New Digital Exhibit: Celebrating Walter F. Mondale Hall

The University of Minnesota Law Library is pleased to announce the release of a new digital exhibit:

"A Foundation in the Law: Celebrating 40 Years at Walter F. Mondale Hall"

Last year marked the 40th anniversary of the Law School's Walter F. Mondale Hall, and gave occasion to celebrate the rich tradition of legal education that thrives within it. The Law Library celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Law School building with the opening of a commemorative exhibit.  We are pleased to announce that the exhibit is now available in digital format as part of the Law Library's Digital Special Collections.

Dedicated in the spring of 1978, the Law School building and the vision behind it provided the foundation for numerous achievements in the past four decades. During this time, the growth and diversification of the student body and faculty, the inception of new student programs and journals, the growth of the library, and the development of the Law School's clinics, centers and institutes, among other achievements, have contributed in transformative ways to the life of the Law School and its success.

In 2001, with the completion of a major addition, the Law School building was rededicated as Walter F. Mondale Hall, in honor of the Law School's illustrious graduate and great friend, The Honorable Walter Mondale ('56). The expansion added new spaces for research, teaching, student activities and library special collections, in support of the Law School's tradition of advancing ideas at the forefront of legal education. 

The Law Library’s new digital exhibit, “A Foundation in the Law: Celebrating 40 Years at Walter F. Mondale Hall,” ensures that the story of the Law School building will be preserved. We invite visitors to learn more about the building and its history on our digital site.

   - Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections

Our Rare Chinese Law Collection

Recently we were visited by Yao Chen, the librarian of the East Asian collection in Wilson Library here on campus. Yao is working on compiling an important bibliography of rare Chinese books at the University, which involves updating the records and information we have about the books. It is a great project that allows us to learn more about our own collection also, which has been exciting. 

Our collection of Chinese law was largely acquired from the Northwestern Law Library as a single acquisition. Although not extensive, a number of multi-volume sets push the size of the collection over 100 volumes and fascicles. The earliest title in the collection, published in 1810, is the Ta Tsing Leu Lee in its first English translation by George Thomas Staunton. Often transliterated today as Da Qing lüli, these are the "Laws and Precedents of the Great Qing," the law code of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), which was periodically updated over their long reign. The criminal code covers a broad range of subjects, from offenses related to ritual and familial piety, to marriage, public administration, tax, property and violent crimes.   

Other items in the collection are also of note. We hold one late Qing series of bulletins on administrative law, as Yao mentioned to us, that is very rare and will require a detailed comparison to holdings in other libraries. Many other titles relate to criminal law and touch on subjects that are worth the attention of the historical researcher who can navigate them. In one example, pointed out by a visiting student, some penalties under the Qing dynasty could be reduced if the guilty party's family would suffer from a loss of livelihood. In other cases, like crimes against the state, penalties were severe, resulting in the forfeiture of family property and the execution of family members. 

After Staunton's translation of the Da Qing lüli, the next earliest titles in our collection are also among the most unique. Yao very kindly pointed these out to us during her research. The works relate to the legendary judge Bao Zheng (999-1062) and the famous administrator Hai Rui (1514-1587). Both figures have been mythologized in Chinese culture (Bao Zheng has been taken sometimes as divine). Both have also been interpreted as paragons of uncompromising justice, and as bulwarks of law against corruption. They are still portrayed today in literature, television (here, for example), cinema and other forums in China, though more innocuously than at points in the past. In the case of symbolism associated with Hai Rui, a controversial play about his career provided the spark for Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution in the 1960s.

The two works in our collection related to Bao Zheng and Hai Rui are similarly fictionalized. The first title, transliterated as Xiu Xiang Longtu Gong An (1816), are stories related to Bao Zheng, and the second, Hai Rui da Hong Pao Quan Zhuan (1813), stories about Hai Rui. In these fictitious criminal cases, well-dramatized wrongs are investigated and righted by the protagonists. Judge Bao, in particular, was and is a very popular protagonist in gong'an, or crime stories, of which our work represents an example. Somewhat like "Law & Order" today, the stories were popular among Chinese audiences under the Ming dynasty, and certainly during the Qing, when our books were published. Our titles are appropriately mass market books intended for wide distribution. The quality of printing is also appropriate for a mass market. Unusual even for more literary works in our collection, our edition of stories about Bao Zheng is illustrated with scenes from the tales. The woodblock printing required single carved blocks to create the engaging images, some of which are included below. For more on reading illustrated fiction during the period, see here.

