Henry C. Wolf Law Library

Infobox_Library
library_name = Henry C. Wolf Law Library
library_
location = Williamsburg, Virginia
established = 1779
num_branches = 1
collection_size = 380,000 volumes
annual_circulation =
pop_served =
budget =
director = Jim Heller
num_employees = 20
website = [http://web.wm.edu/law/lawlibrary/index.php Wolf Law Library] The Henry C. Wolf Law Library is located at the College of William & Mary's Marshall-Wythe School of Law in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. It contains a 380,000 volume collection and is a member of the Consortium of Southeastern Law Libraries. [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Law Library Overview
work =
publisher =Marshall-Wythe School of Law
date =
url =http://web.wm.edu/law/lawlibrary/about/about_overview.shtml?svr=newlaw
format =
doi =
accessdate =2008-10-02]

In 2008, the Princeton Review rated William & Mary's collective library system as the eighth best in the country and number one in the state of Virginia. [cite web
last = Yelich | first = Hope H. | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Nation's 8th Best Library | work = | publisher = The College of William & Mary | date = 2008-08-27 | url =http://swem.wm.edu/news/view.cfm?swemNewsID=04A18ED5-09F5-309F-66AC9F0E307616EA | format = | doi =
accessdate = 2008-10-02] [cite web
last = McEvoy | first = Kelly | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = College library system ranked 8th best by Princeton Review
work = | publisher = "The Flat Hat" | date = 2008-08-27 | url = http://flathatnews.com/content/college-library-system-ranked-8th-best-princeton-review | format = | doi =
accessdate = 2008-10-02] The ranking was based on a survey of 120,000 students from 368 campuses nationwide.

Mission statement

"The mission of the Wolf Law Library is to provide access to law and law-related resources and a wide range of services to support law school curriculum and programs, promote the advancement of legal scholarship, and fulfill the information needs of library users." [cite web
last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Law Library Mission | work = | publisher = Marshall-Wythe School of Law | date =
url = http://web.wm.edu/law/lawlibrary/about/about_mission.shtml?svr=newlaw | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2008-10-02]

History

:"Adapted and abridged from the Wolf Law Library History online." [cite web
last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = A Concise History of the William & Mary Law Library | work = Law Librarianship: Historical Perspectives | publisher = Fred B. Rothman & Co. | date = 1996
url = http://web.wm.edu/law/lawlibrary/about/about_history.shtml?svr=newlaw | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2008-10-02 ]

Law school origins

The College of William & Mary, chartered in 1693 by King William III and Queen Mary II, was the first educational institution to formalize a law program in the United States. At Thomas Jefferson’s urging in 1779, William & Mary’s Board of Visitors agreed to create a professorship of Law and Police. George Wythe was appointed to that position on December 28, 1779, becoming the country’s first official professor of law.

William & Mary looked for materials on the subject of law but yielded little success. Wythe instead relied primarily on just two sources — Matthew Bacon's "New Abridgement of the Law" and Sir William Blackstone's "Commentaries on the Laws of England". At this time there was no separate law library for the law school.

Eleven years after the law school's establishment, Wythe retired and was succeeded by St. George Tucker in 1790. Tucker expanded upon Wythe’s law materials and utilized sixty-two titles he felt that every law student should read. Titles used by Tucker included John Locke's "Essay on Civil Government" and Jean-Louis de Lolme's "Constitution d’Angleterre".

It was during Tucker's tenure that the first earned law degree was granted in America when, in 1793, the College conferred a bachelor of law degree on William H. Cabell. After Tucker’s resignation in 1803, the law department went into a decline for the next thirty years. It wasn’t until his son, Nathaniel Beverly Tucker, took over in 1833 that the program righted itself. Despite the rejuvenation, the Civil War caused a hiatus of the William & Mary from 1862—1888. The law school was affected by additional problems and did not re-open until 1920.

Library development

In 1923, the law school converted from a two-year to a three-year program. After slow development for the next decade, the first William & Mary school of law librarian, John Latane Lewis, was hired in 1932. Despite being known as a "law school," the separation as an educational entity unto itself had yet to occur; it was still a part of the central William & Mary system. Shortly after Lewis' hiring, the law school secured accreditation by the American Bar Association. The law school received accreditation by the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) that year.

