“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:

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.

Patrick N. Budd