During 2022, the Wisconsin State Law Library marked its return to the first full year of in-person library operations since 2019.
“This was an important milestone in the return to ‘normal,’” wrote State Law Librarian Amy Witt Crowder in the library’s 2022 Annual Report released this month.
“People are at the heart of what we do and real time conversations can be crucial when determining legal research needs. While our email inbox is always open, 2022 saw a new trend of slightly more people preferring to reach us via telephone, 48% vs. 45%,” Crowder wrote in the library’s 2022 Annual Report released earlier this month.
The report includes a statistical breakdown on the numbers and types of items used by library patrons, along with a graphical representation of the most frequent requests for information relating to self-represented litigants and family law.
From appellate procedure to zoning ordinances, reference librarians field a wide range of questions. Queries on family law and landlord tenant law continue to dominate. Small claims, court procedures, and probate/guardianship questions round out the top five, according to the report.
There’s also a breakdown of the library’s 2022 annual spending budget, a list of partnership projects, and presentations and articles produced by library staff.
The 2022 report and copies of previous annual reports can be found on the State Law Library’s website.
Third Branch eNews is an online monthly newsletter of the Director of State Courts Office. If you are interested in contributing an article about your department’s programs or accomplishments, contact your department head. Information about judicial retirements and judicial obituaries may be submitted to: Sara.Foster@wicourts.gov