Association of Law Students’ Library of the Jagiellonian University (pol. ''Towarzystwo Biblioteki Słuchaczów Prawa Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego'' – ''TBSP UJ'') is the oldest and one of the biggest student scientific associations in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

History

TBSP was established on 23 June 1851, the aim of the association was to organize and equip an independent law library for Polish law students at the

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (Polish: ''Uniwersytet Jagielloński'', UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and the 13th oldest university in ...

, which was

Germanised Germanisation, or Germanization, is the spread of the German language, people and culture. It was a central idea of German conservative thought in the 19th and the 20th centuries, when conservatism and ethnic nationalism went hand in hand. In ling ...

at that time as the Galician autonomy has not been introduced yet. The activities of the association could be performed thanks to multiple donations made by professors and students. The book collection was growing systematically as well as TBSP's activities – as early as in 1890s scientific and oratorical competitions, congresses and lectures were organised. The association was actively participating in patriotic initiatives in Galicia. During the years 1914–1915, when the

was closed, TBSP moved to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

to continue its activities there and came back to

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

after the re-opening of the university. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the association joined the

underground education Underground education, or clandestine education, refers to various practices of teaching carried out at times and places where such educational activities were deemed illegal. Examples of places where widespread clandestine education practices to ...

and made its library (i.e. the part which has not been requisitioned yet) fully available to students. In 1950, when

found itself in the Soviet zone of influence, the association was formally liquidated, its headquarters taken over by the university and its book collection – by the

Jagiellonian Library Jagiellonian Library ( pl, Biblioteka Jagiellońska, popular nickname ''Jagiellonka'') is the library of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków and with almost 6.7 million volumes, one of the largest libraries in Poland, serving as a public libra ...

; the scripts duplicating centre was suppressed. However TBSP's traditions were continued by informal circles of penal law students and historians of law. In 1957 TBSP was officially reactivated, efforts have been made to recover the book collection. Since that time, the association has not been an independent entity but a unit of the

Activities

At present, TBSP unites about 1500 students and runs various educational and cultural activities. In the framework of 23 sections, additional classes are organised for younger students to help them prepare for participating in faculty competitions and final examinations. More advanced students participate in discussions and specialist workshops organised in cooperation with partner institutions and law firms. The association runs intensive publishing activities, just to mention regular Scientific Books of the TBSP UJ or repetitive courses for students. Traditionally, respective sections organise study trips to the

Constitutional Tribunal A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ...

, the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

etc., to help students to get to know the most important Polish institutions. Each year various scientific congresses are organized, many of them of international dimension, while permanent evening meetings with the most prominent professors and law practitioners allow students to get some less formal contact with the legal profession.

Notable ancient members

* Prof. Fryderyk Zoll (senior) (1834-1917) - vice-president of

Academy of Learning Academy of Learning ( pl, Akademia Umiejętności; AU) was a primary Polish scientific institution during the annexation of Poland established in 1871. It was founded in Kraków as a continuation of the ''Kraków Scientific Society'' (''Towarzystw ...

, rector of

* Prof. Edmund Krzymuski (1852-1928) - member of

, vice-president of the Penal Law Codification Commission * Prof.

Władysław Wolter Władysław is a Polish given male name, cognate with Vladislav. The feminine form is Władysława, archaic forms are Włodzisław (male) and Włodzisława (female), and Wladislaw is a variation. These names may refer to: Famous people Mononym * W ...

(1897-1986) - member of

and

Polish Academy of Sciences The Polish Academy of Sciences ( pl, Polska Akademia Nauk, PAN) is a Polish state-sponsored institution of higher learning. Headquartered in Warsaw, it is responsible for spearheading the development of science across the country by a society of ...

* Prof. Stanisław Grodziski - vice-president of

, member of PEN-Club and Société d'Histoire du Droit * Prof.

Andrzej Zoll Andrzej Stanisław Zoll (born 27 May 1942) is a Polish lawyer, former judge and president of the Polish Constitutional Tribunal, former Polish Ombudsman, former president of the State Electoral Commission, former president of the Legislative Counc ...

Polish Ombudsman The Polish Ombudsman ( pl, Rzecznik Praw Obywatelskich, literally Advocate for Citizens' Rights, now referring to itself in English as the "Commissioner for Human Rights" and earlier as the "Human Rights Defender," often abbreviated ''RPO'') is a ...

, president of the

, member of

European Academy of Sciences and Arts The European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA, la, Academia Scientiarum et Artium Europaea) is a transnational and interdisciplinary network, connecting about 2,000 recommended scientists and artists worldwide, including 37 Nobel Prize laure ...

* Prof. Andrzej Mączyński - member of

and

, judge of

, member of the Civil Law Codification Commission

External links

TBSP UJ website
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Student societies A student society, student association, university society, student club, university club, or student organization is a society or an organization, operated by students at a university or a college institution, whose membership typically consists ...

Student organisations in Poland Legal education