Hugh & Hazel Darling Law Library

Miss the fun you used have as a kid. Fear not we have a few suggestions to get you in the spirit.

1. Head on over to Universal Studios and checkout the Halloween Horror Nights. Be sure to get there early becasue the lines can get long but it is worth the wait. After a six year break Universal Studios not only brought back the party but was smart enough to open the back lot. Halloween at the Bates Motel!

2. Not to be leftout Knott's Berry Farm will be hosting their annual Haunting.

3. A fan of the classics? Well you're in luck because for 2 nights only this coming Monday & Tuesday John Carpenter's Halloween will be re-released nationwide. Be sure to check your local theaters for showtimes.

4. Also Jason (well his mom anyway) will be appearing at the New Beverly Cinema theatre this weekend as well.

5. Looking for something a bit newer grab your friends and checkout Saw 3! The Jigsaw Killer is back for more.

6. How about a twist for the holiday. Stop by the Hollywood Forever Cemetary. Be sure to stop by cinespia.org and register for their mail list. What's better than watching films IN the cemetary?!

7. Like ghosts? Be sure to checkout the Queen Mary in Long Beach. Lot's to do and you can even stay in a haunted room.

8. If you enjoy the originals be sure visit the Disney Concert Hall's showing of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde starring John Berrymore. It's hard to top an evening with a classic silent film and a live pipe organ.

9. Planning to stay in? Be sure to pick up a copy of Disney's The Legend Sleepy Hollow featuring the voice of Bing Crosby.

10. And if you really want to be scared you can always stay home and study. Now that is scary.

Happy Halloween

Posted by Adam Sexton at 3:07 PM | Permalink

Halloween is quickly approaching and there is no shortage of ways in which it can be celebrated.  For those looking for a good scare, there are plently of spine-tingling events to choose from.  Knott’s Berry Farm is hosting its 34th Annual Halloween Haunt.  This terrifying event features 12 themed mazes, 6 shows, 4 scare zones, and over 1,000 monsters lurking throughout the park.  The Six Flags Fright Fest offers Halloween fun for everyone.  The park is family friendly during the day featuring Halloween activities that are more appropriate for children.  At 6:00pm frightening ghouls begin to appear and the park quickly transforms to cater to those looking for a good scare.  Six mazes, five shows, and four scare zones can be found throughout the park and there is plenty to see and do. Queen Mary’s Shipwreck takes place aboard the historic Queen Mary ocean liner docked at the Long Beach Harbor.  Legend has it that this ship is haunted year round so it is the perfect location for a Halloween fright night.  There are a variety of spooky events aboard this vessel including seven mazes, two nightly dance parties, and live bands.  Universal Studios is hosting Hollywood Horror Nights with several scare zones.  The most exciting aspect of this year’s event is that entrance to the back lot will be granted for the first time.  The idea is to be on the set of a live horror film.

If being terrified is not exactly what you have in mind to celebrate Halloween, there are also family friendly events to choose from.  Disney’s Halloween Time provides family fun without the scare factor.  There are plenty of Halloween activities for kids of all ages.  One of the main attractions is the Haunted Mansion, which is transformed to reflect Tim Burton’s film, “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”   The Los Angeles Zoo will host their annual Boo at the Zoo event on October 28 and 29.  During this event, the zoo is transformed for Halloween fun featuring performances, face-painting, and trick-or-treating.  Of course snakes, spiders, and other creepy crawlers can be spotted at this Halloween event also.  One of the most traditional ways to get in the Halloween spirit is to carve a pumpkin.  All of the necessary tools for this activity, including the perfect pumpkin, can be found at Mr. Bones Pumpkin Patch in West Hollywood.  There are also a variety of fun activities for kids including a petting zoo, maze, pony rides, jumpin’ pumpkin, and more.

Finally, if you are looking to go out in costume on Halloween night, the West Hollywood Halloween Carnival has a reputation for hosting the largest and best outdoor adult costume party.  This event promises plenty of entertainment including live bands.   If you simply must include your pet in all of this Halloween fun, the  Annual Pet Halloween Costume Contest takes place in West Hollywood on October 22nd at 10:00am. 

Regardless of how you intend to spend your Halloweeen, or the days leading up to it, there are several events in and around Los Angeles to choose from.   

