Law library aquires historic legal collection

By: Nicolas Saravia /Staff Writer

A victory for legal history has occurred, as a 6,000-volume collection of historic legal materials from Latin America and Europe kept by the College of Law will be the beneficiary of a $6,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grant.

The award is expected to aid in the care and restoration of the Mario Diaz Cruz Collection, donated by the Rainforth Foundation.

“The Mario Diaz Cruz Collection is of great value to legal scholars as it is the most significant collection of Cuban materials outside of Cuba,” said Teresa Stanton, director of the Law Library.

The compilation also contains works from other Latin American countries, as well as Italy, France and Spain.

The collection has its origins in 1915 Havana, where it was a working library for lawyer Mario Diaz Cruz. His son, with his same name and also an attorney, brought the materials to Miami. The works contain manuscripts, books and journals.

However, the collection also includes commentaries and treatises written by leading legal scholars between 1757 and 1959.

It also has judicial decisions from the Supreme Court of Justice of Cuba from 1903 to 1959.

The main emphasis of the library is private law, including commercial law, property, wills, banking, contracts and constitutional law.

“[The works] also represent a rare look into the legal world of pre-Castro Cuba and must be preserved so that they may be studied by the legal scholars of today as well as those of the future,” mentioned Stanton, who is also the associate dean of Information Services.

“This will benefit not only our own academic and legal communities, but also the general public. Very few law libraries in the country are fortunate enough to own many of the valuable materials that comprise the Mario Diaz Cruz collection as well as a first rate staff with expertise in dealing with Latin America,” affirmed Manuel Gomez, associate professor of Latin American law.

This is not the first time the NEH benefits FIU, as it also provided a $6,000 grant in April for a project concerning Cuban exile cultural landscapes, led by Global Studies Associate Professor Patricia Price.

The project of restoring and preserving the Mario Diaz Cruz Collection will count with a professional consultant approved by the NEH, Laura Hortz Stanton. She is currently the director of Preservation Services at the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts in Philadelphia.

“The NEH grant is an important stepping stone toward the expansion and preservation of a wonderful collection of foreign materials, and helps the College of Law continue the important legacy of Mario Diaz Cruz, Jr. in disseminating and providing access to scientific legal knowledge throughout South Florida,” said Gomez.