Cornell Law Library Annual Report 1968

C O R N E L L L A W L IB R A R Y MYRON TA Y LO R H A LL IT H A C A . N E W Y O R K

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â– IT N E R L IB R A R IA N

Report of the Law Librarian

1 9 6 7 -6 8

July 1 , 1968 I

I A new era in the administration of the Libraries of Cornell University will begin when Dr. David Kaser assumes his duties as Director of the Libraries, August 1 , 1968.

In order to provide

some background about the Law Library, the following historical information preceding the usual annual report is supplied.

The

annual report will be followed by a statement of objectives and aspirations for the coming years.

This historical account will not go back beyond the year i960 when a very important step for the future growth and development of the Law Library was taken.

In July of that year the Law Library

was integrated into the Library system where prior thereto it had been an autonomous library unit under the Law School.

While at one time in the early 1 9 2 0 's the Law Library had ranked third among law school libraries, it had gradually lost ground through lack of proper financial support.

By 1 9 k6 the

Law Library had dropped to ninth place and by 1952 to tenth place, having been overtaken by Ohio State.

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Almost immediately after the integration of the Law Library, Dr. Stephen McCarthy, Director of Libraries, took the first step toward upgrading the Law Library.

In October, i960, he appointed

Miles 0 . Price and Harry Bitner to make a survey, which was begun • with a three day tour of inspection and interviews.

In late

November, a detailed report was presented to Dr. McCarthy.

The Survey, while praising the fine basic collection of legal materials, indicated a deficiency of legal monographs and student books and of works in the social sciences related to the work of the law.

A need for growth in the areas of international, foreign

and comparative law was also set forth.

A second and equally important area in need of improvement was the staffing of the Law Library.

The immediate recommendation was

for additional reference and circulation personnel in order to provide essential services to the faculty and staff.

This was to

be followed by a gradual reconstruction of the entire staff, not only in quantity, but quality as well.

A third major recommendation involved office and work space.

The need was to bring the administrative and technical services together in closer relation to the staff of reference and circulation department.

At the time of the survey, the Law Library had a book appropriation of $30,000.00 and a staff of eleven persons, of which four were professional.

The book collection totaled 1 5 0 ,0 0 0 volumes.

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The implementation of the Survey's recommendation was immediate with increases in book appropriations and staff.

By November, 1965,

when the present Law Librarian arrived, significant progress had been made in all areas, including additional work space.

Two stack areas

on each side of the Circulation Cage had been converted into work areas.

The only problem with these areas is the very bad ventilation.

The statistics below outline the progress of the Law Library up to July, 1967.

Although the support of the Law Library has continued to be excellent since 1965, nevertheless, the Law Library has dropped to eleventh place, being surpassed recently by the Law Library of the University of California at Berkeley.

A look at the statistics given

below shows that while more money is being spent for books and periodicals, the rate of acquisition remains constant.

More financial

support is needed to increase the rate of growth so that the Law Library can meet fully the objectives of legal education at Cornell.

Cornell Law Library Statistics, 1961/62-1966/67

1966/67

Vols. Held at beginning of year Volumes added

196I+/65

1963 /61+

1962/63

1961/62

1 9 3 ,2 9 8

183,222

1 7 2 ,3 3 3

163,1+66

1 5 7 ,9 0 6

152,281+

1 2 ,5 5 9

10,326

1 1 ,11+3

9 ,0 0 5

6,001

5 ,721+

1+01

250

251+

138

1+1+1

102

205,1+56

193,298

183,222

1 7 2 ,3 3 3

163,1+66

£101,815.58

£91.300.95

£91+,0 9 7 .7 8

£1*8,000.00

£ 3 5 .3 3 5 .7 2

£ 3 1 ,81+3 .7 3

£ll,8 6 3 .3 0

£12,970.50

£1 0 ,01+1 .7 5

£6,1+5I+.I+5

£6,31+9.28

£6.197.69

£119,678.88

£lOl,2 7 1 .1 5

£101+,1 3 9 .5 3

£5!*. L.5I+.1+5

£1+1.685.00

£11.011.12

Volumes withdrawn Total volumes at end of year

1965/66

•

1 5 7 ,9 0 6

EXPENDITURES, BOOKS, ETC. Books and Periodicals Binding Total

STAFF Professional Personnel

8

6

5

6

5

5

Clerical Personnel

13

6

6

5

5

5

Student Assistants

2

5

2 1/2

3

2

2 1/2

Total Salaries

£1 3 3 ,1 9 2 .0 0

£ 8 8 ,351+.68

£85,669.29

£ 7 3 ,7 6 0 .0 0

£67,1+01.00

1___ ----- ___J_' __ /___

£ 6 6 ,7 0 0 .0 0

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II

At this point I submit my report on the Law Library for the academic year, 1967-1968* A.

ORGANIZATION OF THE COLLECTION The important project of classifying the United States legal

materials in the Cornell Law Library was begun in July, 1967.

The

new Library of Congress "K" classification for law was applied first to the Anglo-American legal periodicals.

In order to carry out this

project in the most efficient manner, a classification team of two clerical personnel to handle numerous details under the guidance of the professional staff was formed.

This team has performed in a very

capable manner with excellent results.

It should be noted that in the process of classifying and re­ cataloging, that a little over 3,200 volumes had not been accessioned or officially added to the total holdings of the Law Library.

In September, 1967, the cataloging section began classifying the more recent publications of legal treatises and monographs which had been organized by broad subjects and originally shelved in the stacks on the Reading Room level.

This material, when finally processed,

was shelved in the stacks on level 2M.

At the same time, other recent

publications of a non-legal nature were also classified according to the Library of Congress general classification schedules.

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The process of classification and recataloging resulted in a realignment of the collection and this in turn called for additional shelving space at new points of the collection.

To obtain the necessary

space meant the clearing of the stacks on the first level which consisted almost entirely of duplicate material.

Some of this material has been

sold, some given to the Ithaca College Library, and the rest, which has no value, will be discarded.

The entire first floor outside the cage

will be cleared by the end of June.

The New York Court of Appeals and the U. S. Supreme Court Records and Briefs will be shifted from the second level of the stacks to the first level.

The Bennett Collection on the second level will be moved

to the first floor cage.

When the entire second level stacks are cleared,

it is expected to house the entire foreign law collection.

B.

REFERENCE AND CIRCULATION SERVICES An equally important project of the Law Library during the year

was the work of the Reference and Circulation staff in organizing and developing a more effective program of reference and circulation services.

Under the direction of Miss Lorraine Kulpa, who joined the staff on September 1 , 1 9 &7 , as Assistant Law Librarian for Reference and Circulation, new and improved procedures were introduced to provide better circulation services to the students and faculty. been accomplished, but more needs to be done. will require additional personnel.

Much has

Further improvement

Miss Kulpa has submitted an excellent

report on the situation and it is hoped that the recommendations of the report will be implemented in the next budget.