Special Collections
The UC Hasting Special Collections contains several different collections, including the following: Rare Book Room, Roger J. Traynor Center, Sixty-Five Club Collection, Records and Briefs Collection and Hastings College of Law Archives. These collections are housed on the sixth floor and access to them is limited. To request access to a special collections item, contact Grace Takatani at (415) 565-4808
Rare Book Room
The Hastings Law Library maintains an impressive collection of rare law books in the Rare Book Room. Access to the collection is limited; please contact Grace Takatani for information about using an item housed in the Rare Book Room.
UC Hastings Archives
The Hastings College of the Law was established as California's first law school in 1878. In an effort to preserve some of the History of UC Hastings as an institution, the library collects important college publications such as class yearbooks, law school newspapers, and faculty biographies. Several important historical documents have been scanned and collected on the college website, including Hastings College of Law: The First Century by Prof. Thomas Garden Barnes.
Roger J. Traynor Center
The Hastings law Library is honored to act as the repository of the papers and memorabilia of the late Chief Justice Roger J. Traynor, who was a justice of the California Supreme Court from 1940 to 1970. While his record as a jurist speaks for itself, the New York Times paid tribute to him in these words: “It was aptly said that Roger Traynor was one of the finest jurists who never sat on the United States Supreme Court. His 30 years on California’s highest court proved that Washington is not the only place to influence American law. Chief Justice Traynor...led his Court and thus often the nation, in adapting the law to current needs and realities...”
Sixty-Five Club Collections
The Sixty-Five Club Collections Room, was created in 1990 for the express purpose of housing publications, papers, and memorabilia of members of the Sixty-Five Club, a unique Hastings institution. Initial collections include books, papers, photographs, scrapbooks, and other memorabilia of Professor Jerome Hall and Professor Richard Powell. [See, The Era of the Sixty-Five Club.]
Records and Briefs Collection
The library has available, in paper or microform, records and briefs for the following jurisdictions:
Federal
United States Supreme Court
Paper (1913-1979; and a few briefs for the years 1839-1891)
Microform (1832 to current) [Note: While extensive in scope, this set does not include briefs for all cases.]
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Paper (1891-1980); Microform (1985 – 1987; 1989-1994) [Note: this set is incomplete]
United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals
Paper (1831-1979)
California
Supreme Court
Paper (1906-1974)
Microform (1895-mid 1930’s; 1959-1964; 1969-1995)
Court of Appeal
Paper (1906 – 1978); Microform (1895-mid 1930’s; 1969-mid 1996)
The paper collection of briefs is shelved on the north side of the sixth floor, while the microform holdings are in the Micrographics Center on the fourth floor.
Bound records and briefs for the federal courts are arranged by term and docket numbers. Special indexes for the bound volumes of California records and briefs are located at the Reference Desk or online.
The currency of the microform records and briefs differs by jurisdiction and is dependent on the microform publisher. Users should consult a reference librarian for assistance in locating the records and briefs for specific opinions.
San Francisco attorneys may borrow the printed volumes. The borrower must present a current California Bar card and proof of residence. Law firms or law schools may borrow records and briefs through interlibrary loan procedures.
View Selected Items from Special Collections
Hastings College of the Law: The First Century by Thomas Garden Barnes [Rare Book Collection / KF292.H36 B3]
The Centennial Record of the University of California, 1868-1968. A Centennial Publication of the University of California. Compiled and Edited by Verne A. Stadtman and the Centennial Publications Staff. [Rare Book Collection / LD758 .S8]
Contact Information
Grace Takatani
(415)
565-4808