Cleveland Law Library Weblog

Celebrating CLEVNET!

 

On this day, 40 years ago, CLEVNET was created. What started as a small consortium between the Cleveland Public Library and the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library, has expanded across Ohio. Today, CLEVNET has 47 member libraries that operate in 12 counties and proudly serve nearly one million people across Northeast Ohio. The CLEVNET system benefits libraries and patrons, alike. Through this partnership, CLEVNET libraries can share cataloging services, administration, computer equipment, professional support, and consolidate their circulation. As a patron of a CLEVNET library, you can access the vast collections of every participating library, that is over 12 million items at your fingertips. CLEVNET has been vital to the library ecosystem of Northeast Ohio. The Cleveland Law Library has been a proud member of CLEVNET since 1985. We are here to congratulate CLEVNET on this momentous milestone! Here’s to another 40 years!

Sixth Circuit Satellite Library in Cleveland Closing Permanently to Non-Judicial Users on 5/29/25

For local attorneys who have used the Sixth Circuit Satellite Library in Cleveland, it will be permanently closing to non-judicial users effective Thursday, May 29, 2025. After that date, it will only be available to judicial officers and employees with key card access. In addition, that library's remaining staff member is retiring on 7/31/25, and her position will not be filled. For a great alternative, consider a membership in the Cleveland Law Library located on the 4th floor of the Cuyahoga County Courthouse. Membership privileges include access to our print collection, on-site and remote databases, reference assistance and research services, document delivery, free CLE, free use of conference rooms and much more. For more information, please contact the Cleveland Law Library at 216-861-5070 or [email protected]

Ohio Supreme Court Creates Artificial Intelligence Resource Library

The Ohio Supreme Court has just created an Artificial Intelligence Resource Library on its web site. This new online Library contains resources for judges, attorneys, and members of the public. For attorneys, the web site provides:

• AI ethics guidelines and disciplinary cases
• Relevant Rules of Professional Conduct
• Links to classes on AI practices
• Links to various AI reports, statements and resources
• Law review and journal articles.
• AI related to interpreters and language services in the legal system

 

Spotlight on the Supreme Court's Law Library

In celebration of National Library Week, Court News Ohio recognizes the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Law Library for its vital role within the Court and across the state. Housed on the upper floors of the Moyer Judicial Center, the library boasts a rich collection of legal and historical texts, along with a grand Reading Room and multiple murals. The library staff helps with everything from in-depth legal research to genealogical inquiries. They're celebrating Library Week with games, food, and fun displays— check it out!

Cleveland Public Library to Digitize Massive News Archive

According to a news article from thelandcle.org, the Cleveland Public Library has accepted custody of 250,000 news stories on 16mm film, magnetic tape video, reel-to-reel audio and glass phono-discs from the Northeast Ohio Broadcast Archives. The collection includes news from after World War II through the late 1980s. Up until 2023, John Carroll University has served as the custodian for these records. Kudos to CPL for its initiative to digitize these historic records!

Data.gov Archive

The Library Innovation Lab at Harvard Law School just launched an archive of data.gov. This 16TB archive contains over 311,000 datasets from 2024 and 2025; the project is updated daily. They aim to preserve public datasets for research, policymaking, and public use. Additionally, the project released their open-source software for others to replicate their work and create similar repositories.

CPL Staff Memo on Immigration Enforcement

The Cleveland Public Library sent a memo to staff advising them not to intervene if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents come to library branches to arrest patrons. Executive director and CEO, Felton Thomas, emphasized that interfering with arrests could lead to legal consequences, such as obstruction of justice. Thomas reassured staff that it’s unlikely ICE would target CPL employees but reminded them that ICE agents can legally enter public library spaces. Additionally, the library must protect patron privacy under Ohio law, and staff should direct ICE inquiries about personal information to the library’s legal counsel.

Cleveland Law Library Adds Lexis+ for Patrons

As part of a brand new 3-year contract, the Cleveland Law Library is pleased to announce that it now offers Lexis+ for members. Members include both our paying members of the Cleveland Law Library Association and our statutory members from local government agencies and departments pursuant to ORC 307.51. Member training is being planned for the Spring so stay tuned for more information. The Law Library also hopes to acquire licenses to Lexis+ AI for staff in the near future.

Jury Duty Explained In Videos Provided By The Ohio Supreme Court

The Ohio Supreme Court has provided the courts of Ohio with educational videos that can be utilized to inform people who have been summoned for jury duty of their role in the judicial system. One video describes the jury process for criminal and civil trials (petit juries), while the other video describes the jury process for a grand jury. Both videos begin and conclude with remarks by Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy of the Ohio Supreme Court.

The video for petit juries provides a description of the Ohio court system and the jury selection process. Jurors will learn about the different stages they will experience, common terms used in a courtroom, courtroom rules, and expected behavior. Jurors will also gain insight into the structure of Ohio courts such as the roles of each court staff member. Jurors will gain a better understanding of court procedures and their overall role as a juror.

The video for grand juries provides an explanation on the responsibilities of a grand jury. The video repeatedly advises jurors that they will not find someone guilty or innocent; instead, they will be determining if there’s enough evidence to charge the accused. Those watching the video will gain better knowledge of the history of the grand jury, including their oath of secrecy. This video also provides jurors with common terms and phrases that may be used in court. 

Each video was produced by the Ohio Judicial Conference, the Ohio State Bar Association, the Supreme Court of Ohio and Ohio Government Telecommunications. The videos can be found on the Ohio Channel’s website. Their overall goals for each video are to provide an educational resource for the judges and courtrooms in Ohio and to better inform the public on the importance of jurors in the judicial system.

Cleveland Law Library Board Members and Director Record Podcast for Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association

In honor of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association's (CMBA) 150th Anniversary, Cleveland Law Library Association (CLLA) Board members and staff recorded a Podcast for the CMBA's My BarStory Series. Please join CLLA Board President Carla Tricarichi, Esq., Past President Joseph N. Gross, Esq., and Director/Board Secretary Kathleen M. Dugan, Esq., MLS in discussing the relationships between the CMBA and the CLLA over the years, including shared leadership and values. Click here to listen to this episode, which is numbered S02E05. Enjoy!

Cleveland Law Library Welcomes New Reference Librarian

Please join us in welcoming Kayla Fertig, our newest Reference Librarian. Kayla is a graduate of Kent State University and a northeast Ohio native. She loves all things Cleveland and is excited to be a part of the Cleveland Law Library team.  Congratulations and welcome aboard!