Law Library Dedication Postponed
Due To Terrorist Attacks
by Shirley H. David, Director, Sacramento County Public Law Library

It was with great sadness that the dedication of the new Sacramento County Public Law Library scheduled for September 13, 2001 had to be postponed. The event was celebrate the library's new location in the historic Hall of Justice Building and 110 years of service to the bench, the bar, and the public. The dedication was to be held two days after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, and the Pentagon. It was not a time to celebrate.

The dedication ceremony was to be held outdoors in front of the historic Hall of Justice Building. Our building is directly across the street from the Federal Courthouse. Due to the circumstances of the terrorist attack, the United States Marshall's Office withdrew its approval for blocking off the street for our celebration. Our contingency plan in case of rain was to hold the dedication ceremony in the garage underneath the building. However, that alternative did not seem appropriate given the situation. We will still have our celebration but it will be next spring.

We hope you will all join us then.

A dedication event, however, is not the only way to learn about our expanded services. Guided tours are available by calling 874-8541. You may also check the tour schedule and a description of our services at our website (www.saclaw.lib.ca.us).

Have lunch at the library and receive MCLE credits. We now offer an extensive selection of classes such as Internet Basics, Legal Research on the Internet, Get Organized and Get Things Done, Stress Management, Issues in Legal Ethics, Elimination of Bias, and Substance Abuse. Class fees range from $25 - $75 per session. Internet classes are hands on as the sessions are held in the library's computer training center sponsored by Lexis/Nexis. The class schedule is accessible on the library website or by calling Coral Henning at 874-5625.

For as little as $10 per hour you can rent a library meeting room for depositions or other attorney client meetings. You may also rent the computer-training center for your own training programs. The space is furnished with twelve computers connected to the Internet and extensive training tools including the ability to audiotape the session and a state-of-the-art projection system.

Providing quality access to legal information and legal education in a first-class public setting is financially challenging. In order to assure our long-term financial health, the Sacramento County Public Law Library Board of Trustees is asking the Sacramento Board of Supervisors to raise the civil filing fee for the benefit of the library by three dollars. This will raise the library share of the fee to $35. Currently, five civil cases must be filed to pay for the annual cost of supplementing one Rutter Group practice guide. With the filing fee increase last January, the library income increased by 13 percent. Without an increase the year before, the library income increased by only three percent. The legal materials inflationary increases are anticipated to be at least 15 percent this year, a figure that would be less than the increases in the previous two years. You can see why we are again ask for your support of the board's filing fee request.

I would be glad to answer your questions about the filing fee increase request and give you a tour of our new facility. Call me at 874-6013.

The Sacramento County Law Library Ad