Services at the State Law Library

Need help now? Check our Legal Resources page for links to help with your legal research, including Washington state statutes and court opinions. For self-help resources, visit our Self-Representation page.

Reference

The law library has reference personnel on duty Monday through Friday 9:00 AM through 4:00 PM to answer basic questions, locate materials and provide help with using the library's resources. Library staff cannot provide services that might be interpreted as the unauthorized practice of law, such as locating relevant cases, interpreting statutes, or giving legal advice per our Legal Research and Advice Policy. Call (360) 357-2136 or email library.requests@courts.wa.gov with your legal reference request. Please allow up to 48 hours for our reply.

Requests from Incarcerated Individuals
Incarcerated individuals may request legal research assistance by sending a letter to the law library mailing address at P.O. Box 40751 Olympia, WA 98504-0751. We do not accept requests by phone from correctional facilities, including state hospitals. Requests may be rejected for any reason. For more information, please see our guides for requesting services for individuals in DOC custody or in jail custody.

Borrowing

We check out eBooks to all Washington State residents with a current library account. We check out books, microfiche/film, and AV materials to Washington State residents with a current (unexpired) government issued photo ID that contains an address and phone number, or a current photo ID plus a form of official mail or a legal form with a current address. Materials must be checked out and returned in person.

Members of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) and state and local government employees working on official business within the state are eligible to have materials mailed to them. Review our full Borrowing Policy for more specific details.

Books can also be returned by mail or using the book drop located just inside the north doors (facing the water), between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Please do not return historical or delicate materials in the book drop.

Online Public Access Catalog

The Library Catalog is available online. Use it to locate materials, searching by title, author, subject, keyword or call number. The law library uses the Library of Congress classification system. If you need help, the reference staff is available to assist you. We have also posted catalog instructions on our blog.

Holds

Patrons with an active law library account can place holds on our materials. First, use our online catalog to browse for books located in ‘Town Center’ then reserve books using your online catalog account or by phone or email. You will receive a notification when the book is ready for pickup. Books will be available for two weeks.

eBooks

Registered patrons can read electronic copies of the Washington State Bar Association deskbooks and other Lexis titles through the LexisNexis Digital Library eBook Collection. Instructions for accessing eBooks can be found in our blog post. Register for an account or recover your existing user name or password here.

Legal Research Databases

The law library has two computers in our Research Room available for legal research only. Patrons can access Westlaw, LexisNexis, Fastcase, HeinOnline and Lexis eBooks.

Printing / Scanning / Copying

Patrons using the research computers can print from legal resources only. There is one scanner/copier available for legal resources in the library's Research Room. Patrons may scan to their own USB drive. The machine will not print from a USB drive. Patrons are limited to no more than 200 pages printed or copied each day.

Document Delivery

Email library.requests@courts.wa.gov or call 360-357-2136 for email delivery of

• Photocopied or scanned pages as staff time permits. Copyright restrictions apply.
• Up to ten cases, statutes, and other documents per day.

Please allow up to 48 hours for delivery. Copyright restrictions or download limits may apply.

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

We lend to other libraries. There is no cost to the requesting library to borrow from us with the exception of for-profit organizations such as law firm libraries or corporate libraries. We accept ILL requests via email, phone or OCLC (OCLC symbol Z@5).

We also borrow materials from other libraries on behalf of state employees and WSBA members if it is within the scope of their employment. WSBA members must be able to pick up ILL print materials in person. Contact our Reference Desk at (360) 357-2136 or email library.requests@courts.wa.gov for more information.

Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi is available for legal research in the library. Select WSC-Visitor. No password is required, but please read the agreement before signing in.

Databases, other than Lexis eBooks, are not accessible through the Wi-Fi available at the library.