Charles County Circuit Court –Public Law Library
Legal Resource Center & Public Library
La Plata, MD 20646
Digital Access
The Charles County Public Law Library website is just informational, there are no web resources on the public website. They do have online catalog that you are able to search the database for specific items. There is online form for customers to place books on hold to be used in the library, as this is a non-circulating library.
Space & Physical Access
The Legal Resource Center and Public Law Library serves the judiciary, attorneys, and the public and offers the resources needed for legal research and information. This library is in the basement of the Charles County Circuit Court. The actual library portion is a small room. There are three public computers available for use. There is one lounge chair, one copier and one shredder. This space was recently renovated, new flooring and new venting system was added. I do like the movie posters of movies about law. This library appeared to meet the ADA approved door width and table heights for those in a wheelchair. Unfortunately, I did not see any other accommodations for those with other disabilities.
Service & Intellectual Access
The search bar on the website does not have any tab where you can search special collections. This library does not have any virtual programs or services appear to be available. The collections that are available in print copies are listed on the website. There were no special accommodations for those with disabilities. The website is very stale in its design and the information given is basic.
People – Patrons & Staff
There is one staff member listed on the website and another team member who handles the resource center portion of the library. There is a number and email listed on the website. If you happen to go to the library and the librarian is not available there is a clip board for you to leave her a message
Collections
There are state level law books, some out of counties law newsletters. There are some local history books as well that are not law related. The sign on the door alerted you to the type of library this was, however, there was no other signage to indicate the special collection.
Other.
The Law books were visible and apparent in their content. I was surprised by the size of the library- in the size of the collection and the lack of direction on where certain collections/books could be found. After visiting this library, I would like to visit another law library of substantial size with a more diverse collection.
All three of us on our team have noticed that the law libraries seem to be small. I wonder if that is generalizable to a greater number of law libraries. I would be interested to know as well. I find it interesting that Amber and I saw law libraries as part of the public library, and you visited one in the basement of the courts. I wonder where most of them are. Thanks for getting me thinking!
The law library I visited seemed to have accessibility issues as well. I wonder if this is common with law libraries, and if so, why? The law library I visited was also a small room, and it was located in a public library which was inside city hall. Maybe law libraries need more funding to have more accessible things and have a larger building or collection.