Looking for a quiet place to read, study, think, research the law, or do legal work? The Harris County Law Library is the place for you! We do have a lot of patron traffic at the reference desk — more than 6,000 people visited the Law Library in month of August alone! — and we work hard to give each patron the time, attention, and resources they need. We also receive more than 400 phone calls each month. Each of these interactions generates a certain level of noise that may be disruptive to some library patrons. Fortunately, there is no shortage of quieter work spaces throughout the Law Library.
Reading tables at the east end of the library provide quiet work spaces away from the action at the reference desk.
Study carrels in the computer area offer work space with privacy.
The Legal Tech Lab provides nine quiet work spaces tucked into the library stacks.
Reading tables at the back (east) end of the Law Library are situated quite a distance from the the activity of the reference desk. These tables are popular spots for library patrons who prefer to be away from the activity of the reference desk.
Study carrels, available in the computer area, provide a slightly more private work space. Library staff occasionally assist patrons at the computer work stations (helping pro se patrons access and download legal forms on our legal research databases, for example), but the bank of study carrels in the computer area is generally a quiet place to work as well.
Nine seats in the area that we’ve designated as the Legal Tech Lab are another quiet work space option. Hands-on Legal Tech Training classes are held in the Legal Tech Lab every Tuesday at 2:00 pm, so this seating area is occupied during that time, but otherwise, this space is accessible and provides a less active work space tucked into the library stacks.
Finally, as a courtesy to other patrons, cell phone use is prohibited in the Law Library, helping to maintain a quiet environment for all library visitors.