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Law Library- Recognizing a need
By Newt Cunningham, Fannin County Judge
Apr 9, 2025
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Fannin County, Texas -- Simple truth, Fannin County’s Law Library is inadequate and needs to be upgraded and made readily accessible to our residents. A number of years ago, the County Law Library, consisting primarily of books, was removed from its then location at the “old” courthouse to allow for courthouse renovation.  It was placed in temporary storage at the District Attorney’s temporary offices and a computer terminal, substituting as a law library, was set up at the District Clerk’s temporary offices.  Embarrassingly, this terminal offers limited public access (one user at a time) to the laws governing our County.  The law books in storage have not been kept up to date and do not reflect the law as it currently exists.

How do we remedy this situation? Times have changed, libraries have changed. In a matter of years, the world has “gone paperless,” and updating the law books and putting them back on the shelves is no longer the answer.  The commonsense solution is to put the County Law Library online, making it available to everyone. The cost is negligible. Other counties, including Grayson County, have taken this step; Grayson County Law Library.

Our County Law Library ideally should contain all laws affecting Fannin County residents and visitors. Laws would include applicable federal, State, constitutions, statutes, regulations and county ordinances. It should also include necessary legal forms to make necessary County filings. By taking advantage of the internet, the County can provide access to federal, State, and university websites, and our County Law Library will be available to the public 24/7 on their personal computers or smartphones. Again, this can be done at little or no cost.

While ignorance of the law is no excuse, this should not excuse county government, or any government for that matter, from making our laws publicly available.