Lewis' ability to develop the collection was limited by insufficient funds, and the library's acquisitions were insignificant in number. In June of 1936, the annual president's report indicated that the total volume of the law library was 8,865. Funding for law materials totalled only $1,913.90 in 1936.

The law school came close to being erased in 1939 when the Board of Visitors, upon recommendation by a special committee, elected to abolish it. Outcry from current and past law school students reversed the decision and ultimately strengthened the law school. Within two years the enrollment had nearly doubled due to increased interest.

World War II interrupted the law school’s momentum. Charles Harper Anderson became law librarian in the fall of 1946 after his graduation from Marshall-Wythe, remaining in that position only until 1947 when he joined the law faculty. Anderson was followed by Virginia Blanche Till, the College's first female law librarian, who served until the end of 1949. Chester Stoyle Baker, Jr. took over in 1950, and managed to stabilize the position, serving until 1959.

pace and funding issues

The law school became known as the Marshall-Wythe School of Law in 1953. Shortly after 1960, the law school library began receiving much-needed funds. Charles Phineas Sherman donated $5,000, allowing the library to build a collection of Roman law materials. Other donations helped to build the overall collection as well.

When the law school’s enrollment had grown substantially larger over the next decade, law books were housed in various on-campus housing buildings and the College’s Earl Gregg Swem Library. The 1970s also saw the last remnants of College control over the law library disappear, and by 1973 the law library was totally autonomous from the main library on campus. At this time it housed 73,000 volumes in its collection but only employed five full-time and two part-time library employees, which caused a strain on library maintenance and help.

Uprise

In 1976, William Sprong, a prominent and politically well-connected Virginian, was appointed dean of the law school. Soon thereafter the Virginia General Assembly allocated an additional $50,000 for law library collection development. Four years later a new law school library was constructed that tripled the space of the old library. It could house 250,000 volumes and seat 458 patrons. Later that year the law school library moved into the electronic age when it acquired its first Lexis terminal.

Amidst funding, staff and other assortments of problems, the death of the law school librarian Caroline Heriot in 1981 affected the library the most. Ed Edmonds, the Associate Law Librarian, was named as the Acting Law Librarian, and over the course of the next six years he helped to set up the first law library computer lab, inaugurate its online public access catalog ("LION"), and pass the 200,000 volume mark. In December 1987, a $500,000 donation to the College was to be used exclusively for the purchase of books to the law library.

During the 1989-90 academic year, one year after Edmonds left William & Mary, the four dual-degree librarians began teaching the legal research component of the law school's innovative Legal Skills program. In that same year the library created new offices for its public services staff on the library's main floor, built a faculty library, and relocated the entire collection.

Much-needed additional funding was granted in mid-1992 for collection development. The fiscal budget of 1992-93 rose to $700,000, and as a result the library was able to raise its collection to over 300,000. By 1994, the library had seven full-time professional assistance librarians, several of whom held dual degrees. In 1999, a one-credit class of Advanced Research Technique was added to the law school’s curriculum, which is assisted in its teaching by the law school librarians.

Present day

By the end of the twentieth century, it was clear that the William & Mary Law Library needed more space and overall renovation. With a strong budget, professional staff and large volume collection, a $16.8 million renovation began in 2003 to address those needs. From the spring of 2005 to the summer of 2006, construction occurred that added an additional 22,000 square feet to the library.

On November 10, 2006, the library was renamed to the Henry C. Wolf Law Library in honor of alumnus Henry C. Wolf (B.A. 1964 & J.D. 1966). The brand new Law Library, which was completed in the spring of 2007, is 58,000 square feet and houses 380,000 volumes of law material.

References

External links

* [http://web.wm.edu/law/lawlibrary/index.php Wolf Law Library]
* [http://newlaw.wm.edu/?svr=www Marshall-Wythe School of Law homepage]
* [http://www.swem.wm.edu/ Swem Library]