James G. Durham named director of the Maryland Thurgood Marshall State Law Library

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Maryland Thurgood Marshall State Law Library Deputy Director James G. Durham has been named director, effective February 9, 2022. Durham was the first deputy director of the Law Library and has served in the role since 2011.
 
“James Durham is uniquely qualified to lead the Maryland Thurgood Marshall State Law Library and has served with honor and distinction in the deputy role for more than a decade,” said Chief Judge Joseph M. Getty, Court of Appeals of Maryland, who also leads the Library Committee, which is the governing board of the Law Library. “We look forward to his leadership as we continue to provide access to justice through the library’s services.”
 
Durham succeeds Maryland Thurgood Marshall State Law Library Director Steven P. Anderson, who recently retired after an exemplary 20-year career. The recruitment of a new Law Library director involved a national search by a committee, chaired by Judge Jonathan Biran, Court of Appeals of Maryland.

“I am honored to serve as a member of the dedicated team of the Maryland Thurgood Marshall State Law Library,” said Director James G. Durham. “Every day, our staff works to make access to justice a reality in Maryland. It is a privilege to be part of such a worthy endeavor.”
 

Durham will lead the Maryland Thurgood Marshall State Law Library and its 17 staff members. The staff provides legal information to members of the Maryland Judiciary, government staff, members of the bar, and the public. In the director role, Durham is responsible for the executive administration of the Law Library’s operations, including acquiring and preserving collections of legal information resources, promoting access to these collections, and creating educational opportunities that enhance the understanding of legal information.

Durham also serves as steward of the Law Library’s rare materials, including the John J. Audubon “Birds of America” prints and fragile documents and books. He also provides strategic direction and daily guidance for the acquisition and management of digital collections, such as library databases, digital preservation systems, online catalogs, and the Judiciary-wide legal research database subscription.

As director, Durham develops and implements the Law Library’s public services, ranging from reference referrals and document delivery to interlibrary lending and provision of content for the Law Library’s websites. The director also is responsible for creating and sustaining various educational initiatives, such as the People’s Law Library website, outreach services to public librarians, and legal research training programs.

Durham has served on the Executive Board of the Government Law Libraries – Special Interest Section (GLL-SIS) of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) for the past nine years, during which he has served as secretary-treasurer and chair. In addition, he is a past president of the Law Library Association of Maryland (LLAM).

Before arriving at the Maryland Thurgood Marshall State Law Library, Durham worked in academic law libraries in Texas and New York. He received a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a juris doctorate from The Ohio State University in Columbus.

The Maryland Thurgood Marshall State Law Library is in Annapolis at 361 Rowe Boulevard, on the first floor of the Robert C. Murphy Courts of Appeal Building. For more information, visit the Law Library’s website at mdcourts.gov/lawlib, contact via email at [email protected], or call 410-260-1430 or Maryland toll-free 888-216-8156.