(Mission Times Courier, San Diego, CA) - Allied Gardens native son, John Adkins has just been appointed executive director of the San Diego County Public Law Library, one of the largest public law libraries in California with four branches across the county. The only source of complete legal information that is available to the general public, the law library helps self represented litigants and every day people who - particularly during the economic recovery - may need help on issues relating to employment rights, taxes, credit/debt relief etc.For the legal community, the library offers complete legal resources, and some of the highest quality, most cost-effective legal training programs in the county.

Adkins was born and raised in Allied Gardens and his parents, Bill and Jane Adkins, still reside in the same Chaucer Avenue home they have owned since the mid 1960s. He attended Foster Elementary, Marvin Elementary, Lewis Junior High, and Crawford High School. Adkins went on to UC Berkeley, where he received a BA, Masters in Library Science, and Juris Doctorate in law. Working as both a lawyer and a librarian, Adkins has worked for the last 12 years as the head librarian for public services at the University of San Diego School of Law.
"This is an exciting time for the law library. The vision is for the library to be a community center where people come to find answers, conduct business and collaborate with each other on legal issues," said Adkins.

"John's extensive law library experience and dynamic leadership style are exactly what we need to transform the county law library system into a vibrant, active part of the San Diego community," said Judge Julia Kelety, president of the library board.

Adkins replaces Robert Riger, who resigned as director last fall. Joan Allen-Hart has served as interim director while the board conducted a search for a new director. "Joan has been an amazing asset to the library and we cannot thank her enough for her efforts," Kelety said.

The San Diego County Public Law Library is an independent public agency established under state law to provide legal information to the residents of San Diego County. The library is open to the public and has four branches throughout the county.