Services Offered at the Law Library

RESEARCH ASSISTANCE – AVAILABLE

All library staff can help you conduct legal research but cannot offer legal advice. Assistance is available to everyone during operating hours in-person, via the phone (240-777-9120), and/or email ([email protected]). All library staff can assist you with legal research and we work collaboratively on reference questions, depending on our schedules and workloads. We cannot accommodate requests for a specific librarian to assist you.

Law Librarians can help you with…

• Locating relevant laws, rules, forms, articles, treatises, and even legislative intent
• Identifying informative, credible, current, and free online sources of legal information
• Referring you to attorney, legal services, and pro bono services directories
• Referring you to relevant government agencies and services
• Helping you construct and troubleshoot database search queries
• Providing you with free onsite access to online legal databases and tools like Westlaw, Lexis, SASI-CALC and more
• Locating resources in surrounding libraries
• And more! Please feel free to ask us about how we can assist you with your legal research.

Please note, law librarians cannot help with…

• Giving legal advice
• Performing case research on your behalf (but we can assist)
• Recommending specific legal forms
• Reviewing your legal documents , preparing memoranda, and filling out forms
• Checking out books
• Scanning and emailing excessive portions of published texts, per copyright law
• Speaking to judges’ and magistrates’ chambers on your behalf
• Referring you to specific legal and expert services
• Assisting you if you are harassing library patrons or staff

Tech Tools

• Onsite free access to legal databases
  • Westlaw
  • Lexis
  • HeinOnline
  • PACER
  • SASI-CALC
  • Kaufman’s Alimony Guidelines
  • Maryland Daily Record
  • Maryland Family Law Update
• Onsite free internet access and Microsoft Word
• Research Center computers are for legal research purposes only
• MDEC Business Center computers are for searching case records and e-filing only
• No USB drives are permitted
• Free WiFi is available throughout the courthouse
• B/W and color printing, B/W photocopying, scanning, and faxing
  Payment methods
  
  • Cash payments are accepted
  • Credit card payments are accepted with $5 minimum purchase (cardholder must be present)
  • Mastercard, Visa, and Discover are accepted
  • Mobile payments and debit cards are not accepted
  • Payment must be made at time of service. We do not issue refunds
  Prices
  
  • Patrons receive 20 free B/W prints or photocopies per day and 1 free fax or scan up to 20 pages per day. Prices listed here apply to subsequent pages, scans, or faxes. This policy does not apply to color prints.
  • B/W prints and photocopies are 25¢/page
  • Color prints are 25¢/page
  • Scans and incoming/outgoing faxes are 25¢/page. Each email address or phone number count as 1 scan or fax.
  • Patrons are charged for their own printing mistakes and duplicates

MDEC BUSINESS CENTER

The Law Library contains a MDEC Business Center in addition to its Research Center computers. MDEC Business Center computers and scanners are available for searching and printing case records and e-filing. The MDEC Business Center contains individual scanners, Odyssey File and Serve, MDEC Case Search, and MDEC Public Kiosks. Librarians are on hand to assist with basic troubleshooting.

Learn more about Maryland Electronic Courts (MDEC):

• MDEC E-Filing
• MDEC Publications/Resources
• Access to Maryland Court Records

Conference Rooms

Conference rooms are available to reserve for free for legal purposes from 8:00am-4:00pm, Monday through Friday.

Call 240-777-9120, e-mail [email protected], or walk into the Law Library to ask a librarian to reserve rooms. Have the following information ready:

• Amount of time needed, including setup and decamp time
• Number of people in meeting
• Your contact information

Please note that the following guidelines apply to room usage:

• Anyone may book a meeting room free of charge, for active use and legal purposes only.
• Meeting rooms must always be booked with a librarian. Do not assume empty rooms are available.
• No food is allowed in the rooms. Covered drinks are permitted.
• Please include setup and decamp time in your booking. If you need more time, ask a librarian.
• Meeting rooms must be vacated by 4:00pm.
• Check conference room schedule upon arrival. In rare cases when room assignments are changed, librarians will make every effort to accommodate your party size in a comparable room.
• Room reservations will be held for 30 minutes. If notice of a late arrival has not been given, the reservation will be canceled.
• Reservations can be made up to a month ahead of time, for no longer than one consecutive week, space allowing. Please note that limitations also may apply to the number of rooms that can be simultaneously reserved by one party on a given day.
• You may use cellphones in closed rooms. Refrain from using your cellphone and/or having loud conversations in the hallway and reading room.
• Librarians cannot assist meeting rooms occupants with technology.
• Do not store your belongings in conference rooms. Librarians are not responsible for any lost or stolen items.
• If persons or parties fail to follow these guidelines and/or are disruptive, their room privileges may be revoked. The attorney or mediator in charge of the booking is responsible for their party’s behavior.

Notary Public

The Law Library offers free, limited, in-person notary public services.

Please note, per the Maryland Code, State Government Article, §18-224(d)(2), we are required to state the following: “Our notaries are not attorneys licensed to practice law in this state. They are not allowed to draft legal records, give advice on legal matters, including immigration, or charge a fee for those activities.”

Our free, limited, and in-person notary services cover the following notarial acts:

• Acknowledgements
• Verification on oaths or affirmations
• Witnessing or attesting signatures
• Certifying or attesting copies of print records
• Please note that legal and service limitations may apply, such as page/document limits and availability of Montgomery County notaries

Please follow these procedures:

• Contact the Law Library prior to your visit to inquire about notarization procedures and notary availability via 240-777-9120 or [email protected]. We recommend calling ahead on the day you plan to visit the notary.
• Please note that a Montgomery County notary may not always be available. (You may want to see a Montgomery County notary if you are planning to go through the Apostille process with your document.) We also have Prince George’s County and Frederick County notaries that may be available for documents that don’t need to go through the Apostille process.
• Bring your current, government-issued photo identification that states the exact name that you will be signing with. By law, your ID must include your picture and signature. Foreign government IDs are accepted. Photocopies or digital copies of ID are not accepted for identification purposes. If you don’t have an ID, you may also bring a credible witness who can attest to your identity. This credible witness must be an adult and have a photo ID that meets this criterion.
• Do not sign your document(s) prior to seeing a notary.
• Arrange for your own witnesses, if necessary.
• If you have multiple documents, ask about the document limit. Other legal and service limitations may also apply.

Further reading:

• You can learn more about the general duties of a notary public by contacting the Maryland Secretary of State’s Office Notary Division:
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 410-974-5520
• Website: https://sos.maryland.gov/Notary/Pages/default.aspx
• You can look up specific notaries by name via the Notary Division of the Maryland Secretary of State’s Notary Public Database
• Learn how to authenticate documents for international use via the Maryland Apostille process with this handy guide.
• Need to prove marital status and/or are you getting married abroad? Learn more about the processes with this handy guide.

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES AND TOURS

Contact the Law Library for more information.

Circuit Court librarians can give tours and/or group instruction to students and new practitioners, such as paralegal and law students, high school students, law clerks, and summer associates.

We can also give short, one-on-one instruction on researching legal topics, accessing databases such as Lexis and Westlaw, and preparing legislative histories.

We also organize lectures and group trainings on legal topics and databases. Watch the Law Library Newsroom page for upcoming events.