Law Librarian Blog

Ceremony Celebrating Relocation of the Butte County Law Library to Oroville's Historic Carnegie Library Today

Read more about it: City of Oroville to host ribbon cutting for Law Library. [JH]

Fate of Brevard County (FL) Law Library Uncertain

Check out the story about the Max Brewer Memorial Law Library, Law library still in limbo, published by Florida Today. [JH]

King County Law Library (Seattle)

Readers of this blog know that the King County Law Library (Seattle)(KCLL) has started a podcasting service. See this morning's column, A View from the Stacks, for the latest. Podcasting is just one of many KCLL web-based services that, taken together, can serve as a model for web-based out-reach programs. KCLL offers email and chat reference; research guides, collection & web notes; KCLL newsletters and other publications. On-site, KCLL offers training classes (calendar of classes) among its many other services. Check out the KCLL site map for more information.

Law Library Profiles. This iteration of features hardly does justice as a profile of the King County Law Library -- it fails miserably at highlighting the professionalism and dedication of KCLL's wonderful and caring staff, Marcus, Rita K, Stina, and others I have not had the pleasure to meet -- but it leads me to this solicitation: if you would like to submit a profile of your library for publication in the blog, please email one to me. The first five submissions will receive a free "I (heart) my law library" 2" x 3" rectangle magnet, a $4.99 value!

Visitors to this blog would enjoy reading about your law library. [JH]

Santa Clara County Allowed to Maintain Virtual Prison Law Libraries

Here is the introductory paragraphs from The Reporter:

“A federal judge Monday terminated a 30-year order requiring Santa Clara County to maintain inmate law libraries.

"The county has provided prisoners with reasonable access to the courts," U.S. District Judge Ronald Whyte ruled Monday.

Santa Clara closed all four of its inmate law libraries in 2003 and replaced them with a system that requires prisoners to make written requests for research materials to Legal Research Associates.  The county says the system is more efficient, while critics say inmates often have to wait weeks to receive information.  James McManis, who represented the plaintiffs in Batchelder v. Geary, C-712017, said there will likely be an appeal."

Click here to register and read the entire article for free: http://www.law.com/jsp/ca/PubArticleCA.jsp?id=1132144715441

Lee Peoples, Oklahoma City University Law Library

Winning Photo in AALL Contest

The American Association of Law Libraries has announced the winning photographs in the "Day in the Life of the Law Library Community" Contest. The photos were taken by AALL members during National Library Week 2005 (April 10-16). Photos depict law librarians working, meeting, teaching, and doing all that law librarians do in a given day or week.

The overall winner, below, is "Shelving in Silhouette" from King County Law Library.

Ron Jones, University of Cincinnati Law Library

Editor's Note: Librarians shelving in stiletto heels is not something that happens on "any given day or week" or month or year in my law library.

Law Library of Louisiana Update

Snippet  from longer email distributed on law-lib listserv:

We know that many of you have wondered about the status of our library, which is located on the second floor of the Louisiana Supreme Court Building in the middle of the French Quarter, and about our ability to resume normal operations.  As you've no doubt learned from the media, the French Quarter did not flood, and power and water have been restored to most buildings.  Several of our staff members were able to visit our library on Friday and reported that although there was only partial lighting and very unpleasant odors, the collection and our offices seem to be fine.  The sad exception is with a small part of the collection housed in compact shelving in the basement of the building, where several inches of water had accumulated.  Because of environmental restrictions, we have been prohibited from entering that area to check on the condition of the books there.  We fear that the dampness and heat have done serious damage and don't know yet whether restoration willl be possible.

The library and the building remain closed to staff and to the public.  The Supreme Court has established temporary headquarters in Baton Rouge at the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeals building near the capitol.  Court staff, including our Serials/Preservation Librarian Miriam Childs, who were able to find housing in the Baton Rouge area or within commuting distance, have been assisting in various capacities to help get the state-wide court system up and running again.

Of course we are all anxious to return to our library in the French Quarter but do not know when the Supreme Court will be able to reopen the building.  In the meantime beginning on November 1 we will be driving back and forth daily to Baton Rouge 80 miles away.  The good news is that all of us have e-mail access and can be contacted at our normal e-mail addresses shown in the AALL Directory.  Of course we cannot be reached at our office phone numbers in New Orleans.  If anyone needs to reach our staff by phone, please call Miriam Childs at the court in Baton Rouge at 225-284-0743, and she will provide the necessary phone numbers where we can be reached.  Alternatively, the main court number in Baton Rouge is 225-382-3161.

Carol Billings, Director

Obituary for a Law Library

Dan Cordtz writes in the September 30, 2005 issue of Miami Daily Business Review (available in LexisNexis)

The beleaguered Miami-Dade County law library, facing a $600,000 operating deficit, has received a $100,000 emergency transfusion from the County Commission. But that was far short of the amount needed to keep it running at its normal level.  As a result, the 68-year-old library in the courthouse at 73 Flagler St. - used by some 700 attorneys and ordinary citizens each week - will lose half of its 14 staff members at the end of October and has already canceled most of its subscriptions to legal periodicals. Three branches - in Miami Beach, at the North Dade Justice Center and South Dade Justice Center have already closed - and a fourth at the Richard Gerstein building is scheduled to shut its doors soon.

