Canton Public Library offering free virtual court services

The Canton Public Library, in partnership with the Massachusetts Trial Court System, is now offering virtual court assistance to Massachusetts residents through the Access to Justice Initiative.

Officially launched in December, the program provides members of the public with access to library resources — including computers, printers, and private meeting spaces — so they can access the court system, receive legal assistance, and participate in virtual hearings.

The purpose of the initiative is to ensure equal access for all residents, including self-represented litigants, those with limited or no English proficiency, and individuals with mental or physical disabilities.

Canton Library Director Andrea Capone explained that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Norfolk County Probate and Family Court went fully remote for a period of time. “You could not physically go into a courtroom,” she said.

While many court services have since returned to an in-person format, the court system discovered that there were benefits to having an option for people to attend court hearings remotely.

The Morrill Memorial Library in neighboring Norwood was the first library in the commonwealth to start a partnership with the Trial Court, and after the program launched in May 2022, a Norwood librarian reached out to the town of Canton to see if there was interest in joining the initiative.

Around the same time, Capone visited the Norwood library and found information about the program. She then enlisted the help of Matt Amory, Canton’s information and technology librarian, who was instrumental in getting the program off the ground in Canton.

The service, now live, is completely free to use and enables residents to schedule a virtual hearing for matters ranging from settling a loved one’s estate to requesting a name change to resolving child custody issues.

Information about the Access to Justice program can be found on the library’s website. In addition to information on how to reserve a library space and how to prepare for a virtual court hearing, the webpage also includes links to help visitors get court forms, access electronic case information, request free interpreter services, and get help through the Virtual Court Front Desk.

The Canton library also allows patrons to check out a laptop or Chromebook that has a camera, audio capability, and Zoom installed, or they can use their own laptop with the library’s Wi-Fi.

While a library card is required to use a laptop of Chromebook, Capone stressed that “any resident of a certified public library community in the state of Massachusetts” can obtain one, and residents of other towns can use their card at the Canton library, or apply for a Canton library card.

Those who want to reserve a room for a virtual hearing should call the library at 781-821-5027 with as much advance notice as possible. The library offers three spaces that are quiet and private: the study room, which holds one or two people; the Trustees Conference Room, which can accommodate up to six people; or the Edward Bolster Local History Room Special Collections, which can seat eight to 10 people.

Capone stressed that when people are reserving a room for a court hearing or requesting a laptop, they do not need to provide a reason for their request. “It can be completely anonymous and private,” she said.

One caveat is that each room can be reserved for a guaranteed two-hour period of time. However, if a patron notified a staff member that they were reserving the room for a court hearing and the hearing ran late, then the library would do its best to accommodate the person.

Whether or not they choose to share that information, Capone said library staff members are excited to be a part of this new initiative and to offer all residents access to these services. “We hope that it’s valuable to the public and that they realize that we have these offerings here,” she said. “People don’t routinely engage with the court, so you might not think about this until you need it. We’re hopeful that people will remember that you can come to your public library if you ever find yourself in a position where you need to access the court system virtually.”

The Access to Justice Initiative is one of the services that the library is working to promote to residents. Another is the Prisoner Book Exchange Project. “Inspired by our Access to Justice project, we started thinking holistically about underserved populations and making sure that we are representative of our entire community,” Capone said.

She explained that Massachusetts inmates read books that are donated to prisons and then create artwork about the books. The artwork is then displayed as part of a traveling exhibit at libraries around the state. “I heard about the display of artwork that was recently displayed at the Norwell Public Library,” she said, “and it was very successful there, [helping to] spread the word about the Prison Book Program.”

Capone said the library staff is working to include the prison art exhibit in the rotation of artwork by local artists that is displayed on the main floor of the library. She hopes to have the exhibit installed in 2023.

A number of books that are donated to the Canton library have been shared with the Prison Books Program, which has a strict set of criteria around which books they can accept. “Prisoners are eager for reading materials,” Capone said. “We often receive correspondence from people that are incarcerated. If they have reference questions, they can write to us and we will respond to them.”

Capone hopes that the display of inmates’ artwork will lead to more book donations while bringing more awareness to the book exchange project as well as the Access to Justice Initiative.

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Posted by Mary Ann Price on Jan 20 2023. Filed under Features. Both comments and pings are currently closed.