Santa Clara County Law Library Services
Reference Assistance
"I choose free libraries as the best agencies for improving the
masses of the people, because they give nothing for nothing.
They only help those who help themselves." - Andrew Carnegie
The law library staff is not 'Lawyer Lite.'
The law library staff is available to guide patrons to appropriate legal materials in print or electronic formats so you can conduct your own legal research. The library staff takes great care to avoid the unauthorized practice of law. The library staff will not give legal opinions or advice nor will they comment upon or explain the meaning of a text. The
Telephone reference is limited to reading short sections of statutes when a specific cite is given by the caller, or the status of a specific titles. The number to our front desk is (408)299-3568. Patrons in the library have higher priority, we may ask you to call back later if we experience high traffic at the front desk.
Under no circumstance will legal advice be given
If you are unable or unwilling to conduct your own legal research, but wish for a quick answer to your legal question, we recommend the following resources:
To have somebody fill out a legal form for you, you may want to hire a Legal Document Assistant.
For Family Court matters, please contact the Family Law Facilitator's Office.
Since the Couty Law Library does not receive full civil filing fees from small claim cases, our collection on small claim cases is very limited.
For Small Claims court questions, please contact the Small Claims Advisor.
Obtain unbundled legal service from an attorney, also know as Limited Scope Representation.
San Jose Public Library has a very popular Lawyers in the Library program. Reserve your slot early.
If you believe that you qualify under their income guidelines, you may also wish to contact those services.
- Bay Area Legal Aid has a Legal
Assistance Line (LAL) for civil matters.
- Pro Bono Project.
- Santa Clara University,
School of Law has a community legal clinic.
Click for advice
clinics calendar. Call for appointments first.
County law libraries in California are funded solely by civil filing fees in local state Superior Courts, we do not receive any funding for litigations in Federal court systems. Our collection coverage on Federal matters is very limited. If you have an on-going lawsuit(s) in the Federal District Court, you may be able to ask your judge for permission to use the Federal District Court Library.
Self-Service Photocopiers:
There are 4 copiers in the library. Currently, the cost is 15 cents per page. The machines will take one dollar bills, quarters, dimes, and nickels.
For frequent library visitors, we also have pre-paid copy cards at $15, $30 and $45 denominations.
We do not have an ATM on site. Nor do we take credit card or ATM card payment.
Check-out privilege
Adult residents of Santa Clara County may sign up for a library card with a $50 CASH deposit. After three months, the deposit borrowers can turn in their library card and receive refund of their deposit, less any fines or charges. The process takes upto 6-8 weeks. Attorneys who either reside in or maintain an office in Santa Clara County may also sign up for a library card. Attorney borrowers in good standing can also sign up their staff or other associates for library cards.
Support staff/Deposit borrowers must also purchase a library card for $2.00. Patrons will need to show a picture ID and provide proof of address.
Wireless network
The San Jose branch hosts a Wi-Fi wireless network. This service is provided as-is without any warranty. The Law Library will NOT provide ANY technical support. Please refer to documentations provided by your hardware/software vendors if you encounter any difficulties.
Last Modified:
Tuesday, November 20, 2012