Utah State Law Library

The Law Library, and all Utah State Courts, will be closed on Monday, February 15, for Presidents' Day. Regular library hours (8 a.m.-5 p.m.) resume on Tuesday, February 16.

In 1879, George Washington's birthday - February 22, was deemed a national holiday by the 45th Congress. Today, the third Monday in February is when our nation celebrates Presidents' Day - a day that some believe should still be referred to as the holiday celebrating Washington's birthday. For the long version of this battle over when and what to call the holiday in February, read By George, IT IS Washington's Birthday by C.L. Arbelbide (available online from the National Archives).

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If you're a regular reader of our blog, you know that we hold a variety of classes in the law library, including Small Claims Basics, Collecting a Judgment Basics and Guardianship of a Minor Basics. These classes are now available on DVD.

If you're in the Salt Lake City area, you can come to the law library and view these classes on one of our public computers. We have two pairs of headphones available for you to use, or bring your own.

You can also purchase a DVD at the law library for $2 each. If you request the DVD to be mailed, the cost is $5 per DVD, including shipping fees.

Interested in viewing or purchasing a DVD? Contact the law library for more information.

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The Law Library, and all Utah State Courts, will be closed on Monday, January 18 in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Regular library hours (8 a.m.-5 p.m.) resume on Tuesday, January 19.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a civil rights leader in the 1950s and 1960s. He won the Nobel Peace Prize and was influential in the peaceful protest movement to abolish segregation. To read more about this civil rights leader, check out the Library of Congress' page Today in History: January 15. The federal government also has a site dedicated to MLK Day as a day of service that includes a longer biography.

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If someone you know is incarcerated and needs law library resources, let them know that the Utah State Law Library provides copy services for prisoners. Our brochure on services for prisoners provides information about copy and mail fees and the type of services we provide. Note that we do cannot do legal research on the prisoner's behalf. If a prisoner is incarcerated at either the Draper or Gunnison prison, we do not charge to mail the request. The only charges incurred are the 25¢/page copying fee.

Our services for prisoners are not limited to Utah. We accept requests from prisoners anywhere.

Be aware that we cannot process requests until the prisoner has enough money in his or her account to cover the costs of copying, and when necessary, mailing costs. We accept payment from prisoners by check. Friends and family may add money to the prisoner's account with cash, credit card, or check. Checks should be made out to the Utah State Law Library.

If you have any questions about this service, contact the law library.

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The law library, and all Utah State Courts, will be closed on Christmas and New Year's Day.

For quick reference, here are the law library's hours for the last two weeks of December:
Monday, Dec. 21: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 22: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 23: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 24: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 25: CLOSED

Monday, Dec. 28: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 29: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 30: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 31: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 1: CLOSED

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Contacting the Utah State Law Library just got easier! In an effort to expand services to users both in and outside the Salt Lake City area, we've added a number of ways to contact us for legal reference questions, class sign ups and document delivery requests. Besides calling and emailing the law library, you can now also contact us via chat and text.

Chatting with us is as simple as visiting our Contact Us page and entering your question in the Ask Us box. Law library staff will answer your chat questions 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Or, if you have AOL, Google Talk, MSN or Yahoo IM service, make note of our user name and send us a message through your instant messenger account.

Rather text than chat? Text us at 801-432-0TXT (801-432-0898) and we'll respond via text during business hours: Monday though Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Of course, we still answer phone calls and emails. Call us at 801-238-7990 or email library@email.utcourts.gov.

Finally -- you can also find us on Facebook. There, you'll find class and event reminders, an RSS feed of this blog, and law library photos. You can also chat with us from our Facebook page. Just click on the "Chat with Us" tab or find the chat box on our main page. We also welcome comments and suggestions on our Wall.

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One year ago the staff of the Utah State Law Library launched this blog. Since then we've had well over 200 posts ranging from new court forms to backyard chickens to consumer protection issues.

Thank you for joining us - we are looking forward to sharing many more posts with you in the future!

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The Law Library, and all Utah State Courts, will be closed on Thursday, November 26 in celebration of Thanksgiving Day. Regular library hours (8 a.m.-5 p.m.) resume on Friday, November 27.

The first presidential proclamation about Thanksgiving was made by George Washington in 1789. He declared the 26th of November as the date of celebration. In 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed that the last Thursday in November was a national holiday. Finally, in 1941 Congress and President Truman proclaimed the fourth Thursday of November the legal holiday that it is today.

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The Law Library, and all Utah State Courts, will be closed on Wednesday, November 11 in honor of Veterans Day. Regular library hours (8 a.m.-5 p.m.) resume on November 12.

November 11 has been a legal holiday since 1938, when an Act was approved to primarily honor World War I veterans. In 1954, President Eisenhower issued a proclamation declaring that the day be set aside to honor all veterans. For more information about the history and significance of Veterans Day, check out the Department of Veterans Affairs page.

