Keeping the doors open, law libraries celebrate national library week

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With national library week drawing to a close, Wisconsin law libraries are planning to continue offering virtual services to those who want them while keep their doors open to legal professionals.

The law libraries’ three branches – ones in Dane and Milwaukee counties and then a state branch – have all returned to providing in-person services. At the same time, none has immediate plans to discontinue virtual offerings.

Amy Crowder, the librarian responsible for the oversight of all three branches, said the continuing-legal-education webinars the libraries began offering in May 2020 have proved popular.

“The response was terrific and we have since offered numerous well-attended CLE webinars on public records, beginning and advanced legislative history, docket systems throughout the United States and legal research databases the library provides remotely to our patrons such as HeinOnline and Lexis Digital,” Crowder said.

At the height of the pandemic, the three branches took various steps to ensure patrons could continue having access to legal resources while remaining safe and healthy. The state branch – the David T. Prosser Jr. Library in Madison – offered sidewalk circulation of library materials. Its loan period was also extended to four weeks and late fines were eliminated, policies that remain in place.  The branch reopened to walk-in traffic in July 2021.

The Milwaukee County Law Library meanwhile adopted a “hallway service” procedure that allowed library employees to supply materials to lawyers through a hallway door. When its doors re-opened in July 2021, the branch began offering an “attorney room” where lawyers could take Zoom calls and client conference calls in a quiet private space.

The Dane County Law Library, in the Dane County Courthouse, did not begin offering in-person services related to family law, small claims and restraining orders until fall 2021. Before then, it maintained research and reference services for residents at local jails throughout the pandemic. Bob Lopez, reference librarian at the Dane County Law Library, said the library will continue offering virtual services even though most patrons have come back to the courthouse.

“Transitioning courthouse library services from remote to in-person took coordination and care, as well as considerable communication. Looking ahead, the library is ready to help visitors navigate the court system during rapidly changing times,” said Lopez.

Wisconsin Law Library Resources can be found one their website, wilawlibrary.gov.