On Wednesday, Oct. 1, Norwood’s Morrill Memorial Library and the Massachusetts Trial Court will hold a 10 a.m. press conference to announce the re-launch of the Access to Justice initiative. (Photo Courtesy Town of Norwood)
NORWOOD — For residents who need help navigating the complex legal framework of the Bay State’s court system, the Norwood Morrill Memorial Library and the Massachusetts Trial Court are poised to relaunch a program that provides public access to state court services in an easily accessible public library setting.
The Massachusetts Trial Court Law Library’s Public Library Initiative provides visitors with access to computer terminals and the internet to search for court resources, such as interpreter services, legal aid and case information. And now, multiple court branches can be accessed at specially designated Bay State libraries.
On Wednesday, Oct. 1, Norwood’s Morrill Memorial Library and the Massachusetts Trial Court will hold a 10 a.m. press conference at the library to announce the relaunch of this program.
Speakers will include Clayton Cheever, Morrill Memorial Library Director; Maureen Amyot, Director of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC); Tony Mazzucco, Town of Norwood’s General Manager; and Robert DeFabrizio, Esq., Senior Manager of Law Libraries, Court Services and Law Libraries Department, Massachusetts Trial Court, Office of Court Management.
Liz Reed, Head of Morrill Memorial Library’s Adult and Information Services Department, has witnessed how helpful the service has been for many library patrons.
“We have helped folks attend court remotely,” Reed said. “Their privacy is very important, so we don’t ask a lot of questions, but all sorts of circumstances can lead to people coming to us for help with legal issues. This program could help someone who works for an hourly wage and can’t miss work or a court hearing. Some of our patrons may just need a quiet place for a virtual hearing, but don’t have that quiet at home. They may need to borrow a laptop or simply need a reliable internet connection. This program can really help to level the playing field.”
When the initiative was first launched in 2022, only one court offered virtual services. Now, all the different branches of courts in Massachusetts offer virtual services. While not all court business can be resolved remotely, many services can be utilized. Morrill Memorial Library now offers access to a wide range of court services, including court virtual registries, the Court Service Centers, and the Trial Court Law Libraries Zoom with a Law Librarian.
“The Morrill Memorial Library also provides fast Wi-Fi with stable connections for video communications, courtesy of the Norwood Light and Broadband Department,” said Director Cheever. “Not everyone has unlimited data on their cellular plans nor reliable internet at home.”
Visitors can contact the virtual court help desk, use library computers and printers to access and print court forms, and reserve designated, private library spaces for virtual court hearings.
Norwood’s public library was chosen because it’s centrally located for many of the towns in Norfolk County and is easily accessible by public bus routes. It’s one of about 15 locations across the Bay State, where library patrons can utilize court services remotely.
The Morrill Memorial Library is open Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. Visit the library’s website for more information.
Those with questions about the offered resources or who would like to make an appointment to get extra help can contact the library at 781-769-0200.
Access to Justice through the library:
The Morrill Memorial Library is proud to partner with the Massachusetts Trial Court System to offer virtual court access through the Access to Justice program. Visit the Access to Justice website. Free interpreter services are available through the Office of Language Access.
Reserve a library space to attend court remotely:
Quiet, private spaces are available at the Morrill Memorial Library to attend court remotely using a laptop provided by the library. To reserve a study room for the Access to Justice program, call the library at 781-769-0200 x2 or x7. Please try to reserve your room in advance and let us know if you have to cancel so we can make the room available to someone else.
Click here for a Public Library Initiative list of partner libraries.
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Liz Reed, Head of Morrill Memorial Library’s Adult and Information Services Department, fires up a laptop in one of the private rooms library patrons can reserve for virtual legal proceedings. (Photo Courtesy Town of Norwood)
Liz Reed, Head of Morrill Memorial Library’s Adult and Information Services Department, fires up a laptop in one of the private rooms library patrons can reserve for virtual legal proceedings. (Photo Courtesy Town of Norwood)
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