About Us

About Us

Mission Statement	History/Buildings
Funding	Board of Trustees
Staff	Annual Report

MISSION STATEMENT

The goal of the Board of Trustees for the Riverside County Law Library is to make available to the judiciary, state and county officials, members of the state and local bar, and all residents of the county, current legal materials, modern facilities and adequate trained staff, which will enable them to perform the highest level of research and practice." (Adopted April 1984).

HISTORY/BUILDINGS

The first official Minutes of the Riverside County Board of Law Library Trustees were recorded on April 28, 1941 and the original collection of a few thousand books were housed in the Chambers of Department 1 in the Superior Courthouse. In 1947, the books were relocated to the former Probation Department in the Courthouse, which increased space and use by the public. A branch collection became available in Indio during the 1950's, with its first full time employee being installed there in 1968.

The rapid growth of the library and its use, as well as the growth of the county, resulted in the construction of a three-story building in 1970 which expanded the Law Library to 10,110 sq. ft. on a ground floor and mezzanine, with the remainder being occupied by the Office of the County Counsel. A beautiful 7,000 sq. ft. addition to the first floor was added in 1992 and the library was named after its long-time Board President, the Honorable Victor Miceli.

In 1996, the Desert Branch in Indio moved out of the County Administration Building basement into 5,800 sq. ft. of prime space in the new Larson Justice Center. Because of this and the main library's expansion, Riverside is now ranked 7th in the state's 58 county law library system, following Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Orange, Alameda and San Bernardino Counties.

FUNDING

County law library funding is unique. Unlike other public libraries that receive income from taxes, special bond issues or local government appropriations, the only revenue county law libraries in California can rely on is a small portion of their county's civil filing fee. As of January 1, 2006, the Riverside County Law Library receives $32.00 each time a civil case is filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Riverside and $2.00 for each Small Claims case between $5,000 to $7,500. No portion is collected from criminal, federal, or appellate cases.

Donations (monetary or books) are always greatly appreciated. Those wishing to make a donation can contact us at (951) 955-6390. We also urge supporters of libraries to write their local representatives in order to let them know the importance of the Law Library and its services. A complete listing of representatives, along with their addresses, can be obtained by going to Your Legislature.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The County Law Library is a Special District, which acts independently of the county on most matters. The Law Library is governed by a Board of Trustees constituted of five judges from the Superior Court of California, County of Riverside, the Chairman of the County Board of Supervisors, and a member of the bar or the public. The judges or chairman may at their option designate a member of the bar to act for them as trustee (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Section 6301 et seq.). The Trustees serve without compensation and currently include:

Hon. Victor Miceli, President
Robert Dunn, Esq., Vice-President
Hon. Charles D. Field
Hon. Michele Levine
Hon. Irma Asberry
W.W. Miller, Esq.
Joseph Peter Myers, Esq

Board meetings are held at 12:30 p.m. on the first Friday of every month and are open to the public. The meeting agenda and/or change notices are posted on the library's Public Notice Board in compliance with the Brown Act.

STAFF

The administrative head of the Library, directly responsible to the Board of Law Library Trustees, is Sarah Eggleston, Director, who also serves as Recording Secretary to the Board.

The Library prides itself on its helpful and skilled staff, all of whom have extensive law, paralegal, or library backgrounds. They will be happy to assist you in best using the library material or refer you to the appropriate sources but are not permitted to provide legal advice.

Administration
	Sarah Eggleston, Director: 951.955.6396
Public Services
	Bret N. Christensen, Public Services Librarian: 951.955.6397 B.A., California State University, Fullerton J.D., Western State University College of Law M.L.I.S., California State University, San Jose
	Janice Searle, Senior Information Specialist: 951.955.6390
	Diana Johnson, Library Specialist (Indio): 760.863.8316
	Terri Verdeckberg, Library Specialist (Indio): 760.863.8316
	Johnny Graham, Library Specialist: 951.955.6390
	Beverly Chavira, Library Specialist: 951.955.6390
	Olga-Mercedes Barrientos , Library Assistant: 951.955.6390 A.S. in Paralegal Studies, Riverside Community College
Technical Services
	Betsy Manouchehri, Associate Director: 951.955.6391 B.A., Western Michigan University M.L.S., University of California, Los Angeles
	Michael Foster, Library Assistant: 951.955.6395 A.S. in Paralegal Studies, Riverside Community College A.A., Riverside Community College
	Robbie L. Cravatt, Library Assistant: 951.955.6395

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