Alabama Supreme Court and State Law Library

Photocopying

Two photocopiers are available for library users, and they are located in the copy room on the first floor of the Law Library. If you wish to photocopy and charge to a State Agency or pay by check, check out copy card from the Circulation Desk, make your copies, and return the photocopying utensil to the Circulation Desk. Also, you may feed $1 bills, $5 bills, or coins directly into the copiers, or Jamex cards for photocopying may be purchased from the dispenser in the copy room. The card cost is $1.00. Value may be added to the card with cash only. (We can not accept checks to add value to cards). Court personnel are not charged for copies made in the course of their work. Copies of library materials may also be requested by phone at (334)229-0563, (334)229-0561, or 1-800-236-4069, fax at (334)229-0544, or e-mail at reference@alalinc.net. Charges for these services are as follows:

Self-service Copies:
-- $.10 per page
Mailed Copies:
-- $5.00 for 1 to 10 pages
-- $.50 each additional page

Telefaxed Copies:
-- $2.00 per page

Microforms Reader/Printer

Two microfiche and microfilm reader printers are available for library users. If you need help, the Public Services Staff can assist you.


Interlibrary Loans

The law library provides borrowing services to users requesting materials not owned by the library. Requestor must provide specific information. Some lending libraries may charge for loaning books, etc. The requestor is responsible for payment, hence, a max cost can be stated.

Carrels and Tables

Lighted carrels and study tables are available for use on both floors of the Library. If you wish to leave materials in a carrel or on a table overnight, please fill out a "do not disturb these books" slip so that your books will not be reshelved by the Library staff. Confidential material should not be left in the Law Library.


Conference Rooms

Three conference rooms are available on the second floor of the Law Library. These rooms may be reserved for a limited time.

CD-ROM Services

Agricultural Statistics
Alabama Law on Disc (Michie)
Budget of U.S. Government
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
Committee on Commerce - U.S. House of Representatives
Crossroads America's Fiscal Future
Department of Health and Human Services
Domestic Violence
Employee Conflict Management
Law Desk - Alabama Reporter & Code of Alabama
Law Desk - A L R 3d, 4th, 5th
Legal Information Institute
Monthly Catalog
National Criminal Justice Reference Service
Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics
SSA
United States Code
U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of the Census
U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics
West's Alabama Reporter
West's Legal Directory
The CD Rom products may be checked out at the Reference Desk and must be used in the Law Library.

Online Databases

WestLaw
Lexis/Nexis

List of recent cases of the Alabama Supreme Court, the Court of Criminal Appeals, and the Court of Civil Appeals with citations to the Southern Reporter. Updated weekly. To access, log into your ALALINC account.


Legal Trac

CD-Rom index to Legal Periodicals that can be most commonly searched by author and subject. The database covers 1980 to present.

Administrative Services:
The Administrative Services staff maintains the law library's switchboard, accounting, purchasing, and personnel. The administrative staff is comprised of the Director, Administrative Assistant, and Accountant.


Data Services:
The State Law Library's electronic alter ego is know as "ALALINC." The purpose of Alalinc is to extend the services of the law library to areas of the state too geographically remote to have benefited from these services in the past. Through Alalinc, users are able to access Alabama appellate court cases the day they are released, search the law library's public access catalog, communicate through electronic mail, telefax material to themselves and access the World Wide Web. This project greatly enhanced the law library's ability to provide legal information services to other areas of the state. Alalinc came on-line in March 1995.

Computer Training Laboratory:
A computer training laboratory is located on the library mezzanine. The lab has eighteen PCs permanently installed with the data and electrical connections necessary to provide access to both the Judicial Building network and on-line services such as WESTLAW and Lexis, plus the Internet. Judges, staff attorneys, law clerks, judicial system personnel from all over the state, members of the bar, and the general public can be trained to use a number of computer programs in the lab. If you are interested in scheduling the lab for a training session, please contact Tim Lewis, State Law Librarian, at 334.229.0578.

Computer-Assisted Legal Research (CALR):
The CALR Attorney provides access for Court personnel to LEXIS and WESTLAW. Both LEXIS and WESTLAW contain the texts of court decisions, administrative rulings, codes, and other documents useful to legal researchers. They also provide search capabilities which allow quick and simple location of documents relevant to the topic being researched. Both formal and informal training are provided on request. Law Clerks may be particularly interested in learning how to perform cost-effective searches on WestLaw.


Museum, Tours & Archives:
Aside from its role as a legal information center, the law library also serves as the museum and archives of the Alabama Judicial System. The purpose of this program is to foster the preservation and dissemination of the judicial history of the State of Alabama. The Judicial Building houses museum exhibits, disseminates brochures and pamphlets, and corps of volunteer docents conduct tours daily for numerous visitors and school classes throughout the Judicial Building.

Please visit the Virtual Tour section of our website to take an online tour or schedule your group for a tour.


Public Services:
The Public Services staff provides reference, circulation, and interlibrary loan for Court personnel. Public Services is staffed by two professional librarians and two clerks who are available to answer questions about the Library's collection and help you locate information sources not found in the Library. The Public Services staff also provides backup for the Computer-Assisted Legal Research Attorney.


Technical Services:
The Technical Services staff receives, checks-in, and organizes, catalogs, and distributes all materials purchased by the Library, including materials in the offices of all three Courts and the Appellate Courts Library. Technical Services is staffed by two professional librarians and four clerks who can answer questions about distribution of materials, the latest pocket parts or supplements available, whether a journal is at the bindery, whether a particular publication has been received, or whether a publication has been ordered.

The Library is open to the general public.

Library hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (CST) Monday through Friday. (Hours are subject to change on State holidays.)

CIRCULATION POLICY: Because the Library is a research library rather than a lending library, certain books are not circulated outside the Judicial Building. Building personnel may check out books to be used in their offices. If you wish to take a book from the Law Library you must check it out at the Circulation or Reference Desk. Users desiring to borrow library material for the first time must fill out a patron record information form. All material should be returned at the Circulation desk to be checked in and then reshelve the book.

RESHELVING POLICY: All library users are responsible for reshelving books that they have used. This includes books that are used in the Law Library, books that have been checked out, and books used in photocopying.

Appellate Court Briefs may be filed in the Library from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Eating, drinking, and smoking are prohibited in the State Law Library.