John W. Thornton Jr., partner of Thornton & Rothman and president of the Dade County Bar Association, expressed sympathy and dismay at the library's plight but did not foresee a significant contribution from the association. "We started the library many years ago," he said, "but the sad reality is that the Internet and online legal research has made the library no longer as viable as it once was.

The article discusses efforts by the law library director and a local judge to save the library.

Lee Peoples, Oklahoma City University Law Library

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Editor's Note: Plans call for the local public library taking the county law library's collection.

The Latest on the Law Library of Louisiana

The Louisiana Supreme Court, and all courts in southeast Louisiana, are closed until October 1, 2005. Employees have been asked to report for work in Baton Rouge on that date. (Not sure if this will change now that parts of the city will be opening up.)

All employees of the Law Library of Louisiana are accounted for and fine. The great news is that the building and the library came through unscathed. All the staff will have to deal with will be mountains of mail once that service returns. Everyone associated with the Law Library of Louisiana greatly appreciate the offers of help and support from our friends.

Wyoming State Law Library Website Gets a Major Upgrade

Katie Jones, Electronic Services Librarian at the Wyoming State Law Library is reporting that the Wyoming State Law Library website has been updated and re-organized. See http://statelawlibrary.state.wy.us/index.asp. Note the new URL

There is also a new URL for the Wyoming Supreme Court Cases database. Please update your link for it as well: http://wyom.state.wy.us/applications/oscn/index.asp.

In addition to the usual contact options for the library (phone & fax), the library now has a general email address (lawlibref@state.wy.us) and online forms. You can ask a reference question (http://statelawlibrary.state.wy.us/ask.asp) and request materials (http://statelawlibrary.state.wy.us/request.asp).

5th Circuit Library Staff Update

From Sue Creech, 5th Circuit Austin Satellite Librarian:

Here is the latest news. All Fifth Circuit Library staff from New Orleans and Gulfport have checked in. We are happy to report that everyone survived this disaster. There are property loss and damages, to various degrees. We don't have all the facts, we wouldn't know until they have a chance to return to their homes.

Kay is currently driving back to her home in Mississippi. She will be traveling to the Baton Rouge Sat. Library sometime next week. Please continue to send email to Kay's personal email address: kguillot@gmail.com

Technical Services, Procurement and Personnel departments, of the New Orleans Headquarters Library, will be relocated to the Baton Rouge Satellite Library, in the next few weeks. Phone number: 225-389-2990. (Currently, Baton Rouge can not make long distance calls, but can receive calls)

Reference questions should be directed to the Houston Satellite Library at 713-250-5696.

Will keep you posted on any changes.

Pink Slips at Miami-Dade County Law Library

And who will service the collection when it is integrated into the Miami public library system?

Cincinnati Law Library Association Add Virtual Services

The Business Courier (Cincinnati) is reporting that the Cincinnati Law Library Association has activated virtual services for lawyers and others to remotely access case law and legal commentary around the clock. The two services are HeinOnline and Fastcase.com. See also the Association's blog, diligently maintained by Chuck Kallendorf.

Miami-Dade County Law Library Down for the Final Count

In an editorial published on August 3, the Miami Herald made an impassioned plea for saving the Miami-Dade County Law Library, asking the County Commission to fill the $650,000 shortfall in state- provided funding. Unfortunately, the odds are slim, very slim, that sufficient funding will be provided in time to save the law library. Insiders say this library is down for the final count.

New Preservation and Conservation Guide

Just released by the IFLA Preservation and Conservation Section:

First, Do No Harm
A Register of Standards, Codes of Practice,Guidelines Recommendations and
Similar Works relating to Preservation and Conservation in Libraries and Archives
Compiled by John McIlwaine
on behalf of the IFLA Preservation and Conservation Section
March 2005
PDF 79 pages

This work -- a must have for all academic and government law libraries - identifies standards and other works that provide specific guidance and advice for libraries and archives in the practice of preservation management and conservation. The work, which emphasizing the literature of the last decade, meets its objective of being well-focused. First, Do Not Harm provides a listing that is compact and can be browsed in its entirety by users interested in discovering works in specific areas of preservation and conservation.

Meet Pat Pfemmer, a County Law Librarian Who Made a Difference

The Santa Cruz Sentinel recently published a heart warming profile of Pat Pfremmer on the occasion of her retirement after 25 years of service.

Meet Walter Kuckes

Walter Kuckes is a man on a mission. He has toured virtually every Minnesota county law library trying to make the general public aware of their existence by persuading library administrators to publicize their library's public accessibility. For his efforts, David Unze writes in the March 5, 2005 issue of St. Cloud Times (Online Edition) Mr. Kuckes "has been thrown out of buildings, been told those libraries are only for judges and lawyers..."

Not everyone is opposed to his efforts. In the article Tim Roberts, Stearns and Benton county court administrator is quoted in support of Mr. Kuckes:

"His whole goal is to heighten people's awareness to public information that might benefit them as they move through the court system in Minnesota. I don't think that's a bad endeavor to undertake."

Madison Magazine Profiles Law Librarian

Bonnie Shucha at WisBlawg posts that the latest issue of Madison Magazine includes a profile of Heidi Yelk, Reference and Electronic Services Librarian at the Wisconsin State Law Library.

Madison Magazine Profile