Waterloo Region Law Association

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LAW LIBRARY

The Waterloo Region Law Association Library is a private library that is not open to members of the public. It is operated by the WRLA through an elected Board of Trustees and its Library Committee. Funding is derived from annual membership fees as well as grants from the Legal Information and Resource Network (LiRN), the Law Society of Ontario, the Law Foundation of Ontario, and the Ministry of the Attorney General.

USE OF LIBRARY
Staff services, electronic resources, and the print collection are for the exclusive use of members of the WRLA and licensees in good standing with the Law Society of Ontario. The library is not accessible to members of the public. For open access resources, visit our research page and legal resources page.

VISITING COUNSEL FACTSHEET

HOURS OF OPERATION

Staffed from Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Please visit our contact page for more information on our operating hours and holiday closures.

AFTER HOUR (24/7) ACCESS

After hour access is available to members of the WRLA. More information can be found here.

LIBRARY STAFF

Pia Williams, MLIS, Library Manager & Executive Director, pwilliams@waterloolaw.org

Najla Nureddin, Library Technician, nnureddin@waterloolaw.org
Merve Turhan, Library Assistant, mturhan@waterloolaw.org

Have a question? Visit our Ask a Librarian page.
Please note that we cannot interpret legislation or case law. We cannot provide legal advice or opinions.

RESEARCH SERVICES

The WRLA Library provides a full range of research services to members of the Ontario Bar, the Judiciary, and articling students. Professional, experienced staff are available to assist you with your research and use of the library facilities, whether you are using print or electronic resources. All research is provided free of charge to members of the WRLA.
Services provided include:

Locating in-depth commentary on a specific legal topic
Case law & legislation: copies, note-ups, detailed histories
Database instruction
Retrieve decisions, articles, precedents and commentary
Trace legislative amendments and history
Devise an efficient research strategy for you
Guide you to the relevant websites, databases or texts for your research
Help you use the extensive online and print resources available in the library
Refer you to other libraries, government departments, associations, etc., where appropriate

HISTORICAL RESEARCH

The library holds print volumes of the Statutes of Canada from 1852 to 2012, including the R.S.C. consolidations for 1886, 1887, 1927, 1952, 1970, and 1985. The Consolidated Regulations of Canada of 1949 and 1978 are also available. The Statutes of Ontario from 1869 to 2010 are available in print, as well as the R.S.O. consolidations of 1877, 1887, 1897, 1914, 1927, 1937, 1950, 1960, 1980 and 1990. Accompanying these volumes are the Consolidated Regulations of Ontario from 1950, 1970, 1980 and the Ontario Regulations Service binders from 1981-2013. We have copies of historical reporting services. Visit our catalogue for a list of historical titles.

PRINTING & PHOTOCOPYING

Self-serve or staff assisted photocopying and printing is available in the library through a code-based system. Copy codes are available to WRLA members only and allow charges to be accumulated and invoiced monthly. Lawyers, students, and staff must comply with Copyright Act provisions. Copy codes are only available to WRLA Members. Non-Members who wish to photocopy or print must pay at time of printing by cash, Visa, Mastercard, debit or cheque.

Photocopy and print charges are $0.25/page.

FAXING, SCANNING & EMAILING

WRLA Members can request material to be faxed, scanned, or emailed to their inbox or office. There is currently no cost to have library staff fax, scan, or email documents.

DOCUMENT DELIVERY & INTERLIBRARY LOAN

In January 2003 a formal Document Delivery Agreement was adopted by LibraryCo concerning the sharing of resources amongst county and district law libraries. The agreement allows for the lending and borrowing of returnable (books) and non-returnable (copies) material between all libraries. If we do not have what you need we can get it for you in most cases by the next business day. There is no charge to our members for this service. Use Infolocate to view the holdings of the Great Library and all county and district libraries.

BORROWING LIBRARY MATERIAL

Most print material can be signed out by WRLA members for 2 weeks (14 day) loans, unless otherwise noted on the material (e.g., an in library use only sticker is on the cover). Borrowing privileges are restricted to WRLA members in good standing. To access up-to-date holdings of the WRLA Library, check out our online catalogue.