As a law librarian here in Cleveland, I thought it would be interesting to look at the libraries that provide access to legal information locally. We are fortunate to have two outstanding law school libraries in the city, the Judge Ben C. Green Law Library at Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Marshall College of Law Library at Cleveland State University. Additionally, downtown Cleveland is home to the Cleveland Law Library, “a premier hybrid legal institution on the cutting edge of technology that provides to a large base of private members, as well as various judges, public officials and their respective staff members.” The Law Library is also accessible to members of the public one day a week (Wed.). The Cleveland Law Library is located on the fourth floor in the Cuyahoga County Courthouse on 1 West Lakeside Ave., Cleveland, Ohio.
“The Law Library was originally established in 1869 as the Cleveland Law Library Association by leading members of the bar in Cuyahoga County for the promotion of the science of law” according to their website. Recently, Cleveland Law Library’s statutory responsibilities have been expanded to include all local governments and, the Cuyahoga County Law Library Resources Board to oversee these constituencies and provide a venue for public access.
According to Mikhail Koulikov, in an article that appeared in the American Association of Law Libraries’ PLL Perspectives (21 PLL Persp. 14 (2009-10)), the membership law library concept has been present in the American legal landscape for over 200 years. When originally founded, these libraries served to provide members shared access to books and the physical space to read them. With so much of our information in both print and electronic formats, these libraries may take on the process of gathering information, thus allowing the law firm librarian to focus on making sure it is both usable and useful for the end user. Membership libraries also allow law firms to share the costs of expensive, but infrequently used materials; provide limited “off-site storage” capacity; and use the clout of their members (and non-profit status) to gain access to resources at a lower price. By focusing on its diverse constituency and acquiring a wide range of topical expertise, the Cleveland Law Library has earned its reputation as an important resource in this community.
Membership libraries are located in a number of U.S. cities. Some are independent, while others have various membership and governmental constituents. Here are a few:
Social Law Library, Boston, MA, http://sociallaw.com
New York Law Institute, New York, NY, http://www.nyli.org
Jenkins Law Library, Philadelphia, PA, https://jenkinslaw.org
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