More On Closing Connecticut State Libraries

The Connecticut Superior Court Libraries continue to close! If you are a citizen of Connecticut, please consider signing the petitions! It does not help, alas, if non-citizens sign, so don't clog up the petitions. Here is the latest from our Connecticut colleagues:

We wanted to bring to your attention that the Law Libraries at Bridgeport, Litchfield, Hartford, Milford, Norwich and Willimantic in Connecticut are scheduled to close due to budgetary constraints.


If the Law Library at Bridgeport closes it doors the largest city in Connecticut will be without a Law Library and the citizens of Bridgeport will be forced to travel a gap of 41 miles between the two remaining public law libraries, Stamford and New Haven . Library users depend upon Bridgeport ’s current and historic legal materials in all formats, and they value the court librarians for their unique knowledge and expertise.


The Law Library at Bridgeport was established in the old City Hall of Bridgeport (McLevy Hall) in 1877. It was moved to the Court House on Golden Hill Street in 1888 then moved to its current location in the Superior Courthouse at 1061 Main Street in 1973.


Petitions have been created to save the law libraries -


Save Bridgeport Petition

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/savebridgeportcourtlibrary/

Save Litchfield Petition

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/savelitchfieldcourtlibrary/


Save Milford Petition

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/savemilfordcourtlibrary/


Save Norwich Petition

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/savenorwichcourtlibrary/


We are the law librarians at Bridgeport and LLNE members-


Mary Ann Krivicky and Karen Yeltema

This is more than librarians seeking to save their jobs. When these libraries close, citizens will lack access to the law. People who have no money for lawyers, also have no access to cars to drive 41 miles to the nearest law library! They do not have a way to hop on the literal highway nor the information highway. And without a librarian to guide them, they will have a hard time making sense of what they find if they do venture out there. These libraries are very important in making justice work and in making democracy a reality in Connecticut, and in each state in our country. While there are many hard choices in tight budgets, public law libraries should be among the very last to be cut!

Connecticut residents may also want to contact their legislators to speak with them about the decisions being made. Use this link to contact your Connecticut legislator:
http://www.ct.gov/DDS/cwp/view.asp?a=2039&q=405232

The decoration is an ancient Greek statue of Themis, whom we know as Justice, often shown blindfolded, with the scales of justice and a sword.