Posted by at 10:23 PM | Permalink

We’ve had a number of staffing changes in the Law Library over the past few weeks, so I thought it would be a good time to post an update.

Reference & Research Services:

Cheryl Kelly is joining us as our newest Reference Librarian.  She is a 2003 UCLA Law School graduate and will complete her MLIS degree from UCLA in March of 2007.

Technical Services:

Adam Benitez, who has worked in the law library since 1999 with increasing levels of responsibility, was just promoted to Acquisitions Coordinator. He was recently profiled in the "Meet your Library Staff" section of this blog.  Alejandro Sanchez Nunez worked as the student Interlibrary Loan Assistant in the Access Services Department since 2003. He recently graduated from UCLA and was hired as the Library’s Mail Assistant.

Access & Information Services:

Michelle Gorospe, a UCLA undergraduate, is filling in as our Stacks Supervisor on a part time basis.  Michelle had a student position with us and previous law firm experience before being promoted to this position.  Sangeeta Pal, formerly our Circulation, Reserves & Stacks Manager, has accepted our new position of Public Services Projects Coordinator as of October 16.  Her primary responsibilities will include heading up special projects for all of the Public Services departments (Access & Information Services, Research & Reference, Scholarly Support & R.A. program and Collection Development), as well as assisting the library administration. Sangeeta will also continue her role in working with the faculty on the use of library-related technologies, such as ERes and digital recorders.

Please join me in congratulating everyone on their new positions.

Posted by Donna Gulnac at 2:30 PM | Permalink

Well--at least it happened once! Today's Santa Monica Daily Press features a story about two UCLA Law Students, Greg Good and Alicia Hancock, who met on the "Big Blue Bus" and plan to be married next year.  The article states that "Good noticed Hancock's UCLA card carrier dangling from her key-chain. 'I thought, that's my in,' Good recalled."  We know this must be one of our own Law Library wallets!  Good things come to those who display their library wallets (pun intended--sorry Greg)! Read the full story on page 10 of the October 16 issue.

P.S.  Congratulations Greg & Alicia!

Posted by Donna Gulnac at 6:36 PM | Permalink

Adam Benitez, who was recently promoted to Acquisitions Coordinator for the library, has worked in the Technical Services department of the library since February 1999. He received his B.A. in Psychology from UCLA, while working at the East Asian Library as a student assistant. After graduating from UCLA, Adam intended to pursue a Master’s Degree in clinical psychology, but after a semester at Cal. State Dominguez, he decided to return to the library world and got a job in the law library as the Mail Assistant. He was soon promoted to Bindery Assistant and then Bindery Supervisor, a position he held for five years.

When Adam first started working here, he was the lead singer in a band, which took up a lot of his time (read more about Adam’s band in his August blog posting). Once the band broke up, he decided it was time to settle down and go back to school. Since Adam always really enjoyed his work in the library and thought it was “a lot of fun,” he decided a career in librarianship was the way to go and is now working on his Master’s in Library and Information Science at UCLA’s GSEIS, which he expects to obtain by next June. He is working full time while getting his degree and finds it exciting that he is able to apply what he learns in school to the work setting. Once Adam graduates, he and his wife hope to start a family.

Pictured are Adam & his band playing on the Powell steps during the 1999 L.A. Times Festival of Books.

Not only is Adam applying his education to work, but he found it inspiring his music. Adam has just about finished six songs which feature library-related lyrics. He will soon begin recording them in his home studio and plans to play all of the instruments on the tracks: drums, bass, guitar, keyboard, harmonica and more (as you may have guessed, Adam comes from a very musically talented family). He hopes to market these songs to “every library in the U.S.” Some of these titles may be kind of library “inside jokes,” but here they are:

• Doing the DDC [note: Think Dewey Decimal]—A swing style tune
• Authority Control – “Cow punk”
• Digital Resource – electronica
• ILL from Hell – hard rock
• Livin' in the Library – a ballad.  Here are a few lyrics from this tune:

Library, I’m livin’ in the Library

What is life, what is love, what does it all mean?
The reference librarian paused to think
Try BX 293 on the third floor
Browse around and you’re sure to find so much more

If Adam is willing to share, perhaps we’ll feature one of these tunes in an upcoming posting….check back often to find out!

Posted by Donna Gulnac at 5:11 PM | Permalink