Legal Information Center
History
The Law College which opened in 1909 was formerly located on the northeast corner of the University of Florida campus.
Initially, the number of students who graduated annually from the College ranged from 3 to 27. Growth was not dramatic during the next two decades, which of course included the worst years of the Depression. During this troubled economic time the library collection grew dramatically, reaching the almost 14,000 volumes by 1940, nearly a three-fold increase.
In the postwar period the enrichment of the curriculum and opportunity for broader and deeper training and research had its impact on the library. By the end of the 1960-61 academic year the collection reached 60,000 volumes.
One room in the original law building was adequate initially to house the Law Library. By gradual stages the Library expanded from one room to one entire floor of the original building. A landmark in the growth of the library was the construction in 1941 of an addition to the law building in the form of a new library wing.
A later major addition to the library was the new reading room and some office and reserve book space, undertaken as a part of a substantial renovation and enlargement of the law complex which was completed in 1948. Additional reading room space and office space were added in 1961.
In September, 1962, a fire severely gutted the main reading room necessitating a transfer of library services to the stacks. Early in November, the reading room was restored to regular use with new, used and gift books replacing the damaged collection.
It was during this period that construction began on the new law center which is located on the west side of the UF campus. During the Christmas Holiday, 1968/1969, we completed our move from the old law school building and opened for classes in the new law center in January. The Law Library, located in the west wings of the Law Center and Bruton-Geer Hall, provides service to the faculty and students of the Law School and extension service to membersof the Florida Bar, Florida's prisoners and the general public.
The formal dedication ceremony took place on February 1, 1969, featuring an address by the Honorable Earl Warren, Chief Justice of the United States. In 1980, the Law Library was renamed the Legal Information Center (LIC) to reflect the varied resources of the Center.
Bruton-Geer Hall, named in honor of the parents of Judge and Mrs. James D. Bruton, was dedicated in 1984. Media production facilities and playback of tapes produced for classes in such subjects as trial advocacy, negotiation, alternative dispute resolution and the clinics are located on the second floor of Bruton-Geer. The Law Center's extensive collection of commercially-produced videos is available in the Butler Plaza Annex.
With increasing appropriations since 1970, the library collection doubled in size, exceeding 200,000 volumes in 1975. The current count exceeds 595,000 volumes and equivalents.
The LIC has now undergone a major renovation and has returned to Holland Hall after 15 months in a former Publix. The renamed Lawton Chiles Legal Information Center occupies the bottom three floors of Holland with computer support on the top floor. Media Services will be split between Holland and Bruton-Geer.