New York City Bar

In this episode, beloved City Bar figure Richard Tuske reflects on his remarkable 50-year journey with the City Bar Law Library, from starting as a page in 1972 to serving today as Senior Director of Library Operations on the eve of retirement. Along the way, he shares vivid stories with Legal History Committee Chair Abigail Nitka on the library’s transformation into one of the most prominent legal libraries in the world—from towering stacks to the dawn of digital research and early Westlaw and Lexis—along with behind-the-scenes anecdotes on the history of City Bar membership, unusual research requests, the auction of a remarkable rare-books collection, a failed merger attempt, and the library’s technological evolution. 00:00 Podcast Welcome  01:03 Early Page Years  07:30 From Stacks To Screens  14:53 Computer Revolution Begins  19:05 Unusual Research Request  25:24 Famous City Bar Members Spotlight  30:18 Salt Mines Preservation  33:36 What Remains Today  36:59 Computers Transform Research  41:08