This day, October 1, 2020, marks the 105th Anniversary of the founding of the Harris County Law Library. Every day, we are committed to promoting open and equal access to justice for all, including self-represented litigants and the local legal community.
Since the celebration of our Centennial in 2015, the Law Library has continued to grow and evolve. We are especially proud of our ability to adapt our services during this unprecedented public health crisis and to continue responding to the legal needs of Harris County residents. We aim to serve individuals whose legal concerns are just as pressing as ever, despite interruptions in the judicial system. We are also working diligently to support the reference and research needs of local attorneys who are working remotely but still need access to all the library has to offer.
Virtual Reference Desk
The Law Library’s Virtual Reference Desk is here to help with your legal research needs during this time of public health concern. Our law librarians are available via email and voicemail to assist with access to legal research materials. The Law Library has worked with vendors like Westlaw, Lexis Advance, Lexis eBooks, HeinOnline, and State Bar of Texas Practice Manuals to make documents available to you remotely. Email the Law Library reference staff or give us a call. We answer nearly 250 reference questions each month from self-represented litigants, attorneys, paralegals, and librarians, and we’re happy to help you, too!
Live Chat Reference
The Texas State Law Library and the Harris County Law Library have teamed up to provide online chat reference assistance Monday through Friday from 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. During this three-hour block of real-time interaction with law librarians from both institutions, we receive a steady stream of questions on everything from agriculture to zoning. If you would like to communicate with a member of the reference team directly, find us five days a week in Chat!
Remote-Access Digital Resources
The Law Library provides a one-stop landing page for different library patrons based on their unique information needs. To learn about accessing our electronic resources remotely, visit the Digital Resources page. Here you will find links assembled for various patron groups including Self-Represented Litigants, Legal Researchers, Educators, and the Courts.
With so much growth in recent years, we are excited to see what the future holds. We are eager to implement even more new ideas as we begin our next year of service to the Harris County community. We will continue to embrace and be responsive to the changes taking place in society at large. On the occasion of our anniversary, we are renewing our commitment to serving Harris County residents and the local legal community, no matter how changes brought about by the ongoing public health crisis may shape our methods of delivering the best legal reference service possible.
