Organization & History
Library Staff
Brian R. Huffman, Law Librarian
Patricia Dolan, Law Librarian
Library Organization
The Law Library is organized under Chapter 134A of the Minnesota Statutes, "County Law Libraries." The governing agency is a seven-member Board of Trustees. The composition of the Board is designated by statute and consists of two judges from the Tenth Judicial District, two practicing attorneys appointed by the County Attorney, a member of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, the Washington County Library Director, and one practicing attorney appointed by the President of the Washington County Bar Association.
The current members of the Board include: Judge Thomas G. Armstrong (President of the Board); Judge Gregory Galler; Doug Johnson, County Attorney; David T. Magnuson; Commissioner Lisa Weik; Pat Conley, Washington County Library Director; and Kevin K. Shoeberg, President of the Washington County Bar Association.
All library expenses, including information resources in all media, furniture and equipment, and staff salaries and benefits are funded through a combination of court fees and fines. The only tax levy dollars associated with the library provide for the library's space, heat, light, ventilation and so forth.
The Law Library is open to the public.
History of the Law Library
The Library was established in December, 1956, through a petition to then District Judges Carl W. Gustafson and Rollin G. Johnson, which stated:
WHEREAS there are now very few necessary law books available to the District Judges, and the attorneys practicing before them in the court house in The City of Stillwater, County of Washington, State of Minnesota, and
WHEREAS there is an obvious need to have an adequate law library for the use of judges and attorneys during the trial of actions, and available to the judges at all times in Chambers, and
WHEREAS provision is made for the establishment of a county law library under Minnesota Statutes 1953, Section 140.34 - 140.46 inclusive, being Ch. 184, Laws of 1949, and
WHEREAS provision is made in said law for the maintenance and financing of said law library by contributions from District Court cases, from Municipal Court and from Probate Court, and from other sources, and
WHEREAS the undersigned members of the Washington County Bar Association and the Minnesota State Bar Association feel it is absolutely necessary in trial of cases pending before this court, to have an adequate law library available at all times to insure proper rulings and to avoid errors which could result in expensive retrial of cases.
NOW THEREFORE the undersigned attorneys in active practice before the above named court, hereby respectfully peititon said court to make the order establishing a county law library in the court house in the City of Stillwater, County of Washington, State of Minnesota and to maintain same, all pursuant to said Minnesota Statutes 1953, Section 140.34 - 140.36 inclusive.
Dated this 28 day of November, 1956.
This petition was signed by the following attorneys (in order of signing):
Carl Neumeier, John H. Rheinberger, Philip Eastwood, Lyle T. Eckberg, John L. Jewell, Reuben Thoreen, Roderick A. Lawson, John F. Thoreen, Winston S. Sandeen, William Johnson, Albert E. Ranum, James Douville, John T. McDonough, Robert C. Walter, Chester A. Wilson, John Harrigan, Vacil D. Kalinoff, and Goodrich M. Sullivan.
Board Members:
The first Law Library Board of Trustees had three members, District Judge Rollin G. Johnson, County Commissioner Idor Pederson, and Attorney Roderick A. Lawson. Judge William T. Johnson replaced Judge Johnson in 1963, and the Board remained unchanged until 1975, when it expanded to five members who included Judge John F. Thoreen, Judge Howard Albertson, County Attorney Robert W. Kelly, County Commissioner Idor Pederson, and Attorney Donald T. Raleigh.
Since 1975 the Board has been privileged to include among its members: County Commissioners Dean McGowan, A.B. Schaeffer, Jr., John V. Jergens, Don Scheel, Dave Engstrom, R.H. Stafford, Gary Kriesel and Lisa Weik; Judges Esther M. Tomljanovich, Kenneth J. Maas, Jr., Thomas G. Armstrong, J.E. Cass and Gregory Galler; County Attorneys Richard M. Arney, Thomas Foley, and Doug Johnson; Attorneys Lyle J. Eckberg, David T. Magnuson, Megan Hunt, Paul Lacy, John Rheinberger and Kevin K. Shoeberg; Court Administrator Christina M. Volkers; and Washington County Library Director Patricia Conley.
(portions of this history were reproduced from "A View from the Top," published in our newsletter, Law Library Notes, v. 1, issue 1, Spring 1998)
From left to right: Pat Conley (Washington County Library Director); Dave Magnuson (Stillwater City Attorney); and John Rheinberger (President of the Washington County Bar Association); second row: Doug Johnson (Washington County Attorney); Tom Armstrong (Board President and District Judge); Greg Galler (District Judge); and Brian Huffman (Washington County Law Librarian). Unable to attend was Lisa Weik (District 5 County Commissioner).
The following people have served as Washington County Law Librarian:
J. Martin Sjolie, J.D. (Oct. 1986 - Jan. 1988)
Sheila H. Chappel, J.D. (Jan. 1988 - April 1994)
Judith A. Flader, M.L.I.S. (June 1994 - June 2005)
Patricia A. Dolan, M.L.I.S., J.D. (June 2005 - Dec. 2005)
Elizabeth K. Robb, M.L.I.S., J.D. (Jan. 2006 - Jan. 2008)
Brian R. Huffman, J.D., M.L.I.S. candidate (August 2008 - Present)
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