Legal Reference Resources for Public Librarians

There are plenty of inexpensive or free legal resources written for the general public available in Minnesota. Here are a few tips for identifying those resources: 

• When you can get them, Minnesota-specific titles are always better than general resources (like Nolo guides). 
• Put legal materials in your library's main collection. Limit legal materials in Reference to things that need to stay a set or that don't circulate. You could also include ready reference titles like building codes or municipal ordinances in your Reference collection. 
• Most public libraries won't need legal materials on every subject. You can tailor available print legal materials to the needs of your patrons. 

If you would like help identifying which items would be most useful to your patrons, feel free to contact us at askalibrarian@courts.state.mn.us or (651) 297-7651. 

Below are a few tips for weeding legal materials in your collection:

• When you get a new edition of a legal title, usually you'll want to withdraw the older edition. 
• Certain types of law (like estate planning/probate, contracts, real estate) do not change much. It's okay to leave them on the shelf even if they might seem out of date. Others (like tax, family law, bankruptcy, immigration), you would not want to keep anything more than 2-3 years old. 
• Materials that talk about the history/summary of law or tell the story of a case can stay relevant long after their copyright date. 
• Resources that provide general tips (courtroom decorum, what an executor does, represent yourself in court, how to write a business plan) are okay even if they are old because they aren't referring to specific laws. 
• Form books are okay to keep well after the copyright date. They are just guides to drafting your own documents. 

The State Law Library can answer any questions you have specifically related to your collections. Feel free to contact askalibrarian@courts.state.mn.us or (651) 297-7651 if you have questions. 

In our positions as librarians, not lawyers, we can suggest resources but cannot give legal advice (such as which form to file) or legal opinions (such as how a statute might apply to particular facts). To do so could be considered the unauthorized practice of law. Even though we try to suggest materials that will be of help, more research is often required to find a complete and correct answer. For many questions, the best answer may be to consult an attorney.