A Brief Introduction to the Law Library

A Brief Introduction to The Law Library

by The Hon Justice Stephen Hall

Did you ever wonder what happened to the old Supreme Court Library? Many in the profession will remember that quiet corner of the Supreme Court building. Many retreated there during an adjournment of a difficult trial or appeal in the hope of finding answers. The Library closed when the Legal Practice Board could no longer bear the financial burden. But that was not the end of the story. The collection of the Supreme Court Library was combined with that of the Department of Justice and, in 2016, the amalgamated library became The Law Library. The Law Library is jointly funded by the profession and the Department of Justice, the contribution of the profession being derived from annual practising certificate fees. It is open to members of the profession, as well as officers of the Department and the courts. An advisory committee, presently chaired by me, includes representatives from the Legal Practice Board, the Law Society and the WA Bar Association.

The Law Library is located on the second floor of the David Malcolm Justice Centre at 28 Barrack St. Practitioners regularly visiting The Law Library will find that their pathway is made much smoother with a Law Library Access Card. This card will allow access directly to the second floor, rather than having to go via the Department of Justice Reception on Level 23. Access cards are available at no cost to all members of the profession who have a current practising certificate. The amalgamated collection contains hard copies of all significant law reports, significant journals and a large collection of legal texts. This includes many of the more obscure and difficult to find items. The hard copy collection is supplemented by numerous on-line services, which are available for use by authorized users (though only at terminals within the library). The available resources can be browsed at The Law Library website. Inter-library loans can also be arranged, providing access to resources in libraries nation-wide.

Librarians have created 27 guides to resources in Legal Practice Areas covering key legal topics from Administrative Law to Workers Compensation. The comprehensive guides provide links to relevant legislation, case law, commentary, textbooks, journals, alerting services and reference materials contained in subscribed resources, as well as linking to free web resources. Case law is contained in a hyperlinked A to Z index. Librarians are also available to carry out research and to provide cases, articles and other material on request. Country practitioners are encouraged to use the services provided by The Law Library. Zoom meetings can easily be arranged. In addition to the formal CPD Sessions on legal research regularly hosted by The Law Library, legal practitioners can also now avail themselves of informal, short and targeted research training sessions, one-on-one with a Librarian. In these sessions practitioners can be guided to the best resources for their particular research question. Sessions can be conducted in person or via Zoom/Teams.

The Law Library website features a “Practice Areas” section including links to relevant legislation, case law, commentary, textbooks, journals, alerting services and reference materials contained in subscribed resources, as well as linking to free web resources.

More information about library services can be found at The Law Library website or by sending an email to: llwa@justice.wa.gov.au.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the dedication and hard work of Lynne Lyon, the Manager of Library and Information Services, and also, in effect, the head librarian at the Law Library. Lynn will shortly retire after devoting more than 40 years to public service, most of that as a law librarian. She managed the amalgamation project and has been responsible for the delivery of high-quality information services to, literally, generations of lawyers and judicial officers.