Cornell Law Library Annual Report 1940

LAW LIBRARY CORNELL LAW SCHOOL

REPORT FOR la3a-la^0

LAW LIBRARY CORNELL LAW SCHOOL Report for li*3o-40 On June 30, la*0, the Law Library will complete ite eighth year in Lyron Taylor Hall.

In looking back over

this past year we feel that it hae been a very helpful ana successful one in our growth.

We nave had to maxe a number

of changes in our Reading Rooa due to the growth of eight years of continuations. has oeen preserved.

A good working order among the books

A number of comments are received each

year from persons using the library that it Is a very easy library in which to work.

Practically all of our oooas are

on the Reading Rooa floor and the fourth floor of the stacks, so there is little necessity of leaving that level.

A number

of additions have been made to several Important fields, as well as supplementing some of our sets with auxiliary copies.

We have added 3,oLS volumes to our collection dur— lng the year, including 1,043 gifts.

An additional l,alb

volumes have been received as feifts, a large percentage oi which will be kept for auxiliary purposes to replace volumes in our collection when they are worn or to allow additional copies to be added to our regular collection.

A number of

these gifts will also be available for trading and exchange purposes and will not be accessioned.

The ootal number of

cooks in our collection at present is u<s,b33 plus our dup­ licate collection.

There have oeexx a number of expensive

treatises and new booas offered durin

the past year, and we

have been forced to do a lot of dioaerliig ana negotiating in order to effect as many economies as possible and to maxe our appropriation extend over as many purchases as posslole.

Per­

sonal friendships made at law school and law library conven­ tions have made it possible to effect many of these economies.

STATE AND FOREIGN REPORTS Additional progress has been made In reducing the cost of many of the official state reports by purchasing them from sources in several states where we can obtain the advan­ tage of local prices.

Some of our alumni have volunteered

their services to purchase their state reports for us, mail them volume by volume, and we reimburse them at the exact cost to them.

If we were to purchase them directly from the

publisher, it would cost us a substantial additional amount because of the higher out—of— state price.

GIFTS The l,blo gifts include a variety of items.

This

year we have received our highest number of gilts aue, no doubt, to our Including a letter in the annual bill sent to members of the Cornell Law Association.

It is a pleasure to

enumerate the following as the more important gifts: Byron R. Woodln, *i5S, Dunkira, New Xorx, laS numbers of law reviews, b textbooks United States Steel Corporation,^ 5 volumes submitted by them to the Temoorary National Economic Committee John E. Sullivan, 'bo, Elmira, New York, Cornell Law quarterly

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numoers of

Henry Sayles, Elmira, Hew fork, o numbers of Albany Law Review Elmer H. Lemon, *IB, Newburgh, Hew fork, o3 volumee of Hew fork and New Jersey Laws Oscar m» Wolff, 'j ?, Chicago, Illinois, JO numbers of legal periodicals and 1j volumes of C.C.H. Federal fax Service A. F. Rankin, ‘b 7, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, 5 volumes of Wisconsin Statutes J. Franklin Maddever, '30, Niagara Falls, New fork, 1 volume of Laws of Pennsylvania Marvin Wahl, *30, New fork City, 1 volume of Parson's Laws of Business, Ibbb William M. McCrea, *00, Salt Lake City, Urah, Voluiaes 1-j of the Delta Chi Quarterly Harold K. Smith, *aa, Jersey City, New Jersey, *0 voluaes of New Jersey Laws Daviu Cohen, 'la, New fork City, 335 volumes of Reports and textbooks Hon. Stanley C. Shaw, Ithaca, New fork, several volumes of New fork Legislative Manuals ana New fork Red Books William R. Geary, Jr., '35, Brooklyn, New fork, lb numbers legal periodicals; 50 volumes of textbooks and miscellaneous material Randall J . LeBoeuf, Jr., '*Q, New fork City, 1* volumes of textbooks J. Renwlck Ihompson, 'ao, Newburgh, new fork, o text­ books - Blackstone, IbOQ, and Van Santvoord, lo73 Hon. Leonard C. Crouch, 'al, Syracuse, New fork, 550 pexiiodloals, textbooks, and reports Schuyler County Law Library, Watkins Glen, New fork, 05 voluiaes We have recently succeeded in procuring a complete set of the Revised Statutes of Manitoba, la4G, as a gilt.

This has a value of 440.

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EARL J. BENNETT SESSION LAW COLLECTION This funu has allowed us to make additions of ses­ sion laws and statutes for several of the states. gradually completing our collection. otherwise, except for this fund.

We are

It would not be possible

We have been able to keep

up with the new permanent additions of various state statutes by exchanges, trading, and other means in order to reduce the cost to a figure that we could afford.

PERIODICALS A number of new legal periodicals were published during the past year.

