KLEPS SITE VISIT REGIONAL COURT & LIBRARY PARTNERSHIP Monterey, San Benito Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Courts

A Short Video

How “It” All Began Community-Focused Planning Statewide Conference, “Courts and Their Communities” Strategic planning at a local level Involving the Community to renew public trust and confidence Improving Access Judicial Council support for outreach to the community Courts identified interested groups in the community Focus groups used in strategic plan development May

Strategic Plans & Self-Help Planning Grants Strategic Plans for Providing or Improving Services submitted to the Judicial Council Strategic plans aligned with the Judicial Council’s mission and goals Included services for self-represented Self-Help Planning Grants Regional Approach - Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz take a Regional Approach Survey court users, court staff and legal service providers Law school externs study clerks’ windows to assess impact of SRL’s on the time it takes to process cases FY FY

Self-Help Planning Grants Developed a list of entities willing to partner with the courts in delivering self-help services Santa Clara joined the consortium. Emphasis switched from identifying resources that could provide support to developing those resources Developed formal regional volunteer programs in the four courts Developed library partnership FY FY

Regional Court & Library Partnership Self-Help Planning Grant Need – Bring services into the community Libraries – a Natural partnership? $25,000 ($60,000 request) Met with reps from local libraries and the courts to brainstorm

Regional Court & Library Partnership Focus – Training librarians on legal sites on the internet and local resources Developed MOU between Courts to provide trainers Contracted with Peninsula Library System Manage the Project (priceless!) Follow-up, reports, statistics Maintain Regional Library intranet site

MOU BETWEEN THE COURTS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT Taught at library computer labs if available Created internal webpage for Librarians Training schedule/Registration Handouts Still Maintained – more legal resources Design and delivery of Bookmarks Design and delivery of MyLO folders

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT 6 Training sessions for Librarians Santa Clara – 4 Santa Cruz – 1 Monterey – 1 Trainers Self-Help Center Supervisor from each court AOC for legalselfhelp.ca.gov Public Interest Clearinghouse for lawhelpca.gov San Mateo Superior Court for EZLegalFile.org

AGENDA

DISCUSSION – OUTCOMES What we learned: Librarians Court and Justice system Legal websites Self-Help Center Services “A Day in the Life” at a SHC

DISCUSSION – OUTCOMES What we learned: Courts Working with counterparts in other counties Public Libraries Similarities with Librarians “Train the Trainer” most effective (follow-on public trainings  )

REPLICATION Funding not necessary… but highly desirable! Set a meeting Discuss patron needs Find similarities of interests Start with same curriculum Maximize each others’ strengths