LISBON Law library seeks site close to courthouse

The facility will be in a new building or a renovated one.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- After decades of being shoe-horned into cramped quarters at the Columbiana County courthouse, the county law library needs more space.
With that in mind, the attorneys who oversee the facility are shopping for a new location, said Judge Thomas Baronzzi, the county probate and juvenile court judge and president of the county law library association.
"There is a location we're interested in," Judge Baronzzi said, but he declined to offer specifics.
"We'd love to have a location in the courthouse, but that's not feasible" because space there already is at a premium, he said.
Being sought is a building close to the courthouse that can be renovated to fit the library's needs, or a location on which a new structure can be built, Judge Baronzzi said.
He added that he hopes establishing a new library can begin as early as next year. It's possible, though, that it could be several years before the effort is undertaken, he said.
Problems at current site
The library is now in the courthouse basement in a small room with peeling paint on the walls. The heating system is inadequate, and there's not enough room for users to do research, Judge Baronzzi said.
The law library association, which is affiliated with the county bar association, oversees the library.
The facility contains law books and other materials, about 10,000 volumes in all. It is used by attorneys, judges and public officials to do research for their jobs. A librarian oversees the library and assists with research.
The facility is not open to the public. It is funded by fines and costs paid in civil and criminal court cases.
That revenue source provides about $300,000 annually. The library's operating budget averages $200,000 annually, leaving about $100,000 annually that is given to the county to use in its budget.
The cost for a new library hasn't been estimated, but it will be funded primarily from that surplus revenue, Judge Baronzzi said.
Even when a new library project begins, the county will continue to get a share of the fines and costs because not all of that money will go toward the project, Commissioner Jim Hoppel said.
Judge Baronzzi said it's likely that money will be borrowed for a new library and then repaid from part of the fines and costs.