United as One: Ceremony dedicates merger of three Oakland County libraries

By Tom Kirvan Legal News On April 12, three Oakland County libraries officially became one -- at least in terms of space. The formal consolidation of the Adams-Pratt Law Library, the Library for the Visually and Physically Impaired, and the Research Library took place during a well-attended dedication ceremony earlier this month, according to Laura Mancini, director of Library Services for Oakland County. The ceremony was hosted by the Oakland County Library Board and the Oakland County Library Foundation, and also served to honor two former members of the Library Board. "The three county libraries were previously housed in three separate areas in the county courthouse," Mancini said. "In 2010, the libraries consolidated and moved into one location." The move was prompted when a sizeable chunk of the Adams-Pratt Law Library's collection was transferred to Cooley Law School as part of a consolidation plan designed to save Oakland County more than $1 million in annual operating costs. The libraries are located on the second floor in the West Wing extension of the Circuit Court complex off N. Telegraph Road in Pontiac. While a portion of the Adams-Pratt collection is now at the Auburns Hills campus of Cooley, the County Law Library still is operational at the Circuit Court site, offering patrons core materials related to Michigan and federal law and court rules, according to Mancini. The preservation of those materials will serve to assist pro se litigants, as well as attorneys involved in cases at the site. The April 12 ceremony also featured the unveiling of "The Steven N. Andrews Constitutional Law Collection." Retired from the Oakland County Circuit Court bench, Judge Andrews served on the Library Board from 1986 to 2010, the last nine years as its chairman. "Upon his retirement from the bench, money was donated to the Oakland County Library Foundation to establish a constitutional law collection in his honor," Mancini said of Judge Andrews. "There are approximately 70 books in the collection and we expect it will grow steadily in the years ahead." In a posthumous tribute, the late Oakland County Commissioner Jeff Potter also was honored at the ceremony, Mancini indicated. Potter, a Republican from South Lyon, died in June 2010 of heart failure and had served on the Library Board for three years. He was instrumental in the creation of the Salem-South Lyon District Library, and helped with the consolidation of the county libraries, according to Mancini. Among the featured speakers at the ceremony were Robert Gaylor, president of the Library Board; John Chambers, president of the Library Foundation; and Michael Gingell, chairman of the County Board of Commissioners. Published: Fri, Apr 22, 2011

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