Law Library

Laura Motter
Dauphin County Courthouse (fourth floor)
101 Market Street 
Harrisburg, PA  17101
Phone: (717) 780-6605

Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00AM-12:00PM and 1:00PM-4:00PM.  Closed 12:00PM-1:00PM.
 
The mission of the Law Library is to acquire, store, retrieve, disseminate, and preserve legal information. The Law Library was created and is maintained, by law, to meet the informational needs of its patrons. Information and research are the lifeblood of legal practice and education. The Library applies basic standards such as referencing, cataloging, and acquisitions to achieve our mission. We are committed to sound financial management and to the continued advancement and modernization of the Library. The Library provides free, equal access and quality service to judges, attorneys, students, government employees, paralegals, and the residents of Dauphin County. 

HISTORY: The Dauphin County Law Library was established by the Pennsylvania Legislature in 1865 and has been housed in its present location since the Court House was built in 1943. The Law Library now has approximately 35,000 volumes, down from the 47,000. These volumes focus on statute and case law for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Federal Courts. The Library houses all of the published opinions of judges in each county. The legal periodical of Dauphin County is called the Dauphin County Reporter; it includes opinions from our ten Judges. 

WHO MAY USE THE LAW LIBRARY? The Law Library is open to the public Monday through Friday, 8:00AM-12:00PM and 1:00PM-4:00PM.

*Please note: the Law Library staff cannot interpret law or give legal advice to its patrons. 

CIRCULATION PROCEDURE: A member of the Dauphin County Bar Association may circulate material from the Law Library by signing a receipt located at the front desk. An eligible attorney may request permission for his/her law clerk to have circulation privileges at the Law Library. The request should be in writing and addressed to the Law Librarian. A law firm or attorney may send a staff member to the Law Library to borrow materials. If a staff member circulates library material, it must be signed out in the requesting attorney's name. 

Library materials may be circulated for three business days. The three-day rule does not include Saturday, Sunday, or County holidays. Renewals are permitted for an additional three days, not to exceed six days, and may be done by telephone. The Librarian may restrict the borrower from circulating materials if s/he has overdue materials. Disregard for the circulation policy may result in library privileges being revoked and the offender being reported to the Court. 

Books, periodicals, and newspapers marked "reference" shall NOT be circulated. 

PHOTOCOPIER SERVICE: For your convenience, the Library has a photocopier. The cost is $0.20 per page. Photocopies from the microform machine are $0.20 each and photocopies from the computers are $0.20 each. 

COMPUTER SERVICES: Photocopying material or downloading may be done, as long as it does not violate copyright laws. 

Westlaw may be accessed through the Library computers by using your own ID and password or the law library ID and password.

Frequently Asked Questions