Cornell Law Library Annual Report 1937

LAW LIBRARY CORNELL LAW SCHOOL

REPORT FOR la3o-lB3?

LAW LIBRARY CORNELL LAW SCHOOL

REPORT FOR 1936-1937

The end of the flsoal year, June 30, 1937, marks the end of a successful year In the development of the Law library.

Though there has been nothing spectacular In our

growth, due to our limited appropriation, I fesl that we have made substantial process and have made some very Important additions to our rapidly growing collections.

We have added 3726 volumes to our collection during the year.

This Includes 258 gifts.

A large number of acces­

sions represent, in part, many books which were added to the library years ago and which were found not accessioned when information was taken for purposes of cataloguing.

This ac­

cessioning of old books partially explains the great detail which Is Involved in the reoataloguing project in which we are engaged.

We have added to our fine collection of American

State Reports, the following!

Smith's Court Martial Cases of Maine.

Massachusetts Appellate Division Reports.

Fuller* s Praotlce Reports in Michigan.

Records of the Vice Admiralty Courts in Rhode Island.

Rob&rd1s Conscript Cases of Texas.

We have also added many current textbooks, many of which were

secured at a substantial discount thru personal friendship ÂŽade at law llbray conventions.

GIFTS Among the 258 gifts, speoial mention should be made of the following: Verbatim record of the Geoghan Case, presented to us by former dean Charles K. Burdick. *he German Civil Code, presented by Mr, Willi Kohler.

Interborough Rapid Transit Company, Manhattan Railroad Company, Receivership Reeord, presented by James L, Quaokenbush, Esq. Records and Brief lja the Morro Castle Case.

About two hundred old text books and reports from the library of the late Mr, Pool, which we obtained from the barn of a local Private residence for purposes of trading and exohange.

We have been able to obtain many originals and reprints ns additions to our collection of Session Laws*

We have added

Many revisions and compilations for California, Georgie, Indiana, houieiana and Nebraska.

The current session laws are kept up

to date despite the increasing number of speoial and extra sessions.

The current revisions and compilations have caused

Us great concern becaue of the number of expensive sets which have appeared.

We have fortunately been able to purchase the

Saith-Hurd Illinois Annotated Statutes, permenent edition, 33 volumes and the Oklahoma Statutes Annotated, permanent edition, oontainlng 85 titles, before the twenty-five per oent law school discount was withdrawn by the publishers on January 1st, 1937, because of the Robinson Patman Act.

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The Georgia Code Annotated,

containing some 30 volumes and costing $275.00 caused us the greatest difficulty.

we might have postponed buying this set

for a few more years, b u t our present set of Georgia Statutes Is very cumbersome to use because of its numerous volumes.

Through selling some of our duplicate reports from the Benno Loewy collection, the set.

We had to pay less than vlOO.OQ In cash for

We were successful in obtaining the 1935 Colorado

Statutes Annotated, permanent edition, at a distinct saving, Sue to a personal contact made in Colorado as a result of at­ tending the Law Library Convention.

Colorado was $150.00.

The sale price outside of

Through this contact we were able to

obtain this set by supplying our friend*s library with a set of the Kentucky Statutes at $39.95, thus saving our library *110.05.

Other important additions included the Delaware Re­

vised Statutes, the Kansas General Statutes, and the Kentucky Statutes.

There is a permanent edition of the Michigan Statutes

which has been published which we cannot afford to buy at pres­ ent, but we have hopes of adding this to our collection when we can negotiate an advantageous deal.

We have established a con—

tact in South Dakota through which we can obtain the new revi­ sion at the same price that the lawyers in that state purchase H

and this will be a distinct saving.

I believe that these

additions will give us a very umble collection and maintain °ur reputation in this field.

Pe r i o d i c a l s We have made many additions to our fine periodical oollection.

During the year, we have added the following new

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periodicals?

Bell Yard The Brief of Phi Delta Phi Conveyanoer A Property Lawyer Dio turn John Marshall Law Journal Legal Aid Review (We cut our want list down from sixty-two numbers to ten by writing letters to libraries all over the United States)* Maryland Law Review Ohio La» Reporter (We are one of the few libraries in the country tq have gathered a complete set).

