Alameda County Law Library is seeking a volunteer to serve on the Law Library’s Board of Trustees as a representative of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors.
At quarterly Board meetings, the Board of Trustees takes report from the Library Director, approves past meeting minutes and financial statements, and provides guidance concerning library finances, policies, staffing, operations, and information resources.
Prospective applicants should be interested in supporting Alameda County Law Library operations and furthering the library’s mission to provide free public access to authoritative legal information. Members of the State Bar who live or work in Alameda County and who have an interest in library administration and access to justice are encouraged to apply for this unpaid volunteer opportunity.
To apply, please send your resume, brief letter of interest, and a completed application to Library Director Emily Bergfeld at director.lawlib@acgov.org.
About the Alameda County Law Library:
Alameda County Law Library is a public law library and local agency located in downtown Oakland that is established under California Business and Professions Code § 6300 et seq. Its mission is to connect the public and attorneys with authoritative legal information sources.
Visitors use the library’s resources to research the law, prepare for court, and draft legal documents. Professional law librarians help patrons use the library’s print materials, research computers, and legal databases (e.g. Westlaw, Lexis Advance, CEB OnLaw, Bloomberg, etc.) and make referrals to legal aid and local bar associations. By providing equal access to the tools needed to successfully participate in the legal system, Alameda County Law Library helps facilitate access to justice for all members of the community.
The library also offers free legal education classes via Zoom, legal clinics in conjunction with local organizations, and has low-cost meeting rooms for rent.
To improve access to legal information throughout Alameda County, the Law Library maintains “satellite legal collections” at both the Fremont and Dublin public libraries in partnership with the Alameda County Library.
The Bay Area Legal Incubator (BALI) Hub, a project of ACBA’s Legal Access Alameda that provides affordable, accessible legal services, is housed on the 2nd floor of the Law Library. The library is also frequented by local legal aid attorneys, solo and small firm attorneys serving modest means clients, and small business owners.
Over 90% of the library’s income comes from a small portion of Superior Court civil filing fees. Library revenue is supplemented by income generated from library services, donations, grants, and infrequent appropriations from the State Budget. Alameda County Law Library is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN 94-6000109), and donations made to the library are tax-deductible.