Attorneys lament loss of law library at Norwich courthouse

The Judicial Branch's plan to close the law library at Superior Court in Norwich is disappointing to some local attorneys.

The branch has announced it will close libraries at courthouses in Norwich, Milford and Willimantic in early 2010 and disseminate collections in those libraries to other courthouses. No layoffs are planned, and library staff are expected to transfer to other courts.

The closures are expected to save the Judicial Branch a total of $189,000 by reducing the number of subscriptions and other legal resources that are purchased for each library, according to branch spokeswoman Melissa Farley. The Norwich closure will result in a savings of $139,500, according to Farley.

Joseph J. Sellinger, president of the New London County Bar Association, said the association provided feedback to the Judicial Branch after learning of the potential closure in Norwich.

"Unfortunately, we didn't really get notice that this was in the works until it was pretty much a done deal," Sellinger said.

According to Farley, the branch decided to close the three law libraries based on the proximity of other libraries. The closest courthouse library for users displaced by the Norwich closure will be at New London Superior Court on Huntington Street.

The Norwich librarian, Lori Sulmasy, is expected to transfer to the Middletown courthouse, and Kathryn Miller, who has worked at both the Norwich and New London libraries, will be working in New London.

Larger law firms have their own libraries, but solo practitioners and smaller firms often depend on the courthouse libraries, Sellinger said. Also, the courthouse library is a convenient resource for lawyers who have a need "for quick research while they're on trial," he said.

Attorney Richard J. Pascal, a partner in a law firm located across the street from the Norwich courthouse, said attorneys still rely on printed legal materials despite the availability of online material.

"Computers are really good when you know what you're looking for," he said.

If he wants every case that exists in the country on a certain point, the computer is the best resource, he said.

"But if I have three legal theories out there, and I'm hitting a book, there might be a fourth," he said.

His firm, Block, Janney & Pascal, has been able to purchase fewer legal treatises, or scholarly publications, because the materials were readily available across the street, Pascal said.

Sellinger and Pascal said the closing impacts members of the public who represent themselves in court cases and rely on the library for research assistance and materials.

"I'm really sorry for the 'pro se' people, those who represent themselves," Pascal said. "That was the theory of the law libraries, that you didn't need a lawyer. You could go to the library and do it yourself."