarthCam site. EarthCam lets you watch webcams from all over the world. You can watch the beach at Fort Lauderdale, Florida or Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia and everywhere in between!

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There are all kinds of online fun things to do to take a quick break from studying and working at home, these are just a few suggestions. Please email me your favorite links to fun breaks and I’ll follow up this blog post with your favorite suggestions.

Library Write-In: Saturday, October 27, 2018

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Every fall, Professors Baker and Drake host a write-in in the law library’s Collaborative Commons to help students with their scholarly research and writing endeavors.  This fall, the write-in is being held on Saturday, October 27th from 9:00am to 2:00pm, and Dean Nowlin is scheduled to attend.

At the write-in, we’ll provide breakfast and lunch.  Dean Nowlin, Professor Baker, and Professor Drake will be on hand to help with any part of the research and writing process from paper organization and research help to editing and Bluebooking.  We’re there all day to help with whatever you need, and the collective energy in the room will help you make progress on your papers and/or comments.  Previous years’ attendees have reported that having a day dedicated to writing really helped them focus on their paper and make major strides on their drafts.

To attend, RSVP to Professor Drake at alyson.drake@ttu.edu and tell her you’d like to attend.  (As an added bonus, this will help us know how much food to order!)  We hope to see you there.

Please note: you do not have to stay for the entire event.  Pop in and out as you need to, or stay for the whole time.

Circulation & Reference Services at TTU Law Library

Wondering what services the TTU Law Library has for you?  You’ve come to the right place!

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Regular Circulation hours are:

  • Sundays:  1:00-10:00pm
  • Mondays-Thursdays:  7:30am-10:00pm
  • Fridays:  7:30am-5:00pm
  • Saturdays:  9:00am-5:00pm

Hours may vary during holidays, summer, and the exam period. You can find up-to-date hours on the library website.

 

Our Circulation Desk is a one-stop shop for all your study needs (see our huge collection of study aids housed behind the desk), but also for many other items that may come in handy this semester:

  • Pain relievers (aspiring, ibuprofen, acetaminophen)
  • Band aids
  • Antibiotic ointments
  • Pencils
  • Staplers
  • Tape
  • Earplugs
  • Ethernet cables (will need to leave your ID with Circulation)
  • Earbuds and headphones
  • Fax machine (for school-related faxes only)
  • Sewing kit

You can also check out:

  • Power adapters, including for Mac laptops and PC laptops (no iPhone chargers)
  • Calculators
  • A/V equipment (including a projector and sound equipment)
  • Course reserves

You can also come to the Circulation Desk to ask for the On-Call Reference Librarian.  A reference librarian is on call from 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday.  You can also contact the Reference Department by emailing reference.law@ttu.edu or calling 806-742-7155.

 

To stay up-to-date on the library’s many services and programs:

  1. Check out the Electronic Announcement Board outside the library;
  2. Read TechLawAnnounce every day;
  3. Follow us on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TechLawLibrary
  4. Follow us on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TTULawLibrary

We look forward to working with you this year!  Don’t hesitate to stop by and see us!

Fall 2018 ELR Schedule

Sign ups open up TODAY, August 1st at 5:00pm for the law school’s renowned Excellence in Legal Research Program.  To register for classes, use these instructions.  Please note that to register for classes via Blackboard, you must first register for the program by emailing Professor Drake.

Remember, if you are not able to get into a class you want, contact Professor Drake with the class information (title and date) and she will add you to the wait list.  For the required classes (Developing a Research Strategy, Federal Statutory Materials, Federal Administrative Materials, and Case Finding Tools), we may had a third session if there’s enough interest on the wait list.

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Questions? Contact Professor Drake. We look forward to seeing many of you in classes in a few weeks!