Kandiyohi County Law Library enters new era as David Moody retires as board president
Jul. 10—WILLMAR — The Kandiyohi County Law Library isn't exactly like a regular public library. There are no current bestselling thrillers on the shelves or library cards to use to check out books. Instead the shelves are full of court decisions, tomes on legislation and other publications to help with a wide range of legal questions and research.
However, despite the numerous differences, there is one major similarity.
"This is a public library," said David Moody, who recently stepped down after serving 42 years as president of the county's law library board.
That wasn't always the case, at least in Kandiyohi County, according to Moody. While the law libraries were always supposed to be open to county residents, back in the early 1970s the county library was more of a place for local lawyers to do research. Moody said there was even a sign on the door saying it was a private facility. When Moody became president in 1970, that sign came down.
"That was one of the first things I changed, because it was intended to be a public library," Moody said. "It was available for legal research for everyone."
A new era
2021 is also the start of a new era at the Kandiyohi County Law Library as Moody steps down as board president. He took on the role back when he was a law clerk for three district judges and stayed with it through his legal career.
"I'm dedicated," Moody said. "I thought maintaining this library was important and it was a very useful tool for local lawyers and for citizens to take advantage of."
He said he and his law partners at Johnson, Moody, Schmidt & Kleinhuizen Attorneys at Law felt it was worth the time for Moody to continue administering the library.
"I always appreciated their support," Moody said.
The law library board is entrusted with the upkeep and care of the library. This includes ordering new books and deciding how to spend its annual budget.
This year, though, Moody decided to take a step back from his law firm and also decided it was time to turn over the reins of the library to the next generation. Suelana Kinney, assistant Kandiyohi County attorney, has prior experience on the board, and Moody felt she would be the perfect fit for the role.
"I asked Suelana to do it," Moody said. "She has wonderful administrative skills, is very organized and she is able to get a lot done very efficiently. I knew it would be in very good hands."
To commemorate Moody's decades of service, the Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution recognizing his service to the county and its law library. He also received a certificate of recognition from the Minnesota State Law Library and a resolution from the state House of Representatives.
"Thank you, your leadership over the years has made it (the library) one of the best in the state," Commissioner Corky Berg said at the meeting. The commissioners then gave Moody a standing ovation.
Changing with the times
Over the past four decades, a lot of things have changed at the library, including its location. The library has at one time or another been located on every floor of the courthouse, finally landing in the Kandiyohi County Courthouse basement.
For most of its history, research done in the library revolved around digging into the large and heavy law books. Now a lot of it can be found online.
The library has kept up with changes in technology, going from books to compact discs to computers set up with access to Westlaw, an online legal research program that has greatly extended the offerings at the county library.
There is also a law library computer at the Willmar Public Library.
"Everything is updated, everything is current," Moody said. "It is just remarkable what the current status of legal research is."
That is not to say the books still don't hold a place of pride in the Kandiyohi County Law Library. The library board makes sure to keep all current laws in book form, along with having a complete collection of U.S. Supreme Court decisions on the shelves.
"It is quite dynamic," Moody said. "We've tried to remain accessible to non-computer users."
The library has also partnered with the Kandiyohi County Jail to provide self-help books to the inmates. They are also on the shelf at the Willmar Public Library.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the library also offered free non-criminal legal advice to anyone in the county. Local lawyers would assist and offer half-hour sessions, to help people get on the right track regarding legal issues such as wills or health directives.
"There were no restrictions on who could be served in these free legal help clinics," Moody said. "People have found it to be very useful."
The law library is mostly funded by fees charged to many civil, probate and criminal proceedings. In Kandiyohi County the fee is $15. The money is used for the upkeep of the library, such as buying new books, maintaining the copier and subscribing to Westlaw.
Because the pandemic shut down the vast majority of cases, the library saw its income crater in 2020.
"We had to look at the recovery and see if you could afford the same level of service," Moody said.
As the court system continues to reopen to normal levels, it is hoped the library's funding will continue to grow and that services such as the law clinics will restart.
"We make do with what we have," Moody said, adding the county helps a lot with providing the library space in the courthouse and paying for such things as utilities and cleaning services.
"We try to be good stewards of the facility and of what we spend."
Moody said he was surprised by the recognition he and the library received by the county and the state at the June 15 County Board meeting.
"It was quite remarkable that so much attention would be given to our wonderful little law library here," Moody said.
Moody, Kinney and Aurora McCleary, law librarian, are all proud of the Kandiyohi County Law Library and believe it is one of the best in the region.
"This is a beautiful library," said McCleary. "We've always been proud to just have it."
