SACRAMENTO COUNTY PUBLIC LAW LIBRARY

What SACRAMENTO COUNTY PUBLIC LAW LIBRARY does

The Sacramento County Public Law Library (SCPLL) is a public county law library established in 1891 and operating under California Business and Professions Code Section 6300 et seq. It ranks as the 6th largest of California's 58 county law libraries, maintaining a collection of more than 65,000 volumes oriented toward practical legal materials. The library serves Sacramento County residents, attorneys, judges, and government agencies; self-represented litigants (pro se) are identified as the primary persona, followed by California State Bar attorneys and paralegals authorized by registered attorneys. Service delivery is anchored at a single downtown Sacramento location (609 9th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814) operating Monday through Friday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, supplemented by saclaw.org and a Koha-based online catalog.

SCPLL operates as a service portfolio rather than a software platform. Core offerings include the SH@LL (Self Help at the Law Library) program for self-represented litigants, the Lawyers In The Library free 20-minute attorney consultation program, onsite research using licensed databases (HeinOnline, Lexis+, OnLAW/CEB, Trellis.law, VitalLaw, WorldCat Discovery, Nolo Press), MCLE webinars and self-study videos, book borrowing, interlibrary loan, document delivery, e-books through EbscoHost and LexisNexis Digital Library, and passport acceptance services. The underlying technology stack consists of a Koha integrated library system, VeriBook appointment scheduling, Google Maps integration, and 12 public computer terminals (one ADA-equipped for vision-impaired patrons) running standard productivity tools and specialized support-calculation software (XSpouse). No public APIs, AI/ML capabilities, or proprietary software product lines are disclosed.

The library is funded primarily through public appropriations under the California county law library framework and does not publish revenue figures. The pricing posture is freemium: the majority of services (legal information, self-help assistance, MCLE programming, basic borrowing) are free, while fee-based line items include passport execution ($35), passport photos ($15), document delivery for non-cardholders ($10 per document), interlibrary loan processing fees ($5), overdue fines ($1 per business day), and replacement processing fees ($25), plus a $200 deposit for Sacramento County residents who do not qualify for regular borrowing. Distribution is direct-only via in-person visits, telephone, and self-serve web channels. Governance rests with a Board of Trustees comprising five Superior Court judges, a Board of Supervisors designee, and a State Bar appointee.

Name

SACRAMENTO COUNTY PUBLIC LAW LIBRARY

Legal name

SACRAMENTO COUNTY PUBLIC LAW LIBRARY

Website

https://saclaw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1891

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Public county law library established under California law in 1891, providing free legal information, self-help services, MCLE training, borrowing, and passport services to Sacramento County residents, attorneys, judges, and government agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Legal Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (519210), Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Special Libraries (Law, Medical, Corporate, Government) Operations (EDAEAGAD), Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM), Public Defense & Legal Aid Services (BPAIAFAC)

Keywords

• Public law library
• Legal self-help services
• MCLE continuing education
• Passport acceptance facility
• Legal research databases

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Sacramento County Public Law Library provides free public access to legal information, self-help resources, and research materials for Sacramento County residents, attorneys, and judges. Core offerings include SH@LL self-help services for self-represented litigants, the Lawyers In The Library free consultation program, onsite research with professional databases, MCLE training for attorneys, document delivery, interlibrary loan, borrowing, e-book lending, and passport acceptance services.

Product overview

The Sacramento County Public Law Library is a public law library (not a technology company) that provides free public access to legal information and related services to Sacramento County residents and attorneys. It operates a unified service offering centered on legal information access rather than a software platform architecture. The primary services include: (1) SH@LL self-help services for pro se litigants, (2) Lawyers In The Library free attorney consultations via lottery, (3) Onsite Research with databases (HeinOnline, Lexis+, OnLAW, Trellis.law, VitalLaw) and reference librarians, (4) MCLE webinars and self-study videos for attorneys, (5) passport acceptance services, (6) Find A Form and Documents & Publications for legal forms and guides, (7) Self-Help Videos library, (8) E-book access via Nolo Press/LexisNexis, (9) book borrowing and interlibrary loan, (10) document delivery, and (11) an online catalog (Koha) integrated with WorldCat Discovery. The library also maintains a Legal Glossary and Legal Topic Directory. There are no software products, APIs, or AI capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SH@LL (Self Help at the Law Library): Provides free general legal information and basic legal help to people representing themselves in Sacramento County courts.
• Lawyers In The Library

