Since it opened to the public on a regular basis last year, the Island County Law Library has undergone many changes, some visible and some not so evident.

Located in the Law and Justice Center in Coupeville, the library is available to attorneys in Island County during the hours that the building itself is open. It is open to the public 21 hours a week, during the hours that staff is on hand to assist patrons and answer questions.

In addition to books and reports in the library, Island County residents now have access to LEXIS, an electronic legal research database, and to free legal resources on the Internet. Additionally, the library provides access to Washington State Bar Association publications and continuing education materials, at no cost to users.

“Obviously, some progress, such as the newer materials and the computers, has been noticed by the public and attorneys using our library,” said Law Librarian Linda Falken. “But, there is a lot going on behind the scenes as well.”

Since the first of the year, library staff has reorganized the collection, expanded the space and added an office for staff and supplies. Training materials for using the Internet more effectively for legal research have been developed. In addition, the staff provides training in the use of the library’s on-line resources, such as LEXIS.

“We would like to open the library five days a week, rather than three. However, the funds simply aren’t there at present to expand our hours,” Falken said.

The Island County Law Library celebrated its first year of service to the community in April. Shortly after, Library Assistant Nancy Kerzan joined Mary Jane Aurdal and Falken in keeping the library open for use by the general public.

“My current goal for this year is to increase the availability of the library’s resources, along with its hours, as far as our budget permits. Ideally, every resident in Island County should have an opportunity to use us, when needed.”