About the Library

The Board of Trustees | The Law Library Advisory Committee |
Library Funding | Library Services | Fee Based Services Schedule |
The Collection | Circulation | Rules

Kimberly C. Tucker, Director.

The Board of Trustees

The Sonoma County Law Library Board of Trustees functions in an administrative capacity, responsible for the acts of the library and the arbiter of library policy. The Board consists of five judges, a representative from the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, and an attorney representative from the Sonoma County Bar Association.

The 2010 Board Members are:

Library Funding

The Sonoma County Law Library is a state local government agency separate from the county government (much like fire or water districts). County government is required by statute to provide the Law Library space, utilities and maintenance. The Law Library is governed by its own Board of Trustees consisting of five judges, one representative of the Board of Supervisors and one representative of the Bar Association. Law Library operations are financed primarily by a portion of civil filing fees. The Library does not receive general fund (property tax) revenue.  Filing fee revenue is declining statewide due to factors including in forma pauperis filings and an increase in alternative dispute resolution; in both situations, no filing fees are paid.     

SCPLL is a public library operating pursuant to B&P Code 6300 et seq. County law libraries are mandated to provide public access to legal materials. Approximately half of library users are not attorneys.  SCPLL is a vital resource; for many county residents the Law Library is the only means by which they can obtain legal information. As examples, we carry many books written for lay people on divorce and landlord-tenant, to help those in our community who do not have the resources to hire an attorney.  Although, many library users don't pay filing fees, either because they are involved in alternate dispute resolution, has filed fee waivers or they are in a legal situation for which the library receives no fees; services and reference material are available for all county members.  As the county population and self-help legal movement has grown, usage of the Law Library has increased.

The funding mechanism of county law libraries worked well for 100 years but may now be obsolete. It was created when ADR did not exist, citizens rarely represented themselves in court, and only lawyers used law libraries. County law libraries do not receive revenue from criminal cases and most Small Claims filings, even though many people involved in these types of cases use Law Library resources. A statewide organization of California county law library directors is currently exploring alternative funding, including a share of these filings  or a portion of property tax revenue.

Library Services

Library staff are available to assist in locating and using materials. Under no circumstances will legal advice be provided. If you need advice on how to interpret legal information, telephone numbers and addresses for various community resources are available at the front desk.

Interlibrary loans are available to registered borrowers to obtain materials outside this library. Staff will request materials from the lending library and loans will be charged accordingly.

Legislative histories are available through the California Secretary of State's Office in Sacramento. The library will request copies of committee analyses or the Governor's chaptered bill files and will charge for legislative materials accordingly.

The library provides access to Westlaw, an online research service that contains all state and  federal cases and codes.  Library staff can assist patrons in refining their searches to minimize the online search time.  

Document delivery, fax delivery and photocopy services are also available as set forth below:

Fee Based Services Schedule

Please, Call (707) 565-2668 For Fee.

The Collection

Treatises are catalogued by call number in the card catalog, located between the reference desk and the stacks. The collection consists of over 29,000 volumes and includes:

• Federal and California codes, statutes, administrative regulations, court and administrative agency decisions and government documents.
• Federal, state and local rules of court
• Sonoma County Code, municipal codes for Santa Rosa and surrounding communities
• California and Federal practice guides and research tools, including digests, encyclopedias, form books, CEB and Rutter Group publications, weekly jury verdicts and jury instructions
• Legal periodicals, texts, treatises, practice aids, looseleaf publications, California legislative bills and CEB audiotapes

Electronic Research Collection includes all state cases and codes and Shepard's public access.

Circulations

Annual Borrowing Fee Policy
Effective September 1, 2004

Fee Rates

1. Annual charges are $120 per individual attorney library card. The charge for half a year (6 months)
     is $65.

2. Each borrower may authorize up to two librarians, paralegals, or clerks to borrow materials on
    their behalf. Authorized names should be listed on the borrower's application.

3. Abuse of an account (e.g., borrowing on behalf of others who do not have a library card) may result
     in additional charges or loss of borrowing privileges.

General rules

1. The borrower fee year will commence on the day the Library receives the application and fee, and expire one year later. Six-month library cards will expire six months from the time the Library receives the application and fee. There will be a 15-day grace period.

2. After the 15-day grace period a non-paying borrower will lose his/her borrowing privileges.

3. Applications for either six-month or one year borrowing privileges may be submitted at any time.

Borrower Agreements

1. The borrower receives all privileges as detailed in the borrower agreement.

2. All borrowers agree to pay fines of $1 per day for overdue materials.

3. Borrowers agree to pay the full cost of all materials not returned to the Library within 30 days.

Rules

1. Silence is observed in the reading room. Patrons are expected to reshelve their materials. Patrons may leave closed, book-marked materials on tables with "SAVE" notes for use the following day.
    
2. Patrons may reserve the conference room for periods of time.  Please refer to conference room policy for fees.
    
3. Laptop computers may be used either in the conference room or in the multi-purpose room at the rear of the reading room.
    
4. Food and beverages are prohibited.