Series II: Augusta Law Library Association Records, 1853-1883

Extent:

1 volume

Scope and content:

Historical Information:The Augusta County Law Library Association was formed after an act of the General Assembly, passed 29 March 1853, authorized the establishment of law libraries. The act stated that members of the bar practicing in a given locality should procure by voluntary contribution a law library of the value of at least one hundred dollars for the use of the courts held in the particular locality. The Augusta County Law Library Association first met on 7 June 1853 under the supervision of Judge Lucas P. Thompson to establish the rules for the formation and management of the law library. Any member of the bar would be eligible for membership after paying the required admission fees and dues. Books were either donated or purchased with library funds. Users of the library were limited to judges of federal and state courts, lawyers, and law students. The clerk of court would serve as librarian, and a three-member library committee was formed to biannually report the condition of the library and to make any suggestions for the enlargement and management of the library. John B. Baldwin, Alexander H. H. Stuart, and John N. Hendren served on the first library committee. The Augusta County Law Library Association started with twenty members and a fund of approximately two hundred dollars. During its first year of existence, the library association purchased upwards of a hundred volumes, and when combined with donations the library contained nearly five hundred volumes. Throughout the thirty years documented by the Library Record, the library continued to grow although membership remained steady, with approximately twenty members reported at each term.

Scope and Content: The organization records of the Augusta County Law Library Association consist of a record book. The volume documented the meetings of the library association. Early meetings record the formation of the association and the establishment of rules to govern the management of the library. The remainder of the meetings documented include the presentations of the library committee reporting on the condition of the library and its membership. These presentations discusses book purchases and book donations. Each report is followed by a statement from the librarian about the condition of the library and its volumes. The committee also included the receipts for any books purchased and a detailed list of books donated that include notations concerning the condition of the donated volumes. Membership lists are also provided that include the name of the member and the amount of dues or fees paid throughout the term.

Physical location:

State Records Center

Access and use

Contents