Two thousand and one is quickly becoming a banner year for the county law library. Our name and our address have changed. In addition we are celebrating our one-hundred and tenth anniversary and dedicating our new library. The library's virtual services are also expanding.

When county law libraries were organized in 1891 by state law, they were made " ...free to the judiciary, to state and county officials, to members of the State Bar, and all residents of the county, for the examination of books and other publications at the library or at its branches." Sacramento was among twenty-three counties that organized public county law libraries in 1891 soon after the governor signed the law. In 1999 county law libraries began adding "Public" to their names to more clearly reflect that the library is here to serve all residents. In December, the Sacramento County Board of Law Library Trustees has joined the lead of library boards in San Diego County, Orange County and Fresno County by officially changing our library name to Sacramento County Public Law Library.

We thank you all for your patience while the library closed to move and establish itself in the historic Hall of Justice Building at 813 6th Street. Although we have lost the convenience for our customers of being located in the courthouse, we have gained the ability to extend our hours and expand our services. The new main library is not that far from the downtown courthouses. One can see the county courthouse from the east facing research carrels and from the historic second floor reading room the view is of the federal courthouse across the street. It has taken only one hundred and ten years to emerge from the basement of various courthouses.

Little is known of the very early years of the library. The first entry in the oldest existing library board record book is minutes from the June 2, 1903 board meeting. At that meeting the Honorable E. C. Hart was re-elected president of the board, the librarian resigned and a new librarian was appointed. The Honorable Peter Shields served on the board in 1903 and as president from at least 1915 until he retired from the bench in 1949. I point this out as W. Austin Cooper has served as the attorney appointee of the board of supervisors since February 1984 and has presided over the county law library board of trustees meetings since December 1985. Austin only has thirty more years to serve as board president to beat Judge Shield's record. He, with our other longstanding board members, can be credited with keeping the vision of a law library with windows. The issue of providing an adequate facility for the attorneys to conduct legal research in a quiet, properly ventilated, properly lighted space with adequate room for the books and the staff was the constant concern throughout the board minutes. That vision has finally become a reality.

At this writing, additional library staff is being hired to help us provide the additional public services hours, develop computer training classes and coordinate the use of our computer training center. The new main library hours are Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Lexis-Nexis substantially contributed toward furnishing this state of the are computer training center. The Sacramento area Lexis training classes will be held at the new center. The Sacramento County Public Law Library has a longstanding partnership with Lexis-Nexis as the administrator of the Sacramento County Public Law Library/Sacramento County Bar Association Lexis Membership Group. The membership group is a Bar Association member benefit especially for solo practitioners and small law firms. Sacramento County Bar members can now buy the research you need, for just the time you need it, with unlimited searches all day and all night for one-day, or one-week! Pay a one-day fee of $40 or one week fee of $80. The service includes unlimited searching, unlimited linking to cases and codes, and unlimited printing. To access Lexis-Nexis "one day-one week" visit www.lexisONE.com or link through the library Website. Choose the Sacramento County Law Library and enter your Sacramento County Bar Association member number to take advantage of the offer.

You no longer need to dial into the library on-line catalog or link through the Mountain-Valley Library System regional catalog. There is direct access to the catalog. You can search for books, MCLE audio and video tapes, and diskettes the library holds at each of its locations, and what is available to be borrowed. With your library card number your personal borrower's record and renew your books on-line.

We hope you can join us to celebrate our new building, our additional services, and our tenth year of our second century.

The Sacramento County Law Library Ad