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1. Is the LL now a branch of the Santa Cruz City-County Library System?
No. The LL is independent of our system. The cataloging project was a joint venture to help provide better access to legal material.
2. Is the LL open to the public, or just for attorneys and others in the legal community?
The library is open Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm, in the basement of the County Building, 701 Ocean Street. Anyone can use the collection and obtain assistance from staff.
3. How can I tell a book is at the Law Library?
In the Library Catalog, the location of the book will show as "Lawlib."
4. Can you request LL books for pickup at our Branches, just like they can for our books?
No. All material is for Reference use only at the LL.
The LL collection is cataloged using the Library of Congress Classification System (the same as used at the UCSC libraries).
Most law libraries use LC, and converting the call numbers to Dewey would have been very time intensive. Below are examples of the LL call numbers. The first part of the call number is used to show the location in the LL: R Calif is in the California Room; R Tax in the Tax Room, etc.
6. Will new books at the LL be cataloged?
Yes. We will continue to catalog new reference material as it arrives. Once each week, our delivery van will stop at the County Building to pick up new books and drop off newly cataloged material. Outdated material will be sent to us for withdrawal from the catalog.
7. Are there internet computers at the LL?
Yes. The can be used by the public, but for "legal research" only. LL staff have the discretion of defining what is "legal research" and setting policies for internet access.
8. Will staff give legal advice?
No. Just as in our system, LL staff are not attorneys and do not provide legal advice. But they do have the knowledge and expertise that comes with working with a special collection and handling legal questions on a daily basis.
9. Will LL staff answer questions over the phone?
Perhaps. If the question can be answered quickly without tying up the phone line for a long period of time, or does not require in-depth research, they may be able to provide an answer. Another factor is busyness. Usually there is one staff person on duty to cover both walk-in and telephone queries.