Lubbock County law library asks for small general‑fund boost as usage and book costs rise

Michelle Campbell, Lubbock County law librarian, told Commissioners Court on June 24 that the law library is maintaining its day‑to‑day services but is facing rising subscription and print contract costs and a decline in dedicated revenue. Campbell said the library’s operating budget is essentially flat this year but requested roughly $4,500 from the county general fund to cover a projected shortfall.

Campbell said the library remains “open to all citizens, of Lubbock County, and surrounding counties” and described core services that drive public use: authoritative legal books and periodicals, a LexisNexis patron database, legal forms printed and emailed on request, and monthly workshops by Legal Aid of Northwest Texas. She emphasized that printed forms remain a heavy workload: “Forms is a big, big thing,” Campbell said, noting that a single divorce packet may run dozens of pages but is counted as one form in the library’s metrics.

Why it matters: The law library serves residents who represent themselves in court, lawyers preparing local filings, and county employees. Campbell told the court that a change in where filing fees are collected — the rise of Justice of the Peace courts handling higher‑dollar cases — has reduced a historic source of library revenue. She said that while the library seeks to be frugal, two major print vendors (Matthew Bender and Thomson Reuters) have increased costs and that when those contracts renew she plans to cut underused print subscriptions.

Details and supporting context - Campbell reported flat overall operating requests compared with the adopted FY2025 budget but outlined contract‑driven increases in the “books and periodicals” line. She identified Matthew Bender and Thomson Reuters print contracts as the largest drivers of that growth and said she intends to pare seldom‑used titles when those contracts renew. - The library’s electronic LexisNexis subscription remains a steady cost; Campbell said that contract has not increased year‑to‑year. - Campbell described services beyond reference books: legal workshops (wills, deeds, family law), emailed forms for remote patrons, military status reports, and the Golden Gavel newsletter (web and social reach noted). She said the library had heavier use during COVID when many other law libraries were closed. - Campbell asked for a one‑time general fund contribution of about $4,500 to close a near‑term gap, and she said deeper savings are expected when print contracts are renegotiated and unused titles are cut.

Community relevance and next steps Campbell thanked the Lubbock Area Bar Association for donating paper and ink that support printed forms and asked the court to consider the requested modest contribution while the library completes its catalog review of print materials. The court asked library and budget staff to follow up with details on the requested one‑time contribution and the planned cuts to print materials when contracts expire.

Ending note: Campbell said the library tracks monthly users and forms closely and will return with contract‑renewal recommendations and more precise savings estimates when negotiations with vendors begin.