SEC. 8.103. LAW LIBRARY.
§ 8.103
The San Francisco Law Library is governed by a Board of Trustees consisting of seven appointed attorneys, the Mayor, and four judges serving ex-officio. The Board appoints a librarian as executive officer, sets personnel compensation with approval, and has authority to manage the library's operations. The City and County must fund core library positions and provide facilities; court clerk fees collected under state law are deposited into a dedicated law library fund for books and maintenance. The library provides free access to judges, officials, attorneys, and all residents under the Board's rules.
San Francisco has a Law Library run by a Board of Trustees made up of seven lawyers (appointed) plus the Mayor and four judges (automatically included). The Board hires a librarian to run the day-to-day operations. The City pays for the librarian, assistant librarian, and bookbinder positions and provides the building and utilities. Court clerks collect fees required by state law and send that money to the Law Library to buy books and keep the library running. Judges, government officials, lawyers, and anyone living in San Francisco can use the library for free, as long as they follow the Board's rules.
- Complex:The section interweaves governance structure, funding sources (direct City appropriation and court-collected fees), personnel authority, and access rights across six dense paragraphs with multiple cross-references to state law and the Charter.
AI-generated · claude-haiku-4-5 · informational only, not legal advice.
Official text
The San Francisco Law Library shall be under the management and control of the Board of Trustees, as established by act of the Legislature approved March 9, 1870. The Board shall consist of seven appointive members of the San Francisco bar, and the Mayor, the Presiding Judge and the three judges of the Appellate Department of the Superior Court, ex-officio. All vacancies on the Board shall be filled by the Board.
Pursuant to state law, the Board shall appoint and at its pleasure may remove a librarian, who shall be its executive officer. The Board shall have complete authority to manage its affairs consistent with this Charter and state law.
Compensation of Law Library personnel shall be fixed by the executive officer of the Law Library, with approval of the Board of Trustees. Subject to the budgetary and fiscal provisions of this Charter, the City and County shall continue to fund the salaries for at least the positions of Librarian, Assistant Librarian and Bookbinder.
The City and County shall provide suitable and sufficient quarters for the Law Library, fix up and furnish the same and provide for the supply of necessary light, heat, stationery and other conveniences. The Library shall be so located as to be readily accessible to the judges and officers of the courts.
The Clerks of the Superior and Municipal Courts shall collect fees provided for law libraries by general law and the fees so collected shall be paid monthly to the Treasurer of the Law Library, and shall constitute a law library fund to be expended by the Trustees in the purchase of books and periodicals, and in the establishment and maintenance of the Law Library.
The judiciary, City, County and state officials, members of the Bar, and all inhabitants of the City and County shall have free access, use and enjoyment of the Law Library, subject to the rules and regulations of the Trustees.