127 e-books
Over 1,500 journals
Supreme Court Decisions
English Reports
US legislation
Historical Canadian legislation
Any time. Any place.
Legal information where you are.
Courthouse Libraries BC is proud to introduce the Reading Room, our online library that BC lawyers can access for free. Now, for the first time, you can view e-books, journals, case reporters and more from your home or office, simply by visiting our website.
Currently, Members of the Law Society of BC have access to two subscription databases, though we’re planning to add more this year:
Hein Online
Available on our library computers since 2003, Hein Online is now accessible via the Reading
Room. Our expanded subscription includes Canadian and international journal articles, US law, the English Reports (full reprint), Canadian Acts from preconfederation to 2010, the Supreme Court Reports (scanned from the print volumes, from volume one to 2010), and more.
Irwin Law e-Library
It's a new product at our library, but content of this collection of e-books will be familiar to anyone who has used an Irwin Law title before (perhaps in law school?). The e-Library collection contains 127 unabridged ebooks on a broad range of legal subjects, including the award-winning "Essentials of Canadian Law" series, which offers concise, up-to-date summaries and analyses of major topics in Canadian law. (This collection is also available on the library computers, making it accessible to members of the public as long as the library is open).
You can read Irwin Law e-Library titles through the e-Library interface, or download customized pdfs to read later.
The library is also developing a series of tutorials to help you navigate these products. In the meantime, feel free to contact library staff with any questions.
Signing up for Reading Room access is simple: just visit the Reading Room Page and follow the instructions.
If you have a web account with CLBC, you simply need to upgrade your account. If you don't have a website account, you can create one yourself in a couple minutes. Once our staff have confirmed your status as a Law Society of BC member, we will upgrade your account, then contact you.
Bringing Information to BC's Legal Community, One Lawyer at a Time
The Reading Room is a vital part of our effort to shape our website and collections to meet the needs of the legal communities we serve. We're bringing legal information to BC's legal community – any time, any place. We think the Reading Room will be especially helpful to lawyers in small firms, lawyers in smaller communities, and new calls.
The Reading Room is meant to serve you. If you have any questions or feedback, please let us know. This project will continue to evolve as technology, legal publishing, and lawyers' needs change, and we can't make it happen without your input!