Native American Digital Collections
United Illinois and Wabash Land Companies
The collection consists of original manuscripts, hand-drawn maps and published documents which relate to the Companies' efforts to acquire title to Indian lands during the period 1775 to 1823. These efforts culminated in the Supreme Court's landmark 1823 decision in Johnson v. M'Intosh divesting Native Americans of title to their lands.
Over 300 works from the James T. Bialac Collection have been installed in the College of Law, including the Donald E. Pray Law Library. In making his gift, Mr. Bialac requested that his collection be displayed so that as many people as possible have the opportunity to view and learn about these important works of Native American art.
The Serial Set is a compilation of U.S. Congressional publications published by the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives about the bills and resolutions involved in lawmaking. It also includes reports of executive departments, government-funded institutions, and other independent organizations. Documents in the Serial Set are arranged in numeric series chronologically (not topically). This collection offers detailed contemporaneous documentation of political, military, and governmental activities related to indigenous peoples of the continental United States and Alaskan territory during the 19th century.
American Indian and Alaskan Native Documents in the Congressional Serial Set: 1817-1899
The Native American Constitution and Law Digitization Project (opens in a new window) is a cooperative effort among the University of Oklahoma Law Center and the National Indian Law Library (NILL) (opens in a new window), and Native American tribes providing access to the Constitutions, Tribal Codes, and other legal documents. Project Coordinators are David Selden (NILL) and Marilyn Nicely (OU).
The Strickland Collection of Native People Law is one of the nation's largest collections of legal, historical, and government materials relating to Native Peoples. Titles in this collection may be found by searching the library's online catalog.
Rare Book Room
The Rare Book Collection houses many historic books and documents relating to Oklahoma and U.S. legal history. The Rare Book Room is not open to the public because of the fragile nature of many of the items housed there. Materials in the Rare Book Room can be used on weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. When the Library Catalog indicates that an item is in the Rare Book Room, please contact the Reference or Circulation Desk to access.
Other Collections
The Strickland Collection of Law and Popular Culture was established through a generous donation of law-related movie posters, lobby cards, and other materials presented to the library by Professor Rennard Strickland. The collection includes more than 1,000 items ranging in date from 1913 through the 1980's. Some pieces from the collection are on permanent display in the Law Library.
Lobby cards are small movie posters, usually 11 x 14 inches. The cards and posters depict scenes portraying lawyers and law-related themes as they appeared in contemporaneous popular culture. They were created and distributed by the National Screen Service (which ceased in 1985) in order to promote public showings of movies. The posters and lobby cards of the Strickland Collection offer students and scholars an opportunity to view legal history in an enjoyable format while prompting and encouraging reflection on more serious issues. They are in themselves works of art.
Click on the links for an illustrated PDF listing of the Strickland Collection of Law and Popular Culture Lobby Cards and Movie Posters.
Strickland is Senior Scholar in Residence at the University of Oklahoma College of Law. Strickland has an amazing personal history of achievement as a law professor, law school dean, prolific author, art collector, legal historian, and authority on Native American Law. He is Osage and Cherokee and a citizen of the Cherokee nation. He has long been involved in legal education in the classroom and through participation and leadership in the Association of American Law Schools and the Society of American Law Teachers. He received the SALT Outstanding Teaching and Contribution to Law Reform Award in 1978 and he received the Spirit of Excellence Award from the American Bar Association Commission on Minorities in the Profession in 1997.
His commitment to the improvement of legal education is demonstrated by this wonderful collection of movie lobby cards and posters which offer students the opportunity to view “the big picture.” He wrote in the Oklahoma City University Law Review:
“If we are to comprehend the public view of the legal profession in our society, American film must be seen as more than a pleasant or even challenging diversion. Ours is a visual culture, and the image of law and lawyers--indeed even the behavior of lawyers themselves--has been influenced significantly by the magic of the great stereopticon, by the larger-than-life figures on the silver screen” …
“In a democratic society like America, the filmmaker and the lawmaker have a natural affinity and a jealous distrust. Film and law seem to have been made for each other.”
- Cinematic Lawyer : The Magic Mirror and the Silver Screen, 22 Oklahoma City University Law Review (1997) 13-24, at page 14
The mission of the FDLP is to disseminate information products from all three branches of the Government to about 1,250 libraries nationwide at no cost.
The Law Library maintains a collection of hundreds of law related movies and documentaries. Videos may be located by searching the library catalog, and they can be checked out at the Circulation Desk.