We have aadeu the following new titles;

Bar, by Law Society, College of oity of New fork Bill of Rights Review, by American Bar Association Brief, by Hollywood Bar Association Central Hanover Estate Bulletin, by Central Hanover Bank & Trust Company, New fork City Ceylon Law Journal Civil Aeronautics Journal Correction Current Tax Review Farm Credit quarterly Federal Communications Bar Journal 'Federal Home Loan Bank Review Fiduciary Review Law Report News Montana Law Review Motion Picture Law Review

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imtlon&l Tax Association Bulletin Fle&der, Kings County Criminal Bar Association, New Xork Public Personnel quarterly Syllabus, oy Houston Bar Association, Houston, Texas Texas Bar Journal Washington & Lee Law Review Some of these periodicals have been completed after much persistency on our part.

</e nave a collection of legal

periodicals that is about the best in the country, according to statements from law book dealers who have an opportunity of visiting every law library.

We are naturally anxious to

preserve this reputation and, therefore, taxe great pride in completing every legal periodical which comes to our atten­ tion.

BAR ASSOCIATION REPORTS We take great pride in this collection and tne complete file of various bar association Journals and reviews which are published.

These have increased in numoer tremen­

dously during the past five years.

They are difficult to

locate, but persistency usually brings them to us.

ATTORNEY GENERAL REPORTS A O OPINIONS Our collection in this field is extremely strong.

Our work in compiling a bibliography in this field two years ago has resulted in our having one of the best collections.

JUDICIAL COUNCIL REPORTS Our oolleotlon In this field Is complete according to all information that we have been able to obtain.

We have

spent some time during this past year In completing a list of the Judicial council reports published in every state from their beginning through 1 o 3j .

This list was published as a

part of the Annual Handbook of the National Conferences of Judicial Councils which recently appeared.

Mr. Arthur T.

Vanderbilt, Chairman of the Lxecutlve Committee of the National Association of Judicial Councils, wrote us a very appreciative letter for our contribution.

We feel that our

collection of judicial council reports is complete.

RAILROAD AND PUBLIC VIXLXTX COMMISSION REPORTS A great amount of research hae been done in this field during the past year due to the fact there le no authoritative list of published material In this field. are about ready to offer our material to a publisher.

we Our

research hae traced these commissions through their nistorical development, noting their origin, changes, and present status.

We have made a list of the material published by

each commission from its beginning to date.

Our collection

of reports has consequently moved forward with many additions.

We are ready for anyone to use this material for research.

TAX COMMISSION REPORTS Our research in this field has permitted us to begin the publication of material in the legal periodical,

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"faxes", under the title of "State fax Commissions - Their History and Reports".

The first installment began in the

April, lo-iO, issue, **nd each monthly issue will carry addi­ tional material concerning the several states until every state is covered.

The publisher lias promised to place these

in a Dook u.t the conclusion of the monthly installments.

ihe

growing interest and concern over taxation has made this study extremely useful ana valuable.

This research has ma^e

a groundwork upon which we are building our collection.

A

tax statute in any state is not very useful without the re­ port of the commission which formulated it.

A wealth of

helpfui Information on taxation is contained in this material.

Our collection has consequently grown from practically none at all to one of substantial size.

GOVERNLSN!AL AISOHISTRATIVE DEPABSMEBfS This department has grown substantially during the past year.

We are not satisfied until we have not only tne

annual reports issued by the many administrative departments in Washington, but also their releases, studies, bulletins, orders and decisions, opinions, and any publication by them which will be helpfui to anyone doing work in this field.

There are over fifty commissions at present.

CATALOGING The cataloging department has completed a very fine

year.

The approximate number of books of our collection

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cataloged to date Is 71,©84. during the year was 3,7b3.

The number of boo^e cataloged Inforciatlon neoesBury to catalog­

ing books has been taken on b,*u7 volumes. continuations cataloged Is bab.

The number of

Temporary cards have to be

Included In the catalog awaiting official Library of Congress cards, and L^o temporary cards were made.

The number of

Library of Congress oards included in our ooxiection during the past year is 5,©7S.

These are the printed oards purchased

from the Library of Congress but which have to have headings made here.

Also, 3,Bib oards have been typed for our catalog,

and 11,03b cards have been filed during the past year. rent cataloging is *ept up to date.

Cur­

Every effort is made to

make our catalog the heart of our library for information and directions.

N.X.A. assistance has been helpful this year, but the quality has been no more than f&lr.

We are forced to

accept such assistance as is given us, ana it xs veiy ra,re that the average N.X.A. student lias what we call a library sense.

We are grateful, however, for what help they give us.

EXHIBITS We prepared an exhibit for our Reading Room for the lu*Q Commencement period as well ae the exhibit at Barton Hall.

Many complimentary remarks have been received about

them, and we feel that the advertising value of eacu has been great. miscellaneous

The following miscellaneous Items will oe distinct 8

axxd valuable aocomplishaeiits In our library i 1.

