The Law Library is holding a series of lectures in conjunction with the upcoming exhibition, “Magna Carta: Muse and Mentor.” Cosponsored by the American Bar Association Standing Committee on the Law Library of Congress, the lecture series will provide further context on how the Great Charter fits into expansive historical and contemporary topics, such as legal representation and the status of women.
The next program in the series, “Magna Carta: Selecting and Conserving Primary Sources,” will begin at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 20, in the Mary Pickford Theater on the sixth floor of the Library’s James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave., S.E., Washington, D.C. The event is free and open to the public; tickets are not required.
The program will feature a panel of Library of Congress staff members who will discuss how materials are prepared and selected for exhibitions and educational-outreach curriculum. Speakers will include Nathan Dorn, rare book curator in the Law Library of Congress; Stephen Wesson, an educational resource specialist in the Office of Strategic Initiatives; and Holly Krueger, head of the Paper Conservation Section in the Preservation Directorate.
William “Jake” Jacobs, chief of the Library’s Interpretive Programs Office (IPO), will make opening remarks. IPO is charged with managing and developing Library exhibitions and related activities.
Future programs in the series include:
“Magna Carta and the American Constitution,” scheduled for 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 16 in the Montpelier Room, will feature Akhil Reed Amar, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University. Professor Amar will discuss Magna Carta and its historical connection to the U.S. Constitution. This event will also celebrate Constitution Day.
“Magna Carta: Women in Medieval Europe in 1215,” is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2015 in the Mumford Room. This event will feature Ruth M. Karras, chair of the History Department at the University of Minnesota. Professor Karras will discuss the social interactions between men and women in medieval Europe, with a special emphasis on how marriage and the status of women changed as English statutory law began to take shape in the 13th century following the adoption of Magna Carta.
We hope you can join us! For those readers who will not be able to attend the program, we will have a member of the In Custodia Legis team live tweet the event via Twitter @LawLibCongress, using #1215MCLC.
Update: Event video added below.
The exhibition “Magna Carta: Muse and Mentor” will celebrate the 800th anniversary of the first issuance of Magna Carta. Opening November 6, 2014 and running through January 19, 2015, the 10-week exhibition will feature the Lincoln Cathedral Magna Carta, one of four remaining originals from 1215, along with other rare materials from the Library’s rich collections to tell the story of Magna Carta’s influence on the history of political liberty.