Our mission
It is the mission of the San Francisco Law Library to provide the judiciary, the public, the bar, and city, county, and state officials free access and use of legal reference materials in order that they may conduct their legal affairs and preserve their legal rights.
What we do
We provide access to justice through free legal resources, seminars and workshops, community outreach, and more.
We work with legal professionals, San Francisco and California officials, and members of the public. Our staff can:
- Help with legal research issues
- Recommend sources
- Propose useful approaches and alternatives
- Suggest framing for a research project
- Arrange library space to rent for a legal need
- Partner with related organizations to offer community outreach
We cannot give legal advice.
Our history
The San Francisco Law Library was established in 1870. It was the first county law library in the state of California, and the model for the statewide county law library system.
Today, it is the only public law library in San Francisco.
How we're funded
The majority of our funding comes from civil filing fees.
We're not funded by state or local tax dollars.
The City and County of San Francisco provides our building, utilities, funding for 3 positions, and a small sum for supplies.
Our governance
We're overseen by a Board of Trustees.
Staff
Administration
Marcia R. Bell, Director
Diane Rodriguez, Assistant Director
Jean McGuinness, Admin Assistant/Finance
Reference Librarians
Courtney Nguyen
Aaron Parsons
Andrea Woods
Library Assistants
Gemma Coppola
Michael Layton
Technical Services Team
The technical services team processes, maintains, and catalogs library materials.
Fiona Aprim - Head of Technical Services
Sean Hopkinson - Cataloger