In Maine county law libraries are administered by a State Court Library Committee, and state funding for the libraries comes through the Judicial Department. I believe that this is an appropriation and is not tied to any type of fee or other charge. Local county bar associations may also raise funds for the support of their library. Here is a link to the statute (4 MRSA § 191 et seq.):
http://janus.state.me.us/legis/statutes/4/title4ch6sec0.html
The statutes are specific with regard to space: the county commissioners are required to provide a suitable room for the county law libraries (30-A MRSA §121):
http://janus.state.me.us/legis/statutes/30-A/title30-Asec121.html
There has been some discussion as to what constitutes a suitable room, especially with regard to the size of the room. (Many subscriptions are now electronic.)
I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have further questions.
Lynn Randall
Maine State Law and Legislative Reference Library
43 State House Station
Augusta, Maine 04333
Tel. (207) 287-1600
_____
From: owner-law-lib@ucdavis.edu [mailto:owner-law-lib@ucdavis.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2005 5:59 PM
To: law-lib@ucdavis.edu
Subject: Organization & Funding of Law Libraries Outside California
Dear Non-California Listserve Mates:
Last week I thought we were being evicted and squawked for help.
I learned from my query about the status of county law libraries that the State of Kansas directly funds and operates its county law libraries, if I have it correctly. That isn't exactly how California does it, and there's our problem.
In California the state will, within 12 to 24 months, take over the courts, in some instances constructing new courthouses. County offices that have always been in the county courthouses (water boards, tax assessors, etc.) will have to relocate. The California Administrative Office of the Courts has reportedly issued an opinion that county law libraries are among those that must leave. I haven't seen the opinion, but it's beside the point.
Neither our court's nor the county's administrative office wants the law library to move. Nor do we. The California law establishing law libraries is silent, or ambiguous at best, on this issue.
Long ago, it was my understanding that county law libraries in California were state offices in county space, much like a condominium interest. Library materials and salaries are entirely funded by a portion of civil filing fees paid to the "Court of the State of California in and for the county of . . ." County taxes pay for rent and utilities. But my understanding about the state/county anomaly has no legal basis. We may have to petition for a state attorney general opinion on it.
We think the California statutes can be interpreted to permit this view. What I'd like to request is citations to other state laws that may be persuasive one way or the other.
Could I impose on you in the other 50 to pass along any statutory, regulatory, case or even administrative authority that bears on the position of county or other local law libraries within the jurisdiction?
Thank you. We will be very grateful.
Tom Anderson
Ukiah, Mendocino County, CA
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Nov 14 2007 - 20:45:58 PST