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The Attorney General of Texas 

November 30, 1981 

MARK WHITE 

Attorney General 

Supreme Cowl Sulldlng 

P. 0. Box 12543 

Austin, TX. 79711 

SW4752501 

Telex 9101874-1397 

Telecopier 51214750286 

Hanorable Eenry Wade 

Criminal District Attorney 

Condemnation Section 

Sixth Floor, Records Building 

Dallas, Texas 75202 \ 

Opinion No. MW-399 

Re: Use of county law library 

funds for a computer information center 

Dear Mr. Wade: 

1507 MaIn St.. suite 14cm 

Dallas, TX. 75201 

214&‘42@44 

You advise that computerieed infbrmation systems provide greater 

quantities of legal research In shorter periods of time than 

conventional legal research tools can.provide, and state: 

4824 Albrts Ave.. Suit0 lB0 

El Paso. TX. 79905 The question'for your consideration is whether law 

915B33aS4 library funds may be used for rhe, purpose of 

implementing a computer information system. 

1220 Dallas Ave.. Suite 202 

Houston, TX. 77002 

71- 

808 Broadway, Suite 312 

Lubbock. TX. 78401 

SW7476235 

4309 N. Tenth. Suite B 

McAlten, TX. 79501 

512M2-4547 

2w hwn Plaza, Suite 400 

San Antonio. TX. 792W 

512f225.4191 

An Equal OpportunItyI 

Alllrmatlve Action E~P~OYW 

You explain that it would be necessary to hire additional personnel in 

order to implement the system and proeide computerized information to 

judges and litigants. 

Article.1702h. V.T.C.S.. provides: 

Section 1. The Conrmissioners Courts of all 

counties within this State shall have the power 

and authority, by first entering an order for that 

purpose, to provide for, maintain and establish a 

County Law Library. 

. . . . 

.Sec. 4. For the purpose of ,establishing 

County Law Libraries... there shall be taxed, 

collected, and paid as other costs, a sum set by 

the Cbnrmlssioners Court not to exceed $10 in each 

civil case,...; Such costs shall be collected by 

the clerks of the respective courts in .said 

counties and paid~ by said clerks to the County 

TreasLrer to be 'kept by said Treasurer in a 

separate ftind to be known a8 the 'County Law 

Library Fund.’ Such fund ~shall not be used for 

any othet purpose. 

. . . . 
-. 

. . 

Honorable Henry Wade - Page 2 (WW-399) 

Sec. 6. The salary of the custodian or 

librarian and such other employees or assistants 

may be necessary shall be fixed by the 

&asissioners Court and shall be paid out of the 

funds collected under this Act, or from 

appropriations made under this Act. 

Sec. 7. Such fund shall be administered by 

the Commissioners Court, or under its direction, 

for the. purchase and lease of library materials, 

the maintenance of the Law Library, and the 

acquisition of all furniture. shelving and 

equipment necessary thereto, in a place convenient 

.and accessible to the Judges and litigants of such 

county. The Commissioners Court shall provide 

suitable space for housing the law library and 

MY8 with the advice of the committee referred to 

in Section 5 of this Act, use funds collected 

under this Act for the acquisition of such space. 

Priority in the use of such funds shall be given 

to providing books, periodicals, other Library 

materials, and ataff for the law library. The 

Commissioners Court of the counties affected by 

this Act shall make rules for the use of books in 

said library. 

In our opinion these provisions furnish ample authority to use 

money in the .County Law Library Pund for equipping the County Law 

Library with computer ,hardware and software ~to aid judges and 

litigants in researching the law, and to employ the additional 

personnel needed so long as the statutory priorities are observed. 

Computer terminals, printers and programs designed to aid legal 

research are merely particular items of "equipment" or types of 

"library materials" within the meaning of the statute. The 

legislature has the authority to allow such uses of the County Law 

Library Fund and, in our opinion, has done so. See Attorney General 

Gpinion MW-349 (1981). 

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SUMMARY 

Dallas County Law Library funds may be used 

to implement a computer information system., 

MARK WHITE 

Attorney Generalof Texas 
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Honorable Henry Wade - Page '3 (Mw-399) 

JOHN W. FAINTER, JR. 

First Assistant Attorney General 

RICHARD E. GRAY III 

Executive Assistant Attorney General 

Prepared by Bruce Youngblood 

Assistant Attorney General 

APPROVED: 

OPINION COMMITTEE 

Susan L. Garrison, Chairman 

James Allison 

Jon Bible 

Rick Gilpin 

Jim Moellinger 

Bruce Youngblood