“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
The mission of LSNJ’s New Jersey Equal Justice Library and Archive (NJEJLA) is to chronicle New Jersey’s arc of justice. The purposes are threefold: Test
History—As its collections increase, the NJEJLA will constitute a trove of material on the state’s continuous journey toward achieving greater justice for all people, with a special focus on those who have been the targets of discrimination, who are disadvantaged, or who are otherwise members of vulnerable populations. Researchers, future advocates, and members of the public will all find important data in personal collections, rare materials on major cases, background on key legislative and rulemaking, and more.
Education—As detailed chronologies of particular equal justice efforts are compiled, the NJEJLA will also be a resource for organized teaching in high school and college classes, and, as adapted versions become available, in middle schools.
Preservation—As an archive, the NJEJLA will maintain hard copy and digital versions of key materials, in accordance with archiving best practices and as dictated by the nature of particular items. Over time, the NJEJLA thus will maintain both digital and physical collections. Web availability of all digitized materials will greatly enhance accessibility for most New Jersey residents. Physical materials initially will be housed at Legal Services of New Jersey’s Edison offices. In time, it is expected a more permanent physical site will be identified.
Circle of Honor
Analogous to “halls of fame” for other institutions, the Circle of Honor memorializes those who have made extraordinary achievements in advancing equal justice, and whose efforts and lives stand as enduring paradigms for others to emulate. Each has played a role in bending the moral arc of the universe toward justice.
Detailed biographies, chronologies, and videos will be assembled for each inductee. While the historical, educational, and preservation goals of the Library and Archive will each be served by this feature, these narratives and accompanying collections will serve a key fourth important purpose as well—inspiration.
Oral Histories
The history of Legal Services is a rich one, with pioneer advocates who, in many cases, dedicated their entire adult lives to furthering the cause of civil justice. Those who began their service in the early period of the 1960s and 1970s share stories of inspiration, perseverance, and achievements in this documentation project. Video interviews are presented as playlists with multiple chapters and include footage about the individual’s personal background as well as the issues, cases, and people with whom they have worked.
NJ Legal Services
The history of the statewide Legal Services program is documented, from the formation of the State Office of Legal Services (SOLS) and the earliest programs in Newark and Essex, Middlesex, Ocean, Hudson, Mercer, Passaic, Camden, Cape-Atlantic, Monmouth, Bergen, Somerset, and Union Counties, through the expand-the-retreat phases of next five decades. This section is updated every five years to commemorate the anniversary of the New Jersey’s Legal Services program.
Milepost Cases
The collection of major cases and other specific achievements is one gauge for measuring positive change in laws and legal procedures in New Jersey. The listings highlight many of the reported and unreported decisions, as well as key non-case achievements that had substantial consequence. Taken as a whole, these mileposts represent an overall increase in the legal system’s fairness toward disadvantaged people and their perception and expectation of receiving fair treatment.
Special Collections
The Special Collections section of NJEJLA houses archival material from the collections of long-time Legal Services advocates, offering an opportunity to learn about the breadth of work and the range of legal issues that Legal Services in New Jersey has addressed over the years.