Every May 1st, the Riverside County Law Library joins libraries across the nation in recognizing, participating in, and celebrating Law Day. “Law Day is a national day set aside to celebrate the rule of law. Law Day provides an opportunity to understand how law and the legal process protect our liberty, strive to achieve justice, and contribute to the freedoms that all Americans share” (American Bar Association, 2024). The theme this year is Voices of Democracy, and RCLL is proud to participate in this event by engaging with the community and sharing its reflections on the power, knowledge, and impact that law and democracy has on everyone. RCLL held a virtual panel discussion with a prestigious group of young and new attorneys in Riverside County joined by our Board President, the Honorable Jackson Lucky as the keynote speaker, and moderated by our very own User Experience Librarian Andrea Valencia.   

 The panelists reflected on what inspired each of them to pursue a legal career, what their perspectives on or experiences with democracy are, and provided advice on what the community could do to ensure the preservation of democratic ideals. They discussed how local elections and measures are not as widely covered or discussed as the national issues are and provided insights into how to get citizens to become more involved in local politics. They shared their thoughts on the rewards of becoming involved in the community and in local politics, as well as identifying what measures the legal community could take to educate or give back to the community. Some key takeaways are as follows: 

 ‘People should be encouraged to vote. Regardless of whether one feels as though their voice will not count, the reality is that it does. It is often the case that when people feel as though their voice is not loud enough to be heard nationally, this is still not the case. One’s voice is loud enough to be heard even locally. Even when one casts their vote in a national election, while one voice is one of a hundred, thousand, or a million votes, one to single-digit votes can decide who gets elected, what policies are put into place, and essentially, what democracy will look like and how people will get to live their day-to-day lives’ (Lucky, 2024). 

The 2024 RCLL Law Day Panelists 

Keynote Speaker the Honorable Jackson Lucky (Left) and guest speakers, the Riverside County Barristers (from left-to-right) Daniela Pebbles Tovar-Jalalian, Nolan Kistler, and Alejandro Barraza.  

As a staff member of RCLL reflecting on the theme Voices of Democracy, I believe that progress towards a better democracy plays a crucial role in our library’s mission to enable everyone in the county to perform the highest level of research and practice through free and open access to current and relevant collections of legal research materials, programs and services. When patrons develop their own research journeys and engage with the array of resources and services our library provides, they pave a way for their voices to be heard. As a librarian, I am inspired by this theme and I am reminded of it by what I see in our staff’s passion for public service and our patrons’ interests, pursuit of justice, and their perspectives of what a good democracy can look like.   

New Additions to our eBooks Collection in Celebration of Law Day! 

 Inspired by the “Voices of Democracy” theme, our Collection Development team acquired two new ebooks that discuss the reality, impact, and harm of misinformation. The dark reality of disinformation erodes democracy by prioritizing and monetizing on engaging content rather than trustworthy content. Therefore, it is important for every citizen to protect themselves against misinformation and have accurate information that is based on truth and facts.  

Check-it-out at our Lexis Digital Library today!