Lawlibrary

Thirty-two thousand, two hundred and ninety-four. That is how many people visited the Anne Arundel County Law Library last fiscal year before the circuit court gutted the law library to use it a holding location for jurors.

Asa long-time visitor to the lawlibrary, I can tell you that the library was never cluttered, and therewere no fraying stacks of legaldocumentsas described inthe your story (The Capital, Oct. 5). Yes, therewere old books, but that is where the law is located. Even today not everything is online. It was a sunny, place of refuge in a building devoted to the adversarial system of justice.

Under the leadership of Joan Bellistri, the law library has become a venerable local legal institution. Not only does the library serve judgesandtheir staffs, but it is also a home away from home to attorneys and a destination for self-represented litigants. Yes, you can call the self-help center, but if your issue isn’t family lawor a case handled by theDistrict Court, the law library is your only option for free and professional assistance.

Now that the law library is in the old lawyer’s lounge it will be impossible to serve the 30,000 people who visited the law library last year. It is my sincere hope that when we find our way out of a world of social distancing, the Anne Arundel County Law Library will return to its former location with its old books and dedicated staff.

MARYLAZUN

La Plata