During the past year we have sent a meiaorandum to

each member of the f&oulty, on the first of each month Indi­ cating the new boohs received each month,

We added the

feature of Including leading law review artlolee contained In the more important law reviews as they appear eaoh month, I shall be very glad to Include other Information if we re­ ceive any suggestions. g,

We have wanted to and a set of the British Foreign

Papers to our International Daw Oolj.ecti.on lor a number of years.

We found tnat the price wa3 prohibitive.

After

locating axi incomplete set at the u-exieral Library, #e com­ pleted arrangements so that their Incomplete set will be moved to our building on a permanent loan basis, and we are to purchase the missing volumes, which are xxot tow many, and obtain the currexit volumes as they appear.

3.

We have also been searching for a set of the Stat­

utes of the Realm of England, which is the most important coition of their statutes.

*e were never able to receive an

offer for a coiaplete set because of their scarcity.

X found

there was an incomplete set In the General Library, and upon locating: a source for the volumes which they lack, the gen­ eral Library agreed to place these volumes in our library on a permanent loan.

We are obligated to purchase the volumes

they lach at very reasonable prices, and ?t> will have the complete set here.

It is one of the most important additions

which we have made to our collection in several years.

Our collection of duplicate material has been ar­ ranged. In a systematic order.

Xt *i&6 permitted us to have a

complete index made and tc have duplicate lists completed j.or exchange purposes with other libraries, 5.

We have received the records and briefs of each of

the Appellate Division Departments of hew fork Suate begin­ ning January, ld36.

After such experience as we have had,

we have concluded that their great expense dees not Justify the care and money that they require,

we are acue to borrow

and receive any record and brief of the Appellate Division, from its beginning to date, from the Appellate Division Library at Rochester, «ew Xork.

Since they are so near and

so cooperative, our conclusion has been made that our money should be spent for more useful material,

duoh records and

briefs as we have will be bound and placed on our shelves, but we will depend upon the Law Library at Rochester for all future copies.

*• will attempt tc locate records and briefs

from such an important court as the United States Circuit Court of Appeals, Second District, in their place. g.

Additional auxiliary sets of leading periodicals

have been obtained through personal contacts and exchanges.

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Over 3,000 volumes have been oiled, greased, and

repaired during the paet year.

Thl. permits ue to keep the

boon* In good appearance and to give them a eubetantlally longer uee.

Expenditures for these puroha... eave ue many

repairing expenses.

10 a

PERSONNEL Our working personnel during the past year has been very satisfactory with the exception of the Reading Room.

i<e

have h&d three able student assistants at the Control Desk, but the problem of conflicts among them in classes, changes of classes, personal engagements, and other undergraduate problems do not make a completely satisfactory operation of cur Reading Room.

We need a mature person who has complete

charge and the cole responsibility of maintaining order, answering reference requests, and adding a more business-like appearance to the Reading Room.

We need a full-time assistant

there a a soon as economic conditions will permit.

It is a

very Important place in our haw School, and every care should be given to it.

EgjIFMEbT A change in the general lighting in the Reading Room is expected to oe completed during this summer.

After

the experiment of the neÂŤ type lighting arrangement at one table It has been found to be very helpful,

this change will

eliminate the many complaints which have been received In the past about inadequate table lighting.

APPROPRIATION The increase in our appropriation has proven to be very helpful.

The ooet of continuations, annual supplemental

services, legal periodicals, and loose leaf services per year, as well as binding and repairs, have increased to a

11 a

point where they do not allow us much surplus for growth in new material.

The cost of law Dcoits and their annual ser­

vices have Increased to & point where they have exceeded the small increases that have been made to our appropriation.

We need an appropriation of at least *10,000 per year accord­ ing to our present requirements, in orcier to retain ou* ranh among the law schools of the country,

i'here le no law school

library in the country, that I have found, of our size which receives an appropriation as small as *lo,00Q.

^e attempt

to operate on a much lower appropriation ACTIVITIES I had the privilege last summer of attending the annual meeting of the American Association of Law Libraries.

It was most instructive and helpful.

I served as a member of

several of its committees and was elected Presidentelect and will automatically be President of this Association dur­ ing the year ls<40-4l.

I also had the privilege of attending the annual meeting of the Association of American Law Schools and sev­ eral of its round tables in Chicago in December.

Our Execu­

tive Committee and officers of the American association of Law Libraries met there at the same time for business meet­ ings, and we were able to have very successful conferences because of the large number of law librarians present, as well ae interested faculty members.

The entire law faculty and the members of the library committee have been most cooperative and helpful, and I express my very sincere appreciation to them.

Every

member of my library staff has been very loyal and has done fine wora.

Without their aid we would not have been able to

have a successful year.

Respectfully submitted,

June L4, lb40

Law Librarian