Courthouse Libraries BC: Who We Are
Who we are
We are a non-profit organization helping lawyers and the community find and use legal
information.
Where we are
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We have resource libraries in Vancouver & Victoria and regional libraries in
Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, New Westminster and Prince George. These libraries
are open Monday to Friday.
We have small libraries in 23 courthouses throughout BC. These small libraries have
limited public access (usually one day per week).
Find directions, operating hours and staff for all our libraries on our locations page.
What we do
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Our librarians in the resource and regional libraries can help you:
o Find legal information: cases, textbooks, forms, journal articles, etc.
o With legislation: locate acts & regulations, trace legislation back to its origins.
o With the Internet: locate good sources for legal information online.
We enable access beyond our walls:
o Our website courthouselibrary.ca features resources aimed at the legal
community: research guides, instructional videos, “how to use” guides for
legal databases, and tools to help find specialized legal information.
o We operate clicklaw.bc.ca, a portal website aimed at the public featuring
legal information, education and options for help.
o Our program LawMatters helps public libraries provide current legal information.
Some sample questions
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Do you have a book which will explain what happens at a pre-trial civil case planning
conference?
How much will a personal injury case like this pay?
I haven’t been able to find this case online; can you help me find it?
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May 2015
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What is involved to prepare a bill of costs in a family case?
Where could I find a form for warehouse storage rental?
What we have in print
Lawyers can borrow circulating books; anyone can use our materials in our libraries and
photocopy from them:
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Textbooks and manuals that focus on BC and Canadian law.
Books of forms and precedents (sample legal documents).
Legislation and cases from BC and other provinces in Canada.
Some UK, US and international materials (in our Vancouver library).
Legal encyclopedias, legal directories, and law dictionaries.
Legal materials written in plain English.
What we have on our computers
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Our library catalogue shows the books and resources we have in all our libraries.
Internet access and wireless access.
Legal databases, such as:
o Westlaw Next (Canadian cases, legislation, commentary, finding tools )
o CLE Online (Case digest archive, practice manuals & course materials)
o Lawyers Weekly, Canadian Bar Review, HeinOnline, & LegalTrac (sources of law
journals)
Tools you can use:
o Word processing software
o USB access so documents can be opened, or created and saved
o Printers (.25/page for printing from computers)
How to contact us
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Call the Vancouver Courthouse Library at 604-660-2841 or 1-800-665-2570
Email librarian@courthouselibrary.ca
Visit us on the Internet at courthouselibrary.ca and clicklaw.bc.ca
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May 2015