Wednesday, October 29: Halloween Open House!

All are invited to the Riesenfeld Rare Books Center's special Halloween Open House on Wednesday, October 29, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.! 

Come out to see spooky treasures from our collection, including books on witchcraft trials, macabre murders, the fate of 'bloody' hanging judges, and manuals of judicial torture - and pick up free snacks, drinks, and Halloween candy!

Come out in costume and get a picture on our Tumblr page!

When: Wednesday, Oct. 29th, 12 p.m - 3 p.m.
Where: Riesenfeld Rare Books Center*
What: Rare books, snacks, drinks, candy and costumes!

*The Center is in N30 on the Subplaza, on the hallway past Legal Grounds Cafe and N20.) 

New Riesenfeld Center Acquisitions: Clarence Darrow

The Riesenfeld Center recently acquired several items to add to its preeminent collection of letters, publications and trial material from the career of legendary defense attorney, Clarence Darrow (1857-1938). A new letter from Darrow concerns a dinner party held in 1931 to honor Lincoln Steffens, the noted American journalist, with an image of the seated attendees in New York. The enclosed list of attendees shows that Darrow was still associated with many of the journalists late in his career that he had known much earlier, including his old friend Steffens. Darrow's friendships and associations with journalists like Steffens and H. L. Mencken helped considerably to promote his trials and the social issues on which he frequently spoke and debated, often to large crowds across the country. Present at the tribute dinner was also Edward Bernays, a pioneer of American public relations and political psychology who contributed significantly to the war efforts in WWI and WWII. 

Another is a copy of "Big" Bill Haywood's autobiography, published in 1929, here with original illustrated dust jacket and formerly owned by women's rights activist Clarina Michelson. The feared Haywood was one of Darrow's important clients, a founding member of the International Workers of the World (IWW, or "Wobblies") and a controversial American labor leader. Darrow successfully defended Haywood against a murder charge in 1907, cementing his reputation as perhaps the nation's foremost defense attorney. The Library and Riesenfeld Center's Darrow Collection also holds a partial transcript from the famous murder case, the separately-printed closing arguments of the prosecution and defense, and letters related to the case. As a renowned labor lawyer during the first half of his career, Darrow defended Eugene Debs and prevailed in several other high-profile cases that are part of the Library's extensive Darrow Digital Collection. 

   - Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections

New Library Digital Exhibit: The Scopes Trial at 100

The Law Library and Riesenfeld Center are pleased to announce the release of a new digital exhibit:

“Evolution on the Stand: Revisiting the Scopes Trial at 100” 

The digital exhibit commemorates the centennial anniversary of one of America’s most storied courtroom dramas, The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes. The 1925 trial of John Scopes, accused of violating a Tennessee law prohibiting the teaching of evolution, became a national sensation and the focal point of a public debate over the roles of science and religion in public education. The digital exhibit highlights the Law Library’s preeminent collection of famed defense attorney Clarence Darrow’s letters, publications, photographs, and trial materials. The digital exhibit also preserves and builds upon a physical exhibit that is open in the Riesenfeld Rare Books Center throughout 2025. The new digital site adds to and expands the series of digital research sites and exhibits that are available as part of the Library's digital special collections. 

The new digital exhibit features more than forty items drawn from the Riesenfeld Center's rare books collection, including letters, original trial documents, witness statements, inscribed books, speeches, and debates. In addition, there are daily trial summaries and transcripts, and timelines that contextualize the Scopes trial within a larger debate on the history of evolutionary thought and the roles of science and religion in American public education.  

“Evolution on the Stand: Revisiting the Scopes Trial at 100” was created by Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections Ryan Greenwood, Archives & Digital Collections Associate Sophia Daley, Digital Technology Specialist Joy Brown, and Associate Director for Access Services & Digital Initiatives Michael Hannon.

   - Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections

Wednesday, October 1: Rare Books Open House!

Come out to the Riesenfeld Center's first rare books open house of the year, next Wednesday, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.!

Enjoy snacks and drinks, and tour historical treasures from the library's rare books and special collections.  The material in the Riesenfeld Center includes more than 25,000 volumes of rare and special texts printed from the fifteenth through twenty-first centuries, the Law School archives, and unique modern manuscript collections.

When: Wednesday, October 1, 12 p.m - 3 p.m.