Although modest in scope, the collection of Chinese law is diverse and interesting, and certainly worth perusal and study.

   - Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections

        

Tuesday, April 16: Darrow Birthday Celebration!

Come out this Tuesday, April 16, at 11 a.m., for Clarence Darrow's birthday celebration in the Law Library lobby!

Grab donuts, cake and coffee in celebration of Darrow, the great American trial lawyer, whose letters the Library holds in the Riesenfeld Center. Don't forget to take a quiz for a prize, and a selfie with a life-sized Clarence (for good luck)!

When: Tuesday, April 16th, 11 p.m - 1 p.m.
Where: Law Library Lobby
What: Donuts, cake and coffee!

April 10: Rare Books Open House!

All are invited to the Riesenfeld Center's April rare books open house, this 
Wednesday, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.! 

Come out and enjoy free snacks and drinks, and see treasures from the library's rare books and special collections. 

When: Wednesday, April 10th, 12 p.m - 3 p.m. 
Where: Riesenfeld Rare Books Center* 
What: Rare books, cookies, snacks, and drinks! 

(*The Center is in N30, on the sub plaza past Sullivan Cafe and N20.)

Wednesday, March 6: Spring Exhibits Open House!

All are invited to the Riesenfeld Center's spring exhibits Open House, this Wednesday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.! 

The exhibits honor the career and achievements of Judge Diana E. Murphy ('74) (1934-2018) and trailblazers like her, based on the recent donation of Judge Murphy's judicial and professional papers. For more on the new exhibits, see our recent blog post.

"A Legacy Preserved: The Papers of Judge Diana E. Murphy"

and

"Women in the Law: Pioneers of the Courtroom"

Come out and see the exhibits, enjoy snacks and refreshments, and take a quiz for prizes! 

When: Wednesday, March 6th, 12 p.m - 4 p.m. 
Where: Riesenfeld Rare Books Center 
What: Spring exhibits, snacks, refreshments, and a quiz for prizes! 

New Library Exhibits: "A Legacy Preserved: The Papers of Judge Diana E. Murphy" and "Women in the Law: Pioneers of the Courtroom"

The Riesenfeld Center is pleased to announce the Law Library's spring exhibits:

"A Legacy Preserved: The Papers of Judge Diana E. Murphy"

and

"Women in the Law: Pioneers of the Courtroom"

Judge Diana E. Murphy ('74) (1934 – 2018) was a trailblazer of the American courtroom. In a judicial career that spanned four decades, Judge Murphy was the first woman appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota (1980), and the first woman appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (1994). Judge Murphy’s opinions left a remarkable imprint on the federal courts, where she shaped the law in areas from due process to free speech and guided key issues ranging from employment discrimination to American Indian rights. Not only active on the bench, Judge Murphy was deeply involved in professional and civic service, including her work as the first woman to chair the United States Sentencing Commission (1999-2004), and as a board member and trustee of numerous organizations, among which were local colleges and universities. 

The Law Library is proud to commemorate Judge Diana E. Murphy’s career in its spring exhibit, which has been made possible through the generous donation of her judicial and professional papers by her sons, John and Michael Murphy. The extensive donation of papers is a testament to the enduring importance of Judge Murphy’s legacy. The Riesenfeld Center is honored to preserve Judge Murphy's archive and to support research into her career and opinions by future generations of students, faculty, and researchers. 

To contextualize the achievements of Judge Murphy and to celebrate many other trailblazers like her, the Library has mounted a second exhibit, "Women in the Law: Pioneers of the Courtroom," highlighting the history of women in the law and the achievements of women on the bench.

   - Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections

February 20: Rare Books Open House!

All are invited to the Riesenfeld Center's first rare books open house of the semester, next Wednesday, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.! 

Come out and enjoy free snacks and drinks, and see treasures from the library's rare books and special collections. 

When: Wednesday, February 20th, 12 p.m - 3 p.m. 
Where: Riesenfeld Rare Books Center* 
What: Rare books, cookies, drinks and snacks! 

In addition to other treasures, we'll preview some of our upcoming spring exhibits, based on the recent donation of the judicial papers of Judge Diana E. Murphy ('74):

A Legacy Preserved: The Papers of Judge Diana E. Murphy 

and

Women in the Law: Pioneers of the Courtroom 

(*The Center is in N30, on the sub plaza past Sullivan Cafe and N20.)