Borrowing policy

Courthouse library facilities, collections and services are available to all those who do legal research. To ensure that materials in our collections are available to all users, there are limits on what may be borrowed, who may borrow and how many items may be borrowed.

Individuals residing in British Columbia in the following categories may borrow circulating material from any of the courthouse libraries:

  • Members of the Law Society of British Columbia who are:
    • Current members in good standing
    • Registered non-practicing lawyers
    • Registered retired lawyers
    • Holders of a Practitioners of Foreign Law permit
    • Holders of an Interjurisdictional Practice permit
    • Articled students
  • British Columbia Judges and Associate Judges
  • Retired Canadian Judges
  • Retired BC Associate Judges
  • Judges' clerks
  • Law librarians
  • Judicial Justices of the Peace
  • Members of the Society of Notaries Public of BC

Staff employed by a Law Society of British Columbia member, if authorized by the member, may apply for and obtain a library card under their own name. The Law Society member, as a co-signer and the individual’s employer, is responsible for all materials borrowed on that library card.

The registered card holder and/or the co-signer is responsible for the library card and any material borrowed on that card. All borrowers will be charged the full replacement cost, plus a processing fee, for any material that is damaged or lost while checked out to them or on their library card.

The loan period for circulating materials varies according to the type of material and location of the user requesting the item. The loan period may be varied at the discretion of the library staff in each location. Information regarding the borrowing process plus loan periods and limits is available on the Courthouse Libraries BC website.

Personal or other information obtained through the library card registration form or automated circulation transactions in larger branches is kept confidential, including information about items on loan. Due to the nature of the manual circulation process in small branches, confidentiality of borrower records cannot be guaranteed.

A library card is required to borrow materials; it does not provide the card holder with access to the courthouse building or the library outside of posted building or library hours.

Approved by the Board of Directors on December 7, 2009

Borrowing policy