Products and services

• SH@LL (Self Help at the Law Library) Free general legal information and basic help for people representing themselves in limited civil matters such as breach of contract lawsuits, name changes, guardianships, conservatorships, and limited probate matters. Includes eligibility pre-screening and free phone appointments; assists with forms and filing instructions but does not provide legal advice or conduct legal research.
• Lawyers In The Library Program Free remote appointments with local volunteer attorneys who help Sacramento County residents with legal questions. Appointments last up to 20 minutes and are allocated through a lottery system that opens Friday mornings.
• Onsite Research Services In-library access to the print collection of more than 65,000 volumes, premium legal databases (HeinOnline, Lexis+, OnLAW, Trellis.law, VitalLaw), government documents, reference-librarian assistance, free wifi, and 12 public computer terminals for legal research and document preparation.
• Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) Approved MCLE programming for attorneys combining live webinars and self-study videos taught by Superior Court judges, attorneys, law librarians, and legal experts. Offered free to participants, including a new on-demand self-study video library launched in October 2025.
• Passport Services Authorized passport acceptance facility handling first-time passport applications, replacements, and certain renewals (minors under 16 or expired passports over 15 years). Services include application processing, photo capture, and State Department fee acceptance; $35 execution fee plus $15 photo fee, with separate State Department fees ranging $30-$220 by document type and processing speed.
• Borrowing Services Book lending program open to California State Bar attorneys (Sacramento, Yolo, Placer, El Dorado, Sutter, or Butte counties), Superior Court judges, state/county/city agency department heads in Sacramento County, and qualified Sacramento County residents. Regular borrowers may check out up to 20 items; non-qualifying Sacramento residents can join as deposit patrons with a $200 refundable deposit for up to 3 items.
• Document Delivery Electronic delivery of copies of cases, code sections, articles, or up to five sections of practice guides by exact citation via email. Free to library cardholders (up to 5 documents/day); $10 per document for non-cardholders.
• Interlibrary Loan Service that arranges borrowing of materials not held in the library's collection from public, academic, and private libraries within California and beyond, and lends SCPLL materials to other libraries. Processing fee of $5 for libraries borrowing from SCPLL; patron ILL fees vary by lending-library terms.
• E-Book Download Service Remote access to legal self-help e-books from Nolo Press (via EbscoHost, no library card required) and LexisNexis Digital Library (library card required, iOS/Android app, 7-day checkout with renewal, 3-book limit).
• Self-Help Videos Library Library-produced and curated video library covering civil lawsuit topics including guardianship, debt collection, discovery, enforcement of judgments, expungement, small claims, and trial preparation. Includes Spanish-language content and step-by-step walkthroughs for self-represented litigants.
• Online Catalog (Koha) Web-based public access catalog (OPAC) for searching the library's collection, managing borrower accounts, placing holds, and renewing items. Integrated with WorldCat Discovery so users can simultaneously search collections of other libraries worldwide.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature6 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Nolo: Legal self-help publisher whose e-books are integrated into SCPLL's lending platform via EbscoHost; adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor, but represents a channel for distributing SCPLL's self-help content.
• Legal Services of Northern California: Non-profit legal aid provider serving Northern California including Sacramento County; complementary rather than competitive, as the library refers users to legal aid when SH@LL's scope is exceeded and vice versa.

Direct peers

• San Francisco Law Library (SF Public Law Library): Public law library serving San Francisco attorneys and residents with reference, database access, and self-help services; operates under the same California county law library statutes as SCPLL.
• LA County Law Library: County-funded law library serving Los Angeles County residents and attorneys under California's County Law Library system; directly comparable statutory mandate, service mix (SH@LL-style self-help, MCLE, databases), and county-of-one footprint.
• Alameda County Law Library: California county law library providing free legal information, self-help services, and attorney resources to Alameda County; shares the same state-statute framework, public funding model, and primary customer segments as SCPLL.
• Santa Clara County Law Library: Public county law library serving Santa Clara County with reference services, self-help, and legal databases; comparable in governance (Board of Trustees), funding model, and service portfolio to Sacramento's.

Regional players

• California Courts Self-Help Guide: State-funded Judicial Branch self-help portal providing free forms, guides, and information for self-represented litigants across California; partially overlapping mission and audience with SCPLL's SH@LL and Find A Form services.
• Sacramento Public Library: General-purpose public library serving Sacramento County residents; adjacent rather than overlapping because it is not legal-specialized, but shares geographic footprint, public funding model, and many of the same patron segments.

Emerging players

• Justia: Free online legal information portal offering case law, statutes, forms, and lawyer directories; competes with SCPLL's online Legal Topic Directory, Find A Form, and self-help content for digital self-represented litigants.
• Cornell Legal Information Institute (LII): Non-profit online provider of free primary U.S. legal materials and self-help explainers; overlaps with SCPLL's free public access to statutes, case law, and self-help content but is purely digital and national in scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/SaclawOrg
• Facebookfacebook.com/saclawlib
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sacramento-county-public-law-library
• Instagraminstagram.com/saclaw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SACRAMENTO COUNTY PUBLIC LAW LIBRARY