Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Augusta County (Va.) Law Library Association Library Record, 1853-1883. Local government records collection, Augusta County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

This item came to the Library of Virginia in transfers of court papers from Augusta County under the accession number 43836.

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 Augusta County (Va.) Law Library Association Library Record, 1853-1883, documents 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.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Augusta County Law Library Association (Augusta County, Va.).

Subjects:

• Association libraries--Virginia--Augusta County.
• Law libraries--Virginia--Augusta County.
• Libraries--Virginia--Augusta County.

Geographical Names:

• Augusta County (Va.)--History--19th century.
• Augusta County (Va.)--Intellectual life--19th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Local government records--Virginia--Augusta County.
• Minute books--Virginia--Augusta County.
• Organization records--Virginia--Augusta County.