CA State Library Promotes Law Dept. with Postcard

The California State Library used a picture postcard (see above) to promote its Law Department in the period around the early 1920s. The postcard which shows the Law Dept. Reading Room proclaims that the State Library has "the best collection of law books in the western part of the United States". It goes on to say: "Books are lent to lawyers, judges, and others with least possible restriction." Today the State Library law collection is named the Bernard E. Witkin State Law Library. A few other libraries have also used postcards to promote their services. The Ohio State Library used postcards to promote its traveling library service and the American Library Association used postcards to promote its World War I Library War Service.

Additional information: The photo on the postcard shows the law library very early in the 20th cnetury when it was in an apse on the East side of the historic State Capitol Building.  The law library eventually moved to a new Library and Courts Building which was completed a decade after the end of World War I. The portion of the Capitol where the law library was formerly located was demolished later to make way for a new East wing.Thanks to Cy Silver, a former law library supervisor, for this information.