Connecticut’s Executive Branch has cut $12.9 million in the budget for the Judicial Branch, forcing the proposed closure of six law libraries across the state including the Bridgeport Superior Court Library.

These courthouse libraries serve to meet a diverse range of legal research needs from the judiciary, corporate and government attorneys, solo practitioners, average citizens and the indigent. The physical collections and online services available through these libraries, as well as the professional knowledge and expertise of law librarians, contribute to making Connecticut’s court law libraries essential partners in the delivery of justice.

Connecticut’s fifteen Judicial libraries annually receive an average of 480,000 web site visits, 250,000 walk-in visits, and staff answer approximately 42,000 reference questions. These statistics demonstrate that our court law libraries are unique and essential.
 
The proposed closure of the Bridgeport Superior Court Library is especially alarming because, with the planned closure of the Milford Superior Court Library, there will be 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.

Closure of this library will have a serious negative impact on pro se litigants who rely on the law library to gain access to legal materials they need to defend themselves in court.  These already disenfranchised individuals often lack transportation options to travel to a distant law library.  While we understand the dire budgetary circumstances that the state currently faces, it is essential that the Bridgeport Superior Court Library remain open.  It is indispensible to the city’s residents.

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