Legal Information @ Your Library
Kent County Public Library and its patrons are benefiting from a shorewide grant entitled "Get Ready for Your Day in Court @ Your Library." Local reference librarians are receiving extra training in available legal resources through the Maryland Legal Assistance Network, and our collection is expanding to include the entire legal self help series from NOLO Press. Following are just a few of the nearly 100 titles being added:
- Represent Yourself in Court
- Working for Yourself
- Make Your Own Living Trust
- 101 Law Forms for Personal Use
- Renters' Rights
- Your Rights in the Workplace
- Negotiate the Best Lease for Your Business
- Inventor's Notebook
- Divorce Without Court
- Nolo's Simple Will Book
In conjunction with the grant, the Kent County Public Library will be promoting the online Maryland's Peoples Law Library, a resource guide for people who choose to represent themselves, available at www.peoples-law.info .
Reference librarians also have access to an online legal referral system, with which to determine agencies that can provide legal help based on the type of help required and the individual's resources.
The grant, of $51,868.72 was awarded to the Eastern Shore Regional Library System, which includes Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties. It comes from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) through the Division of Library Development & Services (DLDS). The local match is $55,389.12 for a total of $107,257.84.
"We are happy to be able to provide this valuable legal resource for the community," said Jerry Keiser, Director of the Kent County Public Library. The new legal self-help books can be found on display at the Chestertown Branch.
"When people need information, whether legal or otherwise, we want them to think of the library," said Karen Collier, Public Services Librarian. For more information, call 410-778-3636.