Law Collection
Located on the upper level of the Headquarters library in downtown Spartanburg, the Law Collection is accessible during regular hours of operation.
Reference staff is available to provide general assistance with legal materials however there are legal and ethical limits to our research abilities. Please see our legal research disclaimer.
What are you looking for?
Our main focus is South Carolina law. We also have various publications of the SC Bar Association.
- Access to South Carolina law books, journals and state-specific publications
- Free Internet access and wi-fi
- Materials in the legal collection do not circulate to the public, but information that we can access electronically may be emailed to you without charge. In addition, attorneys and judges with valid Spartanburg County Bar cards may check out some legal materials for a loan period of one week.
- Limited legal research may be requested of our staff. All requests that can be answered by email are free of charge, if limited to specific cases, rules, or laws.
Inmate Services
- Inmates in Spartanburg County facilities may request limited legal research of our staff.
- Please do not send details of your case. We are not attorneys and cannot determine what information may pertain to your case. Instead, please send a request for specific citations. If you do not know the case or title needed, you may request that we photocopy a section of the index of the SC Code of Laws or a definition or a legal term from a legal encyclopedia or legal dictionary.
Requests may be sent to:
Attn: Information Services Department
Spartanburg County Public Libraries
151 S. Church Street
Spartanburg, SC 29306
Please allow 2-3 weeks to process your request.
For general information or research requests, you may also contact us by phone at (864) 596-3505.
While the library is committed to serving the information needs of its patrons, the ethical principles of the American Association of Law Libraries prohibits us from practicing law:
“We acknowledge the limits on service imposed by our institutions and by the duty to avoid the unauthorized practice of law.” (AALL Ethical Principles, 1999.
Therefore, SCPL staff assistance is limited to providing instruction on the use of materials in the library. Please note that the library staff is prohibited from interpreting law, offering legal advice or opinions, providing advice on how to fill out forms or take legal action, and completing forms for patrons
Government Information
Spartanburg County Public Library is a congressionally designated member of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), a Government Publishing Office (GPO). Public access to the government documents collection is guaranteed by public law. (Title 44 United States Code).
Any book, pamphlet, meeting minutes, or other information published by a federal, state, or local government agency is a government document. A few examples are:
- Census information
- The US & SC Code of Laws
- The Public Papers of the Presidents
- Both federal and state budget information
- Guides from SC State Parks
- Updated SC road maps
For general information or research assistance, you may also contact us by phone at (864) 596-3505.
Government Information can be found in the main government information area and the Kennedy Room, both on the upper level of the Headquarters Library.
- Current (past 5 years) South Carolina publications from various state institutions
- A small collection of essential federal documents
- Some historic documents, preserved in the Kennedy Room
- And digital access to thousands more documents through links in our library catalog.
Most of our documents may be checked out for the normal 28 day period. Photocopiers are available for those unavailable for check out.