Plan Your Visit to the State Law Library

The Temple of Justice is undergoing renovations to replace outdated ventilation, heating, cooling and water systems. The court and library have moved to a temporary location in Tumwater during the construction.

We welcome visitors in our Research Room, but please be aware that our space and resources are limited. Many of our books are in storage due to the renovation at the Temple of Justice. We have one research computer with a 30-minute time limit and all books must be requested at our reference window.

Let us help you plan your visit. We can have books waiting for you when you arrive, or we may even be able to save you a trip by providing a scan or download.

Library closures and service updates will be posted on our social media pages at Facebook and LinkedIn.

To prepare for your visit, please take a moment to read this very important information and contact the reference desk at library.requests@courts.wa.gov or 360-357-2136 if you have any questions.

Hours

Service hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at our temporary location in Tumwater.

Law library services will not be available on these dates in 2024:

• Monday, January 1 – New Year's Day
• Monday, January 15 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Monday, February 19 – Presidents Day
• Monday, May 27 – Memorial Day
• Wednesday, June 19 – Juneteenth Day
• Thursday, July 4 – Independence Day
• Monday, September 2 – Labor Day
• Monday, November 11 – Veterans Day
• Thursday, November 28 – Thanksgiving
• Friday, November 29 – Native American Heritage Day
• Wednesday, December 25 – Christmas Day

Curbside

Pick up and return books from your car during curbside hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM.

Location

The library is currently located in Tumwater while the Temple of Justice is under renovation, at Town Center East, Building 3 at 243 Israel Rd SE in Tumwater WA 98501. The entrance to our parking lot is on Israel Road across from the post office. Our building is on the south side of the lot. Detailed instructions for finding our building can be found here.

We expect to move back to the Temple in late 2024.

Parking

Park in any customer spot in our parking lot. Note that the parking garage gate closes and locks after business hours.

Reference Services

Because our space is small, our one-on-one reference assistance may also be limited. For in-depth reference requests, please consider calling in advance or submitting your question by email.

Legal Research in Printed Materials

There are several things to be aware of before visiting the library for access to print materials.

1. We were unable to move our entire collection of books to the Tumwater location. Search our online catalog to find out which books are here. Limit your search by items available at “Town Center”. You can also search the catalog in our Research Room.
2. The appellate brief collection is in storage. Please provide advance notice if you need to view briefs. The brief books do not circulate.
3. Patrons cannot browse the shelves to find books. Visit the reference window when you arrive and the librarians will retrieve books from the shelves for you.
4. To save time, reserve books before you arrive. You can call or email the library, or log in to your account to place holds.

Legal Research Online

The law library has one computer in our Research Room available for legal research only. Patrons can access Westlaw, Fastcase, HeinOnline and Lexis eBooks. When patrons are waiting, time is limited to 30 minutes. You can call or email the library in advance to reserve time to use the research computer. We do not offer access to personal email or word processing software. Westlaw and Fastcase allow patrons to deliver results by email. To save other documents, please bring a USB drive for downloads. Patrons are limited to printing no more than 200 pages per day.

Research Appointments

Our space is limited to no more than five patrons in the research room at one time and we provide only one research computer. Because of these limitations, patrons may be asked to wait in the building lobby. To make the most of your visit, we recommend that you reserve the computer in advance by phone or email. You can also phone or email us with your reference request.

Printing / Scanning / Copying

There is one printer/scanner/copier available in the library’s Research Room. Patrons are limited to no more than 200 pages printed or copied each day. Patrons may scan to their own USB drive. The machine will not print from a USB drive.

Book Lending

Patrons with an active account can check out up to ten items from the Law Library. See our Borrowing policy for details.

Health and Safety

Library staff will wear masks and stand behind a clear shield while interacting with patrons. Masks are available for patrons and we encourage their use. Hand sanitizer and cleaning wipes are available in our Research Room.

Building issues should be reported to the security guard in the lobby.

Services

Learn more about available services here.