About the Library
History of the Library
The development of the court library is closely linked to the development of the courts in the
NWT. The Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories (then called "Territorial Court") was
re-established by Parliament in 1955. The library was established in 1955 by the Honourable
Mr. Justice J.H. Sissons. From 1955 to 1978, the court library was situated on the premises
occupied by the Supreme Court, but there was no librarian or staff other than the occasional
visiting librarian from the federal Department of Justice at Ottawa, which had established the
court library in 1955 to meet the needs of that court's first resident Judge at Yellowknife,
the late Honourable Mr. Justice J.H. Sissons.
As the courts developed, so did the library. In 1978, the present Yellowknife courthouse came
to house the Supreme Court (as it became in 1972) and the Territorial Court (known as the
"Magistrates Court" until 1978), the court library was located on the second floor of the new
building so as to continue the convenient access to the court library which had always been
available to the judiciary, more particularly the resident judge of the Supreme Court. The
library was accessible to the judiciary and bar, including government lawyers, and to members
of the public who wished to research legal materials. Justice Sissons' and subsequently Justice
Morrow's collections form the original core of the court library's collection and formed the
basis for the existence of the court library. The library has now developed into a system of
one main library and a satellite library in Hay River to support the travelling
court circuit, and resident regional court centre.
In 2004, the name of the main library in Yellowknife was changed to the M.M. de Weerdt Law Library in honour of the late Justice Mark Murray de Weerdt (1928-2003). Justice de Weerdt practiced law in the NWT from 1958 to 1996 and presided over the NWT Supreme Court from 1981 to 1996 and was a great supporter of the library.
Current Operations
There is one librarian and one technician working out of the main library who service all of the
court libraries. Part time staff in the satellite library helps keep the collections filed
up to date, but all ordering, binding, cataloguing, budgeting, and record-keeping occur in
Yellowknife. The library system is mostly funded by the Government of the NWT, with
contributions also derived from the
Law Society of the
NWT and the Law Foundation of the NWT.
Hours of Operation
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday.
The Library is closed on statutory holidays and during the Christmas government shutdown period.
Location/Contacts
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General Information:
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(867) 873-7618
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Library Fax:
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(867) 873-0368
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Court Librarian -
Bev Speight:
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(867) 920-8617
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Library Technician -
Erin O'Rourke:
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(867) 920-8615
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Department of Justice
Government of the Northwest Territories
1st Floor, Yellowknife Courthouse
PO Box 1320
4903 - 49th Street
Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Registration
Members of the Law Society of the NWT should register with the court library to ensure effective
use of all the services available to members. Registration will ensure an active library card
and your firm's name to be entered into our mailing list. It also ensures after-hours access to
the library. All services use the mailing list of the library's registered members.
To register, please contact the Library.
Collection
A comprehensive collection of primary and secondary materials for Canada, and to a certain
extent, other common law jurisdictions form the essential core of the collection. The collection
parameters have been expanded to include maintaining and developing a collection of materials on
northern and/or native justice issues, and providing materials in other formats including
microforms and CD-ROM resources.
Click
here to search the library's catalogue.
For more information, please contact:
M.M. de Weerdt Law Library
1st Floor, Courthouse
PO Box 1320
4903 - 49th Street
Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Telephone: (867) 873-7618
Fax: (867) 873-0368
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