Law examinations - University of Virginia School of Law

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Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
160 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Brenda Gunn
Phone: (434) 924-1037
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Restrictions:

The conditions governing access vary across the collection. There are no restrictions on access to the examinations of deceased professors. However, access to the examinations of living professors is restricted. Researchers must first obtain written permission from living professors to view them. After a researcher presents written permission to the University of Virginia Law Library, the Library may allow them to view the examination in the special collections reading room. Researchers may take written notes, but the Library prohibits photography or scanning. Researchers may not borrow examinations or view them outside of the special collections reading room.

A few living professors have waived the requirement for written permission. Waivers are recorded in a conditions governing access note attached to the examination records in this finding aid.

The conditions governing access vary across the series. There are no restrictions on access to the examinations of deceased professors. However, access to the examinations of living professors is restricted. Researchers must first obtain written permission from living professors to view them. After a researcher presents written permission to the University of Virginia Law Library, the Library may allow them to view the examination in the special collections reading room. Researchers may take written notes, but the Library prohibits photography or scanning. Researchers may not borrow examinations or view them outside of the special collections reading room.

A few living professors have waived the requirement for written permission. Waivers are recorded in a conditions governing access note attached to the examination records in this finding aid.

There are no access restrictions for the examination answers in this file. The University of Virginia removed all of the information in these items that would identify the students who wrote them.

There are no access restrictions for the examination answers in this file. The University of Virginia removed all of the information in these items that would identify the students who wrote them.

The conditions governing access vary across the series. There are no restrictions on access to the examinations of deceased professors. However, access to the examinations of living professors is restricted. Researchers must first obtain written permission from living professors to view them. After a researcher presents written permission to the University of Virginia Law Library, the Library may allow them to view the examination in the special collections reading room. Researchers may take written notes, but the Library prohibits photography or scanning. Researchers may not borrow examinations or view them outside of the special collections reading room.

A few living professors have waived the requirement for written permission. Waivers are recorded in a conditions governing access note attached to the examination records in this finding aid.

The professor, John Calvin Jeffries, has opened access to this examiniation to all law students. Students do not need his explicit written permission to view it in the special collections reading room.

The conditions governing access vary across the series. There are no restrictions on access to the examinations of deceased professors. However, access to the examinations of living professors is restricted. Researchers must first obtain written permission from living professors to view them. After a researcher presents written permission to the University of Virginia Law Library, the Library may allow them to view the examination in the special collections reading room. Researchers may take written notes, but the Library prohibits photography or scanning. Researchers may not borrow examinations or view them outside of the special collections reading room.

A few living professors have waived the requirement for written permission. Waivers are recorded in a conditions governing access note attached to the examination records in this finding aid.

Terms of access:

Because of the nature of this collection, copyright status varies across the examinations. Copyright is assumed to be held by the original creator of individual items; these items are expected to pass into the public domain 120 years after their creation. The University may grant permission to publish or reproduce intellectual property it owns in the name of The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia.

Because of the nature of this series, copyright status varies across the examinations. Copyright is assumed to be held by the original creator of individual items; these items are expected to pass into the public domain 120 years after their creation. The University may grant permission to publish or reproduce intellectual property it owns in the name of The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia.

Because of the nature of this series, copyright status varies across the examinations. Copyright is assumed to be held by the original creator of individual items; these items are expected to pass into the public domain 120 years after their creation. The University may grant permission to publish or reproduce intellectual property it owns in the name of The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia.

Because of the nature of this series, copyright status varies across the examinations. Copyright is assumed to be held by the original creator of individual items; these items are expected to pass into the public domain 120 years after their creation. The University may grant permission to publish or reproduce intellectual property it owns in the name of The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
.5 Cubic Feet 1 archival box, 47 Volumes, and .096 Gigabytes
Creator:
University of Virginia. School of Law
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

This collection consists of examinations that the University of Virginia Law School administered to students between 1890 and 2018. It also includes a few examples of examination answers.

The examinations exist in diverse media formats. Most of them are printed on paper, and most printed examinations are bound together into volumes. The other examinations were born digital and were initially made available to students online or on digital media (e.g., CDs, DVDs).

This series contains unbound print and CD copies of examinations given at the University of Virginia School of Law. The names of the professors who administered the examinations are given in parentheses with the name of the course.

J.H.A. Smith, a University of Virginia School of Law alum from the Class of 1899, signed these examinations.

Gordon M. Buck signed this examination.

Edwin B. Jones signed this examination. Jones was an alum of the University of Virginia School of Law, Class of 1900.

Nelson A. Bryan, University of Virginia (UVA) School of Law Class of 1930, signed one of the examination books. Linwood Mercer Smith, UVA School of Law Class of 1929, signed the other book.

Harry K. Benham, University of Virginia School of Law Class of 1930, signed this examination book.

W. Donald Beard, University of Virginia School of Law Class of 1930, signed this examination book.

Frank M. Tinkham, University of Virginia School of Law Class of 1931, signed this examination book.

Homer C. Reynolds, University of Virginia School of Law Class 1938, signed this examination.

This file consists of 30 University of Virginia School of Law examinations that the Arthur J. Morris Law Library collected at its circulation desk. The Library made most of these items available on reserve for law students.

Between 1952 and 2004, the University of Virginia Law Library created 47 bound volumes of past examinations given in Law School courses. Most volumes contain tables of contents that list the name of the courses, the date of the examination, and the name of the instructor. Course instructors periodically transferred the examinations to the Library so that students could use them as study materials. The Library kept the examinations on reserve and classified them with the "VL 13" number until 2018.

The bound examination book for Fall 1984-Spring 1985 (Item ID: 3305355-10001) was missing from the Law Library as of 2024.

From around 1996 and 2018, the University of Virginia Law Library hosted online copies of past examinations given in Law School courses. Some course instructors periodically transferred them to the Library so that students could use them as study materials. The examinations are in the .doc, .docx, .pdf, and .wpd file formats.

Acquisition information:

RG-32-401 contains examinations from different sources.

The items in Series I came to the Library from various sources including donations, purchases, and internal transfers. Most of them were at one time stored in a "memorabilia file drawer" or the Law Library's front circulation office.

Series II consists of bound examinations that the Law Library transferred from its reserve collection to its special collections department around 2018.

Series III consists of digital examinations that the Law Library transferred from an online environment to its special collections department around 2018.

Arrangement:

The Law Library arranged this collection into the following three series and ordered them chronologically:

I. Unbound examinations;

II. Bound examinations;

III. Examinations hosted online.

The examinations in this series are arranged in chronological order by the date they were administered to students.

Bound volumes are arranged in chronological order. Generally, a single volume contains all of the examinations that the Law Library collected for one academic year. Inside the volumes, examinations are usually arranged in alphabetical order by the name of the course.

The examinations are arranged into files by academic year.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard