Baltimore County Public Library’s new Mobile Library Law Center has been on the road for a few weeks, traveling to underserved areas on the east and west sides of Baltimore County and serving as a mobile legal office with attorneys offering free civil legal advice to community members in need.
The library has launched this new initiative as an expansion to its successful Lawyers in the Library partnership. Lawyers from Maryland Legal Aid will provide free civil legal advice for those who are financially eligible, specifically targeted will be individuals with disabilities, seniors, veterans and those who are economically disadvantaged in areas.
Some of the services available include bankruptcy, child custody and support, debt collection, expungements, government benefits, housing, landlord/tenant, veterans’ benefits, and unemployment benefits.
Retrofitted to include two private meeting spaces, solar panels to reduce the vehicle’s carbon footprint and all the necessary electronic equipment and internet access, the vehicle will have an attorney from Maryland Legal Aid and a librarian to help with general resources.
Baltimore County Public Library officials say that while the project was designed pre-pandemic, the fallout from COVID-19 has only exacerbated the legal issues the library and its partners plan to mitigate with this service.
“We are proud to be the first library system in the country to own and operate a mobile legal vehicle, servicing those who don’t have access to legal help due to financial means, immobility or lack of transportation,” Baltimore County Public Library Director Sonia Alcántara-Antoine said.” “Libraries are democratic institutions, giving everyone equal access to resources that will truly create an inclusive society. Initiatives such as this ensure that those most in need have equal access to justice.”
https://www.wbal.com/article/532572/3/new-mobile-library-law-center-on-the-road-in-baltimore-county