In addition, the Library of Congress has sponsored the Veterans History project and provided access to interviews, memoirs, and photographs of veterans of various wars.

Many Veterans Day celebrations are being held around the state on November 11, including the University of Utah's Veterans Day Commemoration.

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The Law Library, and all Utah State Courts, will be closed on Monday, October 12 in celebration of Columbus Day.

Columbus Day has been a federal holiday since 1971; the first recorded celebration in the U.S. took place on October 12, 1792, 300 years after Columbus' landing.

For more information about Columbus Day, check out the Library of Congress' page about the holiday.

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The Law Library, and all Utah State Courts, will be closed on Friday, July 24 in celebration of Pioneer Day.

Pioneer Day has been a legal holiday for over 100 years, and was even on the law books for the Territory of Utah.

For information about the history of Pioneer Day, check out the Utah History Encyclopedia.

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The Law Library, as well as all Utah State Courts, will be closed Friday, July 3 in honor of Independence Day.

The 4th of July became a designated Federal holiday in 1870. Today it is a legal public holiday that many State and private employers also recognize as paid vacations for employees.

To read about historical Independence Day celebrations, check out the Library of Congress' Today in History page.

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Traveling to the Matheson Courthouse? Parking and travel information have recently been added to the Courts' website, including a virtual map: just enter your start address and you'll get driving directions.

If you're looking for directions to another courthouse, click on Court Contact Information and select the Court you want to visit. Under each Court address, you'll see a link to "View Map," which opens up a map with the location of each courthouse. At this screen, enter your start address to get driving directions.

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We're back from our library road show. We met with librarians, court staff, and the public throughout Southeastern Utah, with stops in Price, Moab, Monticello, and Mexican Hat.

The librarians were trained on court resources, especially those available for free, so they could become navigators of the Courts' website for their own patrons. Library patrons attended public information sessions, where we focused on resources for self-represented parties, including OCAP, other court forms, and the Self-Help Center. We encouraged librarians and patrons to call with any legal reference questions, emphasizing that we are a state-wide law library. We also met with court employees to share resources and brainstorm about how to update employees in rural areas with new forms and changes to Court resources.

One of the most interesting visits was with an attorney practicing on the Navajo Reservation near Mexican Hat. While he represents clients mostly in Navajo court, he occasionally refers people living outside of the reservation in Utah to district court. We provided him with information about the Courts' website and the Self-Help Center.

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The library and all Utah State Courts will be closed on Monday, May 25 in observance of Memorial Day.

According to Federal law, Memorial Day is a legal public holiday to be celebrated on the last Monday of May. See 5 U.S.C. § 6103. In 1950, Federal law changed the date of celebration from May 30 to the current date. However, some states continue to hold Memorial Day celebrations on May 30.

For more information about the origins of Memorial Day, check out the Department of Veterans Affairs' website and the Library of Congress' page called "Today in History: May 30."

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During the month of February law libraries across the country were invited to photograph all aspects law librarianship for the American Association of Law Libraries' 2009 Day in the Life Photo Contest.

A committee selects the five best photos in five different categories:

- Librarians as Information Evaluators and Managers
- Librarians as Expert Researchers
- Librarians as Teachers and Trainers
- Librarians as Trailblazers in New Technology
- The Artistry of Librarianship
- Most Humorous

We were thrilled to learn that two of our entries were finalists ... and one was a winner!

This photo - Blended Reference - was voted the best photograph in the Librarians as Expert Researchers category.

This photo - Simple Marketing - won third place in the Artistry of Librarianship category.

We submitted several photos that didn't make it to the finals. We will post these on our blog and our Facebook page soon.

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The law library, and all Utah State Courts, will be closed on President's Day, Monday, February 16. Regular library hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) resume on February 17.

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The law library, as well as all Utah State Courts, will be closed on Monday, January 19 in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. Regular library hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) resume on January 20.

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Dec. 22: 8 am - 5 pm
Dec. 23: 8 am - 5 pm
Dec. 24: 8 am - 5 pm
Dec. 25: CLOSED
Dec. 26: 8 am - 5 pm

Dec. 29: 8 am - 5 pm
Dec. 30: 8 am - 5 pm
Dec. 31: 8 am - 5 pm
Jan. 1: CLOSED
Jan. 2: 8 am - 5 pm

The Matheson Courthouse is also open during regularly scheduled hours except for Christmas and New Year's Day.

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Check back often (or add us to your RSS reader) for updates on new titles; additions to Self-Help Resources, including forms; and alerts when new briefs are added to the collection. We'll also be featuring new Federal documents and discussing legal research tips.

Each week, we'll let you know what the wireless password is that allows wireless access in 11 courthouses throughout Utah.

We'll also be using the library blog to notify you when the library is closed for a Federal or State holiday.

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