Peabody Law Review Res Judloatae Southern Lawyer Title News University of Newark Law Review ^he following periodicals have been completed either by typing °r by having the missing numbers photostated?

Albany Law Review National Income Tax Magazine Probation Scraps *hls year we have had photostated approximately one thousand Pages of legal periodicals which are out of print and absolute­ ly impossible to obtain otherwise.

We were very successful in

Setting this photostatic work done free of charge through a Personal contact with a local concern.

This las resulted in

*h approximate saving of $350. fc*R ASSOCIATION REPORTS

Our collection of $ar Association Reports has reached the point where It is extremely difficult to obtain the few *ery early reports which we need.

We are constantly looking

*br these, however, and still hope to complete our file. ^ ▼ e added the fi st report of the State Bar of Louisiana.

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We We

kav* the nucleus of the Reoorts of the Federation of Bar Assow

olatlons or Western New York and have arranged to bcrrrow the volumes we need for copying In order to complete our set.

We

are also starting a collection of the Proceedings of the Fra­ ternal Society Law Association.

A current problem for us is keeping pace with the Bar Association Journals.

We have made the following additions to

°ur already complete collection of theses Kentucky State Bar Journal Nevada State Bar Journal San Francisco Bar current trend Is to have the reports of the various bar associations published In these Journals and in law reviews *kich are sponsored by the Bar Associations.

It Is absolutely

essential therefore, that all of this material be obtained and w® are proud of the fact that our current material is complete.

ATTORNEY GENERAL REPORTS AND OPINIONS The demand for Attorney General reports has increased tremendously.

Consequently, lively competition to obtain them

ks-e resulted*

In order to establish the fact of our files being

complete we compiled an "Historical Outline and Bibliography* *hioh is intended as an exhaustive and complete reference.

We

Are pleased that this material was published in the April issue °* the "Law Library Journal* and is receiving favorable oomment. gathering our data we have been successful in establishing Contacts and friendships In almost every state.

V

This engbled

to build up a very fine collection, which is already re­

v i v i n g the reputation of being one of the better collections

In the country.

We are no?? In a position to conclude our searoh

In this field with the feeling that we have completed it as *ell as is physically possible.

We shall, of course, pick up

Borne of the earlier items in the future, but the only remain*?

ihg problem will be to obtain current volumes and we have es­ tablished contacts for this purpose.

This collection now totals

°^er 1500 volumes.

JUDICIAL COUNCIL REPORTS Our check list of this material appeared in the “Law library Journal* last year and we are keeping up to date in this rapidly growing field.

We are compiling the current data

so that we can publish a supplement to our earlier list at some future date.

Ra i l r o a d , p u b l i c u t i l i t y , a n d t a x c o m m i s s i o n r e p o r t s Our material in these fields is so meager that we are concentrating our efforts to build up these respective col­ lections.

There is no authoritative bibliography or list in

this field, so as we gather material to complete our files we Are collecting data and will publish our findings at the con­ clusion of tills project.

This material is very important and

heoessary for ourposes of reae&roh and If we do not gather these Already scarce reports now, it will be absolutely Impossible In the future to do so.

RELEASES

7e have collated for binding all the government com­ mission and board releases. plete collection.

This represents a practically com­

miscellaneous

The following miscellaneous items represent distinct &nd valuable additions to our library: 1* The completion of negotiations and the receipt of the volumes published to date containing all of the New York State legislative Documents, beginning with 1935.

This Is an

excellent solution to the preservation of these valuable re­ ef port3 In a complete fora,/which we have only had miscellaneous copies In the past.

2, The beginning of a file of the reports and publi­ cations of the various state committees on Interstate Coopera­ tion.

3. Collection of the Hearings before various committees of the United States Senate and House of Representatives concerning matters which are of Interest tc us.