Where: Riesenfeld Rare Books Research Center*

What: Rare books, bagged snacks and treats, candy, and refreshments!

(*The Riesenfeld Center is in N30, on the subplaza past Legal Grounds Cafe and Student Orgs. in N20.)

Wednesday, September 24: Exhibit Open House!

All are invited to our fall exhibit open house, next Wednesday, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.!

"Evolution on the Stand: Revisiting the Scopes Trial at 100"

When: Wednesday, September 24, 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Where: Riesenfeld Rare Books Research Center (N30, Subplaza level, past Legal Grounds and Student Orgs. in N20).

Snacks, fruit, and refreshments will be served!

One of our most storied courtroom dramas, the 1925 Scopes Trial became a national sensation and the focal point of a public debate over the places of evolution and religion in public education. At trial and on appeal, the defense team aimed to test the constitutionality of a Tennessee law that prohibited teaching that humans were the product of Darwinian evolution. 

The trial did not resolve contemporary tensions between science and fundamentalist religion, but rather thrust them further into the national consciousness. Over the past century, the Scopes Trial has continued to influence public discourse about the teaching of evolution and the role of religion in public schools. For its impacts in the courtroom and classroom, the Scopes Trial remains an fascinating chapter in American legal and cultural history.

“Evolution on the Stand: Revisiting the Scopes Trial at 100,” commemorates the centennial of the case, inviting viewers to revisit the trial’s cultural context, as well as its prominent figures, issues, and legacy. The exhibit highlights the role played at trial by famed defense attorney Clarence Darrow, and the University of Minnesota Law Library’s Clarence Darrow Collection, more than 1,000 letters written by and to the great trial attorney, together with speeches, debates and other material by and about Darrow. Drawn from this collection, the exhibit spotlights letters, books, pamphlets, cultural artifacts, and a series of original court documents from the case. 

“Evolution on the Stand: Revisiting the Scopes Trial at 100” was curated by Ryan Greenwood, Sophia Daley, Joy Brown, and Michael Hannon.

Wednesday, September 17: Celebrate Constitution Day!

Come out and celebrate Constitution Day in the Law Library lobby! 

Stop by and grab donuts and coffee on Wednesday, September 17, and pick up a crossword puzzle about the US Constitution for prizes. Collect a pocket copy of the Constitution also!

Don't forget to take a selfie with James Madison!   

When: Wednesday, September 17, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Where: Law Library Lobby
What: Donuts, Coffee, Tea and Prizes! 

Celebrating the Minnesota-Uppsala Exchange Program

More than forty years ago, in 1982, the University of Minnesota Law School and Uppsala University's Faculty of Law began an international exchange program that continues to this day. The program represents a rich tradition of faculty and student exchange, travel and friendship that continues to connect hundreds of present and former participants across the globe.

The Minnesota-Uppsala exchange program is one of the oldest of its kind in the world. It was first proposed as the result of a visit to Minnesota by John Eric Wickstrom, Sweden’s former Minister of Education, in late 1980. Minnesota Law School Dean Robert Stein and Uppsala Faculty of Law Dean Anders Agell discussed the proposed exchange program in 1981. Their plan was finalized in 1982 and included the exchange of faculty, students and library resources between the two schools. Uppsala Professor Stig Strömholm, a towering figure in Swedish academia, served as the first faculty member to participate in the exchange, in the fall semester of 1982. This marked a grand beginning for the program, which has sent countless students and faculty between the two schools since that time.      

This week Minneapolis and Uppsala, Sweden, will proudly celebrate the 25th anniversary of their “sister city” relationship, a fruitful partnership that brings a delegation of distinguished visitors from Uppsala to Minneapolis for a series of events.

As part of the visit and celebrations, the University of Minnesota Law School and the Uppala University Faculty of Law will honor the long history of the exchange program between the two schools with the launch, on September 15, 2025, of a new commemorative volume of De lege, the Uppsala Law Faculty’s annual scholarly publication. The new volume features a terrific collection of reflections by faculty and students who participated in the exchange program since its inception in 1982.  

As a companion to the September 15 launch and celebration of the Minnesota-Uppsala exchange program, the Riesenfeld Center has contributed a display, which can be seen in the Law School foyer, drawn from the De lege volume and showcasing images of exchange program events and participants through the years.  

   - Ryan Greenwood, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections