The Fairfax Public Law Library (FPLL) in Fairfax, VA, is examining our
copier usage policy for customers of "indigent status". 95% of our
funding comes from public sources through civil filing fees and a county
budget contribution. The rest is provided by the charitable branch of
the Fairfax Bar Association through donations they have raised. As you
can probably imagine, the total amount of funding is relatively meager.
We are considered a "Contributory Agency" by the county, with a facility
and collection wholly owned by the county and located within the
Courthouse. By an official arrangement with the County and the Clerk of
the Circuit Court, the Fairfax Bar Association oversees the
administration of the FPLL and hires staff to manage it.
Currently, we charge our customers $0.25 per side copied on our
county-leased photocopiers. The county charges us $0.045 per side
copied plus 5% of that total figure. We offer gratis copies to all
public entitities doing business in the Courthouse: judges, clerks,
interns, Commonwealth's attorneys, public defenders, court-appointed
lawyers, sheriff's deputies, case workers, and courthouse information
desk staff.
In addition, we have historically honored certain customers'
court-ordered "indigent status" so that they can be allowed to use our
copiers, send faxes, and print documents off the public computers for
free.
However, one of our indigents makes frequent liberal use of our
generosity and is responsible for a good-sized share of the total gratis
losses per month. Recently he made 3,382 copies in ONE DAY, which is
totally unacceptable... but what if he has a RIGHT to make that many
copies based on his court order? Do free services in other courthouse
offices entitle him to free services in the law library?
We were wondering if there were any other PUBLIC law libraries out there
that might have already dealt with this question or are also currently
dealing with it.
Randy
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W. Randolph Beckford, Library Office Administrator
Fairfax Public Law Library
Fairfax County Courthouse
4110 Chain Bridge Rd., Suite 115
Fairfax, VA 22030
703-246-2172
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