General Info

Butler County Law Library is open to members of the general public for the purpose of performing legal research from 8: 30 AM to 4: 30 PM, Monday through Friday, except for holidays recognized by the Butler County Board of Commissioners. The Law Library is located at 10 Journal Square, OH 45011 Hamilton Suite 200Once operated by non-profit library associations, Ohio county law libraries are now administered by county entities called "county law library resources boards" and are generally funded from court fines. Unlike public libraries in Ohio, county law libraries are not financed from taxpayer revenue unless funding is provided by county boards of commissioners. See sidebar, right, for background information on the history of county law libraries in Ohio.The transfer of responsibility for Butler County Law Library to Butler County Law Library Resources Board began in July of 2009 with planning for the transition. Throughout the process, the objective has been to achieve as soft a landing as possible to minimize the number and extent of negative impacts this change will have on all who have benefited from the services provided by the Law Library. The reality is there will be changes because the enabling statute adds substantial new and unfunded expenses to the Law Library's budget.Butler County Law Library Resources Board. Information about Butler County Law Library Resources Board may be found under the "General Information " tab in the navigation bar of the Law Library's website. Notice of public meetings of the Board shall be available on the Law Library's blog.Library Services to Members of the Public. Public patrons ought not expect county law library staff members to answer their legal questions; they are prohibited by law from doing so because that would be an unauthorized practice of law. County law library staff members are available to provide directional assistance by showing members of the public which library materials may help patrons answer their legal questions and how those materials may be used, but staff members can go no further. Members of the general public may also be restricted to using certain legal materials in specific formats because of library policies and licensing agreements.Except for statutory users and local attorneys who have library privileges, the Law Library's collection is for reference purposes only; materials do not circulate but public patrons can make photocopies for a reasonable fee. Additional information may be found under the "Collection & Services " tab in the navigation bar of the Law Library's website.Law Library Resources. To meet costs now and in the coming years, cutbacks in library materials have to and will be made. There will be no alternative but to downsize the law library collection due to financial necessity. The Law Library's collection will more narrowly focus on Ohio-related legal materials, and the general treatise collection will be limited to those areas of law most commonly practiced by the local bar along with resources needed by county agencies and courts in the official conduct of business. The days of Ohio county law libraries developing and maintaining a relatively comprehensive collection containing essential titles across the entire spectrum of law to answer most any research need are coming to a close.Downsizing the law library collection will not happen overnight but it will happen. It must be executed in an orderly fashion, that is to say, by following practices always followed when faced with circumstances such as the ones this law library is facing now. Some decisions may even be controversial but there is no way around the fact that the Law Library cannot continue to operate as it has done in the past.In addition to reducing the size of the print collection, reliance of electronic resources will increase. Most every law library in this country is facing the "digital-only" decision for some titles they hold both in print and electronic formats.