University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Students Audit County Law Libraries
University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law students recently completed a research project on Arkansas county law libraries, analyzing how the funding and execution models for those facilities might be improved. Seven students — Brandon Bean, Rabecca Cisneros, Hank Herzfeld, Matthew Stocks, Katie Rainey, Abigail Hustead, and Blakely Spears — conducted the research over the summer in collaboration with Taylor Handford, an attorney at the Association of Arkansas Counties.
The system governing these facilities relies on the Administration of Justice law, which directs funding to county treasurers to remit to county law library boards. However, Bowen Dean Colin Crawford noted that multiple counties lack law library boards entirely, while others keep their materials locked up or declined to discuss their facilities with the student researchers. The project revealed significant disparities across the state in how funds are distributed and spent, with several counties maintaining substantial unspent balances.
Presentations to State Lawmakers and Legal Leadership
In early August, the student research team presented their findings to Sen. Clarke Tucker, Rep. Carol Dalby, and members of the Association of Arkansas Counties legal staff. The quality of the analysis prompted Dalby to invite several of the students to present at a recent meeting of the Arkansas Bar Association Board of Trustees.
“The quality of their work was extremely high from an effort and analytical standpoint — I don’t think any effort like this has ever been undertaken on this issue in our state — and their presentation was so impressive,” Sen. Clarke Tucker said. “Our future is bright as a state with students like this at Bowen law school.”
Dalby, who is the chair of House Judiciary, indicated that legislation could emerge from the project. Handford stated he would be surprised if reform bills do not stem from the research, describing the current system as antiquated. Tucker expressed confidence that state and county level reforms would directly result from the study.
Comparative State Analysis and Access to Justice
The student group divided their focus, with half examining Arkansas county law libraries and the other half reviewing systems in other states. Rainey discussed commonalities among thriving county law libraries, while Cisneros conducted road trips and investigated access to justice and public policy in Arkansas.
Cisneros highlighted the effectiveness of Arkansas courthouse kiosks—computer stations located in courthouses and libraries offering free access to legal forms and guides. More than 90 such kiosks currently operate across the state through a collaboration between the Arkansas Access to Justice Foundation, the Court Improvement Program, and the Administrative Office of the Courts. The law school and the Association of Arkansas Counties are continuing their collaboration, with Bowen students potentially assisting in drafting upcoming legislation to enhance the state’s legal resource infrastructure.
