Since the establishment of the University Of Richmond School Of Law in 1870, the William Taylor Muse Law Library has grown from a collection of 700 books to more than 430,000 volumes of legal material. The Muse Law Library has embraced many changes over the years through the leadership of dedicated library directors and staff. This timeline reflects the development of the Muse Law Library’s service in providing legal information for law students and law faculty, along with the University of Richmond faculty and students, members of the local legal community, and the general public.
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1938
Frances Farmer, the first woman to graduate from the T.C. Williams School of Law (class of 1933), becomes Assistant Law Librarian. She went on to be the law librarian at University of Virginia, where she worked for thirty years.
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1947
William Taylor Muse becomes dean of the law school, serving in this position for 24 years. The Law Library would later be dedicated in his honor.
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1954
The Law School joins the University on the Westhampton campus after 37 years of separation. The new building was dedicated in 1954.
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1959
José M. Cabanillas becomes the Law Librarian. Mr. Cabanillas had retired from the Navy, settled in Richmond and attended law school here. He held a BA from the Naval Academy and an MS from Yale. He retires in 1966.
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1966
Jack S. Shackelton is appointed Law Librarian and serves until 1975. Mr. Shackleton had attended T.C. Williams School of Law upon his retirement from business.
