Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Transcripts, notes, and outlines of class lectures at the University of Michigan Law School, reproduced and sold by campus area businesses.

The Law Lectures collection contains transcripts, notes, and outlines of class lectures at the University of Michigan Law School for the period 1881-1919. The lectures were produced by various campus area firms, Edwards Bros. being the most prolific publisher. Law Students had the lectures bound for future reference and these bound volumes make up the bulk of the collection.

Constitutions, minutes, correspondence, lecturers' files, and publicity material; include correspondence, 1890-1896, of Thomas C. Trueblood and James B. Angell relating to the establishment of the association

The papers of the University of Michigan Oratorical Association consist of nearly three linear feet of material. The collection is organized in five series: History, Minutes, Correspondence, Name File and Publicity

The uses of this collection are rather limited. Probably only researchers of the University of Michigan's history will find it of any value. Even then, the quality of the material here is low, consisting as it does primarily of newspaper clippings which are readily obtainable elsewhere. Although the Oratorical Association made use of many notable figures of the day, neither the Correspondence nor the Name-file yield unique information about these people. Possibly the only thing this collection reflects is the changing public taste in entertainment.