Chapter 189 - Law Libraries

Sec. 11-10a. Retirement of librarians. Upon certification by the bar library committee, any librarian of a law library existing under the provisions of section 11-19b may retire after thirty years of service, and shall thereafter receive an annual pension equal to two per cent of his average annual salary for each year of such service based on the five highest paid years of service, payable in monthly installments; provided any such librarian having less than thirty years' service on October 1, 1960, shall not be granted such a pension but shall be eligible for membership in the state employees retirement system, subject to such terms and conditions as to service credit and contributions to the retirement fund as the State Employees' Retirement Commission determines. This section shall not apply to any librarian who is a member of the municipal employees' retirement system or who is receiving a pension under the provisions of any special act.

(1959, P.A. 427; P.A. 73-471, S. 2, 5.)

History: P.A. 73-471 substituted “law library existing under the provisions of section 11-10” for “county law library” (“11-19b” substituted for “11-10” when section transferred).

Sec. 11-10b. Policies for establishment and maintenance of law library system. The Supreme Court shall adopt policies for the establishment and maintenance of a system of law libraries within the state.

(P.A. 73-471, S. 3, 5; P.A. 75-316, S. 8; 75-479, S. 24, 25; 75-567, S. 76, 80; P.A. 76-368, S. 5, 9; P.A. 84-414, S. 7, 14; P.A. 90-234, S. 2, 8.)

History: P.A. 75-316 substituted “state library board” for “state library committee”; P.A. 75-479 repealed section but P.A. 75-567 removed section from list of sections to be repealed; P.A. 76-368 deleted provisions re receipt of appropriations by bar library committees, budget requests and annual reports submitted by said committees, requests for advice, service etc. and provision protecting law libraries from diminishment of annual payments; P.A. 84-414 inserted new Subsec. (a) re adoption of standards for services within each law library tier and designated former section provisions as Subsec. (b); P.A. 90-234 deleted requirement that the state library board adopt regulations and budget recommendations concerning the state system of law libraries and substituted provision requiring the supreme court to adopt policies for establishment and maintenance of system of law libraries.

Secs. 11-11 to 11-19. New Haven, New London, Fairfield, Middlesex, Hartford, Litchfield, Windham and Tolland County law libraries. Payments to law libraries. Treasurer's bond. Sections 11-11 to 11-19, inclusive, are repealed.

(1949 Rev., S. 1647–1655; 1949, 1951, 1953, 1955, S. 1013d, 1015d; 1949, S. 1017d, 1019d; 1951, S. 1014d, 1016d, 1018d; 1957, P.A. 6, S. 1; 7; 317; 335; 346; 1959, P.A. 152, S. 26–34; 167; 305, S. 1; 399; 402; 406; 1961, P.A. 554; 1963, P.A. 621; 1967, P.A. 644, S. 1, 2; 1969, P.A. 745, S. 1; 1972, S.A. 53, S. 14; P.A. 73-471, S. 4, 5; P.A. 75-530, S. 33, 35.)

Sec. 11-19a. System of law libraries. There shall be a system of law libraries within the state, under the supervision of the Office of the Chief Court Administrator.

(P.A. 76-368, S. 1, 9; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 83-7, S. 1, 3; P.A. 84-414, S. 8, 14; P.A. 90-234, S. 3, 8.)

History: June Sp. Sess. P.A. 83-7 amended Subsec. (a) to elevate Stamford from a Tier II to a Tier I library and to provide Tier II libraries in New London and Danbury, and added Subsec. (c) re hours of operation of Tier I libraries, which was formerly part of Sec. 11-1a; P.A. 84-414 amended Subsec. (a) removing Hartford from the Tier I libraries and amended Subsec. (b) designating the law library in Hartford as the state's principal law library; P.A. 90-234 deleted provisions detailing authority of the state library board over the state system of law libraries and substituted provision that the law library system shall be under the supervision of the chief court administrator.

Sec. 11-19b. (Formerly Sec. 11-10). Law library use and regulation. Each such library shall be for the use of the courts and citizens of the state, subject to such conditions as may be prescribed by the Office of the Chief Court Administrator.

(1949 Rev., S. 1646; 1959, P.A. 152, S. 25; P.A. 73-471, S. 1, 5; P.A. 75-316, S. 7; P.A. 76-368, S. 4, 9; 76-436, S. 474, 681; P.A. 77-452, S. 2, 72; P.A. 90-234, S. 4, 8.)

History: 1959 act placed ownership of libraries in state rather than in counties; P.A. 73-471 made technical changes and required approval of regulations by chief justice of supreme court, chief court administrator and chief judges of superior and common pleas courts and required them to advise state library committee of their actions; P.A. 75-316 substituted state library board for state library committee; P.A. 76-368 deleted provisions concerning management of libraries by law library associations composed of attorneys in county and required establishment of regulations by state library board with advice of law library advisory committee rather than by associations with approval of various officers of court; P.A. 76-436 required approval of regulations by chief administrative judge rather than chief court administrator and by two superior court judges appointed by chief justice rather than chief judges of superior and common pleas courts, effective July 1, 1978, but provisions were not enacted because provisions of P.A. 76-368 took precedence as clarified in P.A. 77-452; Sec. 11-10 transferred to Sec. 11-19b in 1977; P.A. 90-234 deleted reference to the regulations of the state library board re use of the state system of law libraries and substituted provision that use of the law library system shall be subject to conditions prescribed by the chief court administrator.

See Sec. 11-19e re furnishing of legislative materials to law libraries.

See Sec. 51-215 re furnishing of Supreme Court case records and briefs to law libraries.

Sec. 11-19c. Law Library Advisory Committee. Section 11-19c is repealed.

(P.A. 76-368, S. 2, 9; P.A. 77-452, S. 1, 72; P.A. 90-234, S. 7, 8.)

Sec. 11-19d. Long term leases of law books to bar associations. The State Library Board shall, upon request of any local bar association, enter into a long-term agreement with such association for the leasing of books within the area in which such association is located, which prior to July 1, 1976, were in law libraries belonging to the state and which the state no longer maintains. Such lease shall be for one dollar per year.

(P.A. 77-270.)

Sec. 11-19e. (Formerly Sec. 11-4b). Furnishing of legislative materials to law libraries. The State Library shall send, upon request, to each law library established pursuant to section 11-10b, an electronic copy of each of the following legislative materials as they become available: Bills; bulletins; list of bills; calendars; journals; file copies; engrossed copies; the legislative record index; and microfiche copies of the House proceedings, the Senate proceedings, and the joint standing committee public hearings for each legislative session, along with all appropriate indexing.

(1963, P.A. 264; P.A. 90-234, S. 5, 8; P.A. 11-150, S. 13.)

History: Sec. 11-4b transferred to Sec. 11-19e in 1987; P.A. 90-234 amended section to provide that the state library shall mail legislative materials to each law library upon request and added list of bills and microfiche copies of house and senate proceedings, committee hearings and appropriate indexing to the list of legislative materials; P.A. 11-150 required State Library to send electronic copy of legislative materials to each law library and deleted reference to photo offset copies of bills, effective July 1, 2011.