Hello!
If you decide to implement a notary service, please consult your attorney on a policy for what types of documents you will and will not notarize. Even though a notary designation permits a notary to legally witness all sorts of documents,
that doesn’t mean that every notary is trained or knowledgeable with every type of document. Some types of documents are just not worth the risk and are better verified by an attorney or professional in the field. Wills, Real Estate documents, Immigration
documents, power of attorney documents are some of the types of documents that may present a notary with additional risks of liability from parties (or their families) who either disagree with the document or who did not completely understand the document,
or where complex procedural steps were not properly executed. There are cases in the state where general notaries – including in libraries – have been sued.
I hope this is helpful!
Sincerely,
Clare
Clare D. Membiela, MLS, J.D.
Library Law Consultant
Library of Michigan
517-335-8132
The research and resources above are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice
with respect to any particular issue or problem.
“the State may not, consistently with the spirit of the First Amendment, contract the spectrum of available knowledge.”
Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479, 482 (1965).
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From: Katrina Rogers via Michlib-l <michlib-l@liblists.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2026 11:34 AM
To: michlib-l@liblists.org
Subject: [Michlib-l] Notaries in libraries
CAUTION: This is an External email. Please report suspicious emails via the "Report to Abuse" button in Outlook
Hi all,
We're considering having some of our employees become notaries, but before we invested the money and time into that, I wanted to see if it was worth it. If your library offers notarizing:
-how many staff do you have who offer it?
-how many patrons typically use the service?
-do you charge for it? If so, how much?
Katrina Rogers
Pronouns: she/her
Director
Devereaux Memorial Library
201 Plum Street
Grayling, Michigan 49738
Phone: 989-348-9214 ext 202
Fax: 989-348-9294
