Collection: NYU Law School Distinguished Lectures
Description: This project will digitize a highly significant subset of an approximately 600-audiocassette collection containing unique guest lectures, symposia, and scholarly discussions held at NYU Law from the 1990s to the early 2000s. The collection captures the intellectual discourse of leading legal scholars, judges, attorneys, and public figures. To start the project, the library aims to digitize the most outstanding named lecture series, which feature historic addresses such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s 1993 James Madison Lecture (“Speaking in a Judicial Voice”) and Sandra Day O’Connor’s 1991 James Madison Lecture (“Portia’s Progress”). Other significant content includes the Derrick Bell Lectures on Race in American Society, the Gruss Lecture, and the Tillinghast Lectures on International Taxation. These recordings offer unique insights into the evolution of legal thought and serve as irreplaceable primary sources for researchers, students, and historians. Currently, the availability of this content is severely threatened: these fragile magnetic tapes are the last known surviving audio records of these events. METRO’s support to digitize them will ensure their long-term preservation and access for future generations.