Page 146 - Training for librarianship; library work as a career
P. 146
TRAINING FOR LIBRARIANSHIP
cyclopedia thus stands between the digest and
the textbook.
Every law library contains statutes, re-
ports, digests, cyclopedia and textbooks.
Statutes of course are basic ; upon them and
their interpretations the others rest. Hardly
less important are the collections of law re-
ports of the state and federal courts. The
larger part of any law library is generally
given over to its collections of law reports.
The reports of decisions of law cases of fed-
eral and state courts were contained in 1850
in 980 volumes. In 1865 the number of vol-
umes had grown to 1820, in 1880 to 3230, in
1895 to 6300, in 1905 to about 9000.
In addition, the efficient law library finds
it necessary to have the statutes and reports
of other countries, particularly of Great
Britain. It is seen at once that space is a
most important factor in any law library.
The individual attorney, as well as the mod-
ern firm of lawyers, finds it extremely difficult
to maintain such a complete working library
as was the custom in the United States among
lawyers of a previous generation. More and
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