Page 40 - 2024 March April Magazine

LAW LIBRARY NEWS
Where to Turn When You Need to Learn?
BY STEPHEN SEELY
At a time when sorting fact from fiction is becoming harder and people relying on a common
set of facts are becoming less common, libraries are proving their value. Libraries’ reputations as pridefully neutral sources of information and education have made them a reliable touchstone in turbulent times. A 2017 Pew Research survey of 3,000 people found that “[a]bout eight-in-ten adults (78%) feel that public libraries help them find information that is trustworthy
and reliable and 76% say libraries help them learn new things. Also, 56% believe libraries help them get information that aids with decisions they have to make.”1
These statistics offer encouragement to us here at the Law Library as we carry
1 A.W. Geiger, Most Americans – especially Millennials – say libraries can help them find reliable, trustworthy information, Pew Research Center (Aug. 18, 2017), https://www.pewresearch.org/ short-reads/2017/08/30/most-americans-especially-mil- lennials-say-libraries-can-help-them-find-reliable-trust- worthy-information/
out our mission of helping people to
help themselves. As a trusted source of legal information, we provide people the tools they need to effectively carry out
or participate in the legal process. As a reliable source of education, we teach people how to use those tools by showing them ways of doing legal research, what new methods or resources are available, and offering suggestions on where to start or where to look next.
The benefits of our Law Library’s
work can go beyond helping legal practitioners. A well-informed public that can effectively use the legal system is beneficial to all of us. For the legal system to succeed, people need to have confidence in it. The Law Library takes pride in laying the foundation for that confidence by giving people a basic understanding of our legal system’s core values, its processes, and how it can be used to help them.
As always, you won’t need to travel all the way to the Law Library to access
reliable information. If you have the Internet, the Law Library’s informational resources and research tools will be there with you when you visit us at www. piercecountylawlibrary.org and use our digital library!
We are also available by E-mail to help answer your reference questions. We can’t do the research for you, but we can help get you on the right path!
The Law Library can be reached at:
(253) 798-2691 pclawlibrary@piercecountywa.gov
Stephen is the Pierce County Law Librarian.
Fraser Robinson Speir Attorney Outsource
www.frslegal.com bonnie@frslegal.com l 253.564.3669
z
Providing legal research and briefing support at all administrative and judicial levels to the Pierce County Bar for over 25 years
40 PIERCE COUNTY LAWYER | March/April 2024