Special Collections is pleased to announce the digitization of the library’s collection of course catalogs.  An ongoing project, the digitization of the catalogs from 1835/36–1868/69 and 1970/71-2005/06 is complete and the images are available online through the HOLLIS catalog. 

The Law School’s collection of catalogs dates from 1835/1836 – a time when there were only two members of the faculty (Joseph Story and Simon Greenleaf) and 52 students.  Many of the changes at the school that occurred over the next 170 years are documented in the catalogs.  Offering information on faculty, courses, policies, and student lists, the catalogs are a rich source of information for researchers interested in anything from genealogy to the history of Harvard Law School and legal education.  In addition, catalogs printed from 1970/1971–2005/06 showcase portraits from the School’s Art Collection on the cover, and many of the catalogs printed between 1878 and 1970 have maps featuring the campus and surrounding areas in Cambridge – a useful tool to follow physical changes to the university and city. 

Due to the fact the catalog has gone through three name changes since 1835, the catalogs are accessible through three different HOLLIS records.

A catalogue of the Law School in Harvard University (1835/36–1868/69):  HOLLIS 11365376

The Law School of Harvard University (1878/89–1970/71):  HOLLIS 374288

Harvard Law School Catalog (1970/71–2005/06):  HOLLIS 374287

Beginning in the academic year 2006/2007, the course catalog is only available online through the Law School’s website.

Much credit for this project goes to Senior Serials Cataloger Sandra Hopkins and Special Collections Access Services Coordinator Lesley Schoenfeld who researched the Law School’s holdings and corrected often confusing catalog records.  Completed and ongoing imaging services are supplied by the Harvard College Library’s Digital Imaging Group.

Post contributed by:
Edwin Moloy
Curator of Modern Manuscripts & Archives

Have you spent this entire picture-perfect weekend trapped inside, immersed in the minutiae of never-ending outlines and the stress of exams?

If so, take half a minute to appreciate Hudson Hongo’s list of Court Cases With Which I Am Familiar.

Harvard Law School’s faculty has voted unanimously to join the Faculty of Arts & Sciences in implementing an open access publication policy and institutional repository for works published by faculty members.  Incoming Vice Dean for Library and Information Resources John Palfrey’s blog provides details, including the text of the policy.  The Chronicle of Higher Education blogged the decision as well.

What does it mean for you?  Well, in essence, Harvard law faculty members’ new publications will be available for non-profit, research use to anyone who can access the internet.  (Unless the faculty member chooses to opt out of the system, which the policy gives the faculty member the right to do.)

As HLS Dean Elena Kagan says “Our decision to embrace ‘open access’ means that people everywhere can benefit from the ideas generated here at the Law School.” Harvard University Professor and Director of the Library Robert Darnton hailed the vote: “That such a renowned law school should support Open Access so resoundingly is a victory for the democratization of knowledge. Far from turning its back to the outside world, the HLS is sharing its intellectual wealth.”

As Stuart Shieber, a major advocate for the policy has noted,

"Librarians have been very involved with these issues, and with the work on this policy. There was important library representation on the Provost’s Committee on Scholarly Publishing, which developed this proposal, and involvement of librarians at many points, including an open forum with librarians on the motion.”

As librarians, we look forward to helping provide easy access to what will soon become a free source of some of the best scholarship in the world. 

Mildred Loving, whose 1967 Supreme Court victory brought an end to laws prohibiting interracial marriage in the United States, passed away on Friday at the age of 68.

Much has been written about Mrs. Loving and her husband, Richard. Of particular note for legal scholars are last year’s Howard Law Journal symposium commemorating the 40th anniversary of Loving v. Virginia and Phyl Newbeck’s 2004 book.

From BoingBoing comes the news that the dispute we blogged about last month between Oregon and would-be net publishers (or, as they call themselves, “archivists") Justia and Public.Resource.Org continues.  Oregon insists on its copyright, and has offered the publishers a “public license.” To no avail - BoingBoing quotes Karl Olson of the firm Levy, Ram & Olson LLP, Attorneys, as responding that

My clients respectfully cannot agree to the Public License. First, and most fundamentally, it would require them to acknowledge that portions of the Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) are protected by copyright, and they respectfully but vigorously disagree that portions of the ORS are protected by copyright.

Read the attorney’s letter in full.

William Patry, (senior copyright counsel for Google - so perhaps with his own agenda) offers this delightfully-titled analysis “Oregon goes wacka wacka huna kuna" on his blog. 

Hat tip: WisBlawg

HLS 3L José Klein has created the Learned Handmade Plates, a series of dishes commemorating significant U.S. Supreme Court decisions and current Justices of the Court.

The Learned Handmade Plates web site shows images of each of the 31 plates and includes detailed information about each case and judge that is depicted.

According to the HLS student newspaper, Klein’s work satisfied his 3L writing requirement.

The plates are available for purchase. Looks like there are also some magnets for sale.

For those students who endured the Ames Competition researching third-party actions involving guns, yesterday the U.S. Court of Appeals dismissed a case citing the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.  Read more in the New York Times.

Your family will be here for graduation in a few weeks. You’ll want to have an enjoyable and relaxing visit with them, and also deceive them into thinking that you took full advantage of the surrounding cultural and historical resources during your time here. But how?

One way is to take the clan on a digitally-guided walking tour of Old Cambridge. From now until June 1st, you can get a free download of “Beyond the Yard: A Guided Tour,” from the Cambridge Office for Tourism (after June 1st, they’re charging for it). Among the stops on the tour: the Longfellow National Historic Site, Cambridge Burying Ground, Christ Church, and JFK Park.

The tour features insights from local historians and other community leaders, and is narrated by a Harvard alumna and travel writer. Both a 60-minute version and a 90-minute version are available.