Family law self help center expansion presentation

DECEMBER 2015 – JUNE 2016

Family Law Self-Help Center Expansion

Ribbon Cutting: June 24, 2016

Chi SongAnne Arundel County Public Law Library

Family Law Self-Help Center BEFORE the Expansion

(view from the sign-in area)

The Family Law Self-Help Center (FLSHC) provides short-term, limited legal services to self-represented litigants seeking assistance with family law matters.

Prior to the expansion, the FLSHC operated in a 396 sq. ft. open space located in the back of the Law Library.

This open space included the sign-in area, waiting area, work tables, and consultation desk.


(view from consultation table)

PROJECT GOALS

Increase Privacy Protections for

FLSHC Litigants

Increase Access for FLSHC Litigants

through more inclusive services

Project Timeline

Access to Justice Grant

December 2015: Grant Application Submission

January 2016: Grant Award

Library Reorganizatio

n

January – March 2016: Reorganization

of Library Materials to

expand available space

April 2016: Removal/relocati

on of existing shelving units to expand available

space.

Expansion of FLSHC

April 2016: Addition of

dedicated waiting area to increase

privacy

May 2016: Installation of

private Workstations to increase privacy

Adaptive Technologies

June 2016: Installation of

Adaptive Technologies to

increase accessibility

June 2016: Addition of

Children’s Area to increase

accessibility and privacy

Grant Library

FUNDING LIBRARY INCREASEPRIVACY

INCREASEACCESS

Library Reorganization

Expansion of FLSHC

FUNDING


FUNDING SOURCES$9,000: Circuit Court Grant Award from the Access to Justice Department, Administrative Office of the Courts

$500: Family Services Grant from the Department of Family Administration, Administrative Office of the Courts

Thank you to the Access to Justice Department and the

Department of Family Administration!



Expansion of FLSHC


LIBRARY

LIBRARY REORGANIZATION

Phase I: Remove materials to

accommodate expansion.


LIBRARY

The library donated/recycled 24 carts of books to make room for

the expansion.

Expansion of FLSHC


LIBRARYAccess to Justice Grant

LIBRARY


Phase II: Shift Materials

Access to Justice Grant Expansion of FLSHC


LIBRARY LIBRARY


Phase III: Remove one shelf unit;

relocate one shelf unit.

Access to Justice Grant Adaptive Technologies

LIBRARYLibrary

Reorganization

INCREASEPRIVACY

NEW WAITING AREA

BEFORE: The waiting area was contained in the same open space as the consult desk and work tables.

AFTER: The new waiting area…• is physically separated from the workstations,

providing litigants with increased privacy.• houses the library’s self-help collection , providing

litigants with easy access to print resources for self-represented litigants.

• includes a television, provided by the Access to Justice Department, that plays Self-Help Videos for self-represented litigants.


LIBRARYLibrary

Reorganization

INCREASEPRIVACY

PRIVATE CONSULTATION WORKSTATIONS

BEFORE: FLSHC Litigants met with the attorney/paralegal in full view and within the hearing range of the waiting area.

AFTER: FLSHC Litigants meet with the attorney/paralegal in a semi-private area.

CHILDREN’S AREA

BEFORE: The children’s area was tucked into the waiting area, increasing the noise and disruptions to the litigants’ consultations.

AFTER: The children’s area is a better defined space and separated from the consultation workstations, providing greater privacy for litigants.


LIBRARYLibrary

Reorganization

INCREASEPRIVACYINCREASEPRIVACY


LIBRARYLibrary

Reorganization

INCREASEPRIVACYExpansion of FLSHC

INCREASEACCESS

TOUCHSCREEN MONITOR FOR SIGN-IN DESK

BEFORE: Use of the keyboard and mouse was challenging for certain litigants.

AFTER: The touchscreen monitor mimics mobile devices, which are more familiar to the FLSHC’s litigants. The larger monitor size allows for a larger display for the survey, which improves the visual accessibility of the survey.


LIBRARYLibrary

Reorganization


INCREASEACCESS

MOUSE WITH LARGE TRACKBALL

BEFORE: Standard mouse

AFTER: Computers in the self-help computer room are now equipped with a standard mouse and a mouse with a large trackball to increase the accessibility of the computers.

Resources available through library subscriptions

• SASI-Calc

• LexisNexis• Email Sample Marital

Settlement Agreement

• Case Law Research• Family Law Treatises

• WestlawNext• Case Law Research• Family Law Treatises• Maryland Law

Encyclopedia


LIBRARYLibrary

Reorganization


INCREASEACCESS

ADDITIONAL COMPUTER FOR SELF-HELP COMPUTER ROOM

Coming

Soon!

Grant Library

FUNDING LIBRARY INCREASEPRIVACY

INCREASEACCESS

PROJECT TEAMAnita BaileyJoan Bellistri

Jennifer CasselDanielle ChappellNancy Faulkner

Douglas HofstedtChi Hyon Song

Thank you for attending the ribbon cutting for the newly expanded Family Law Self-

Help Center!

Family law self help center expansion presentation

Law

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