For those who visit the Park Rapids Area Library in northern Minnesota, a free legal kiosk station is now available to help them address their legal issues. Originally a partnership between Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota (LSNM) and the MAHUBE-OTWA Community Action Partnership, renovations at the community center’s office prompted the suggestion to relocate at the public library.

The library’s branch manager, Jodi Schultz, agreed it was a great location for a kiosk, which is now located in the library’s upstairs meeting room. Kelly Wencl, communication and outreach coordinator for LSNM, said “These legal kiosks are mini-tech centers that are hosted by community partners, and allow for video access to an attorney or courthouses, along with printers, scanners, etc. The kiosks will provide safe access to legal information and legal aid lawyers across our service area.” Wencl noted that there are over 250 legal kiosks across Minnesota with nearly 60 located in northwest Minnesota, including at the Fergus Falls and Bemidji public libraries.

In addition to such uses as attending a court hearing remotely, meeting with a legal aid attorney, printing and emailing documents, or filling out forms, Wencl explained, “the kiosk can be used by community members for a wide variety of things, such as telehealth appointments or job interviews. It is not limited in capacity to only legal topics, information and resources.”

Reservations for the kiosk are recommended and can be made by calling the Park Rapids Library. Read more in Free, legal ‘mini-tech center’ moves into Park Rapids Library.