Harvard Law School Library

I'm back in Melbourne after the long haul flight home and can finally post the photos I took at Harvard University's Law School Library last week.  

The Library was impressive, not only the architecture, the art, the librarians, and the books, but the reverential buzz which permeates the place.  Past famous graduates were sculpted into every corner, or gazed out at us with their learned, and oily brows from portraits lining almost every wall.  The portrait which struck me most was of George Lewis Ruffin, the first African American Graduate of Harvard Law School.  He graduated in 1869, the first born son of free African Americans living in Virginia, later moved to Boston.  I thought of President Obama who graduated from Harvard Law School in 1991, and then counted up the American presidents who have held law degrees – 26 out of the 44, including, and this still surprises me, Richard Nixon. Eight US presidents have graduated from Harvard University, among them the ill fated John F. Kennedy.

I'd like to thank the Australian Law Librarians' Association for so kindly awarding me the scholarship which allowed me to attend AALL 2012, an opportunity I wouldn't have been able to take up otherwise.  I hope the Blog has given you a sense of (some) of the ideas buzzing in Boston for the three days, and I hope it encourages you to apply next year, I couldn't have had a better time, or been more happy to get acquainted with Boston.

The Library

George Lewis Ruffin