A New Chapter for Touro Law Center

The new Gould Law Library at Touro Law Center opened its doors on Tuesday, January 16, in Central Islip, New York. This opening marks the end of construction for a completely new law school facility and a move from the town of Huntington, where Touro resided for approximately 25 years.

The new law school and library were designed by Baldassano Architecture of Ronkonkoma, New York. The facility features clean, modern lines with abundant glass and windows. The two-level auditorium is designed for moot court competitions and electronic presentation of evidence, and is decorated by reproductions of tapestries by Marc Chagall. A chapel and a synagogue are located in close proximity to the auditorium. The synagogue features a 100-year-old Ner Tamid (eternal light) and Torah scroll, both rescued from a Mississippi congregation that closed its doors more than 50 years ago. The school also contains a legal clinic wing to house Touro’s elder law, housing, and family law clinics. A public advocacy wing is located above the clinic, intended to house local not-for-profit groups who will utilize and train Touro students.

The windows of the new law campus overlook federal and state court complexes. The John P. Cohalan Center houses Supreme, District, and Family Courts for the State of New York. The Alfonse M. D’Amato District Courthouse is located next door. An updated Touro curriculum incorporates visits to the courthouses to meet with attorneys and judges, and to observe court proceedings.

The new library is named for the Gould family, who have a long history of involvement and support for Touro Law Center. The 40,000 square foot library has four floors, replete with thirteen study rooms of various sizes, carrels, and tables wired for laptop use, as well as abundant soft seating to accommodate approximately 400 users. Wireless Internet access is available throughout and wireless printing is available on each floor. The Library contains two teaching labs, a humidity and temperature-controlled Special Collections Room, and a sizeable Judaica Room.

The Gould Law Library has 462,000 volumes (with 101,000 titles), including microform equivalents. A staff of 23 includes five reference librarians and two reference assistants. Seven staff members possess a law degree, and eight possess a master’s degree in library science.

Please note the concurrent changes in contact information: