By Ashley Bradley/reporter

The NE Campus library’s many interesting traits, including a legal research center, the Heritage Room and its name, separate it from other TCC libraries.

The legal research center is composed of several legal books. Attorneys, judges and other Tarrant County residents have taken advantage of the documents and information the center houses because the area is available to the public.

“We were originally a branch of the Tarrant County law library,” said public service librarian Beth Mullins. “Because the funding was removed, now there is only one on the fourth floor of the Tarrant County courthouse, the old historical building.”

Because none of the legal books can be checked out, the same resources are available online for students, faculty and staff at library.tccd.edu on LexisNexis under databases.

The Heritage Room contains a collection of artifacts and genealogy of local residents of Northeast Tarrant County.

“It’s such a unique collection,” said public service librarian J. Paul Davidson. “We’re one of few community colleges in Texas that has such a collection of this type.”

Now through May, an exhibit is on display in the Heritage Room with artifacts from 25 different countries, mainly from Africa.

Dr. J. Ardis Bell, for whom the library is named, spent more than 40 years of his life helping the success of TCC. He helped gather signatures for the bond election to create the college in 1965, was elected to the first board of trustees and served as board president from 1976 until his retirement in 2008. Upon his retirement, the board of trustees decided to name the NE Library after him.

When Bell left TCC, his colleagues called him not only a friend, but also a mentor.