We already/the

hearings pertaining to the Social Security Act, Revenue Act of 3-936, Reorganisation of the Federal Judiciary, Investigation of heal Estate Bondholders' Reorganizations, Licensing of Federal Corporations, and other Important material.

4.We have received and extended cooperation to the General University Library In our efforts to complete files of material.

This works towrard the elimination of duplication

*hd also creates a better spirit and feeling between us.

5.

We were able to obtain a set of the Fourth D

digest (1926-1936) before January 1st, so that we were allowed *he twenty-five per cent law school discount.

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This set was listed

At v 700, but after we receives an allowance for volumes one to fifteen and the twenty-five per cent discount, plus an additional si* per cent cash discount, the net cost was &1S8.75.

cataloguing

During the past year the Reading Room text books have bee i catalogued.

Information for cataloguing has been taken on

our collection of old text books.

They have been rearrang-d

and the cataloguing of them is well tinder way. ala

A number of them

had to be accessioned for the firgfc time as they never had

been accessioned.

The taking of information for cataloguing our

collection of trials has been started and the cataloguing of this large section is underway.

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Cards in the old and new cata­

logues have been checked against each other and the cards in the old catalogue for books that have been recatalogued have been Removed.

Every effort is

being exerted to have our catalogue

Accurate and as helpful as possible.

Current cataloguing is kept

Up to date and special emphasis is made of the point that tem­ porary cards be placed in the catalogue as soon as new books are Accessioned.

Reference cards have been started so that they will

Provide additional assistance to one looking for mterlal.

H.Y.A.

Assistants have materially aided in this department and we feel that distinct progress has been made during the past year.

Pe r s o n n e l The close of this year finds us with a slight reorgan­ isation of our personnel!

The net result is that we shall have

a full time assistant to aid in the many and increasing details *hloh confront us in our movement toward a ranking as one of the best law libraries in the country.

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APPRO?RIATIOf! Oar appropriation la grossly out of proportion to the else of our library and to that of other libraries of our site and Importance.

I 'would recommend that the neoeasary pro­

cedure be started go that our appropriation may be materially Increased, hawing In mind that £15,000 per year for the present would not be oat of proportion.

The Increasing amount of ma­

terial which w# mist obtain, with its cost for annual supplesent services, causes us utmost concern.

I feel that unless

we succeed in gaining a subatarfiLal Increase, we shall lose our nanhlng as one of the better law libraries.

We formerly sur­

passed many of these but they have expanded in else as a result of securing increased appropriations.

We have not been able to

keep paee with them but have had to pursue a very steady and gradual growth.

O bligations Through the generosity of Edwin J. Marshall

*94, we

have completed in published form the "Chronicle of English Judges Chancellors, Attorneys General, and Solicitors General*, with the very competent a s s ’stance of Etchard C. Mitchell.

ACTIVITIES I have had the privilege this year of serving as a Bomber of the Committee on Round Table on Library Problems of the Association of Aaarloa? ing in Chicago.

Law Schools.

I attended this meet­

I also have served as a aernber of the Executive

Committee of the Association of American Law Libraries, and **®te& as Chairman of the /Somaittee on Cooperation with the

Association of American Law Schools.

I plan to take part In

the Institute to he conducted at the anneal see tin#? of the Am­ erican Association of Law Libraries In Hew fork City.

In conclusion, I express ay sincere appreciation to the members of the library oo:: alt tee and the entire Law Faculty for their cooperation and interest.

I also aknowledge the fine

work and undivided loyalty of each setsber of my staff without which these projects could not have been acooranll shed.

Respectfully submitted,

Lewis W. Morse, Librarian.

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rules m> mamjcnoRs

The privilege vhloh the quarterly editors have of staying after the library closes and of coning Into the M i d when the library Is closed presents a serious problem.

I

kave noticed that rmny editors seise this opportunity to bring hon quarterly friendÂŽ in after the library closes. hardly fair to other students.

This Is

The editors also are extremely

Oareleas about taking books fr oes the lltmry to the Quarterly offices awl not returning them. overcome this evil.

Personal notice does not sees*

Sore changes sees necessary In after to

**oid these increasing difficulties.