Trustees

Welcome to the Queens Supreme Court Library Web Site

The Board of Trustees of the Queens Supreme Court Library has provided guidance to our local library staff and assistance to the administrative authority of the court system by ensuring the professional management of our law library, since its inception in 1911. The Board initially fulfilled the role of liaison between the local bar and the office of the Administrative Judge. This function included hiring staff, certifying budget requests to the then New York City Board of Estimate, and securing materials funding from the State of New York.

The Board, authorized by sections 813 and 814 of the Judiciary law, now operates under the Guidelines for Boards of Trustees on the Care and Operation of Law Libraries promulgated by the New York State Office of Court Administration in October of 1993. On behalf of the Board of Trustees I welcome you to our Web Site. We hope this Web Site helps you learn more about our agency and how it fulfills the duty of contributing professional library services to the process of providing a just and timely resolution of all matters before the court. We welcome your suggestions and comments. Let us know what you think of this site or how we may improve it.

Thanks for visiting and come again.

 

Guidelines for Boards of Trustees on the Care & Operation of Law Libraries

Article 21 of the Judiciary Law provides for a designated Court Law Library in each county of the State that is open to the public. Court Law Libraries are under the care and management of the Chief Administrative Judge, who appoints members of Boards of Trustees for the libraries to two-year terms of service.

The following guidelines have been developed to provide the Administrative Judges, who have been delegated the authority for the operation of the libraries, and the Boards of Trustees with broad parameters for library management.

I. Structure

The Administrative Judge is responsible, on behalf of the Chief Administrative Judge, for the care and management of the Court Law Libraries within the Administrative Judge's jurisdiction.

The Court Law Library Boards of Trustees, whose members serve for terms of two years, provide assistance to the Administrative Judges on issues relating to the operation of the libraries. The Boards of Trustees will be assisted by the court law librarian (or senior court law library staff), who shall serve as an ex officio member and Secretary to the Board of Trustees.

The Board of Trustees shall report annually to the Chief Administrative Judge on the state of the library. The first report shall be submitted by June 1, 1994 and subsequent reports shall be submitted annually thereafter.

II. Mission

The mission of the Unified Court System law libraries, adopted in 1982, is as follows:

The primary mission of the law libraries in the Unified Court System is to contribute professional library services to the process of providing just and timely resolution of all matters before the courts. In order to fulfill this mission, timely, adequate, accessible and effective resources are provided in-an efficient, cost-effective manner. Library staff manage, acquire, evaluate, store, distribute, and clarify information deemed appropriate to the mission of the library (print and non- print format).

The Boards of Trustees of the Court Law Libraries shall advise the Administrative Judges with regard to ensuring the continued fulfillment of this mission and to implementing the provisions of Article 81 of the Judiciary Law relating to public access to the designated Court Law Libraries and, in locations without court libraries, the designation of Court Law Libraries for public use.

The Boards of Trustees also shall assist the Administrative Judges in developing local access guidelines for each court law library reflecting court operations and the resources and facilities available for library service as well as the needs of the public.

Finally, the Boards of Trustees shall assist the Administrative Judges on Court Law Library management, as requested by the Administrative Judge.

III. Court Law Library Management

The following areas are appropriate for consideration by the Boards of Trustees in assisting the Administrative Judges in maintaining and operating the court law libraries.

Access - Access to court law libraries should be defined by facilities and resources in existence in each location. Libraries are to be open to the public when library personnel are available to monitor the library. Hours should be posted and communicated to the local Bar and the local library community. Arrangements may be made for reference referrals from local public and academic libraries.

Some libraries may wish to arrange for access by prior appointment to assure appropriate library assistance. Public access might be available through telephone or fax inquiries if the library has adequate phones or a fax line and need not necessarily be by direct physical access. The court law libraries space is to be used for library related research. Real Estate closings, client meetings and other routine legal mattes should be conducted in other locations.

Circulation - Law libraries generally do not have large circulating collections. However, for the existing circulating collections, policies and procedures must be established. Materials should circulate for a pre-determined period of time and be subject to recall by another patron after 24 hours. Overdue collection policies and processes should be established.

Collections - Trustees are encouraged to become familiar with the library collection and assist in the articulation of the Collection Development Policy.

Communication - Administrative Judges and the Boards should develop and implement a mechanism to communicate library issues and services to the local legal, court and general community.

Facilities - Questions and issues in regard to the facilities should be reviewed by the Administrative Judge and Board. In some counties, the first task of the Administrative Judge and the Board will be to help identify a location for the library.

Security - All items in the library are to be identified as circulating or non-circulating materials. Non-circulating materials are not to be removed from the library. Boards should work with local court security staff to make arrangements for appropriate checks of briefcases and other containers to deter library theft. Libraries should have a coin operated copier to deter theft. There should be no after hour access to the law library.

Courthouse security regulations control access to the library. Library staff must be able to contact Security for emergencies.

 


COUNTY: QUEENS

NYS Supreme Court Law Library
88-11 Sutphin Blvd.
Room 65
Jamaica, NY 11435

and

NYS Supreme Court Law Library Kew Gardens
125-01 Queens Blvd.
Room 722
Kew Gardens, NY 11415

 

Trustees.

Chairperson
Hon. Marguerite Grays
Administrative Judge – Civil Term
Eleventh Judicial District
Queens County Supreme Court
88-11 Sutphin Boulevard
Jamaica, NY 11435
                                    
Member of the Legislature

Hon. Karen Koslowitz
The Council of the City of New York
118-35 Queens Boulevard, 17th floor
Queens, NY 11375

Member of the Legislature
Hon. Eric Ulrich
The Council of the City of New York
93-06 101st Avenue
Ozone Park, NY 11416

Gary F. Miret, Esq.
Gary F. Miret Law Offices
3117 Ditmars Boulevard
Astoria, NY 11105

Jawan Finley, Esq.
Mallilo & Grossman Attorneys at Law
4115 162nd Street
Flushing, NY 11358