Electronic Discovery: A Fool’s Errand Where Angels Fear to Tread?

Electronic discovery has transformed the discovery phase of civil litigation in recent years. The expectations of lawyers and parties were initially established in the Rowe and Zubulake cases that led to a complete revision of the electronic discovery rules contained in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Subsequent cases have underscored the importance of document search methodologies and implications for attorneys, IT professionals, and digital forensics professionals. The authors review how electronic discovery has evolved thus far and offer recommendations regarding the electronic discovery process. Keywords: Electronic discovery, e-discovery, keyword search, concept search

Newspaper journalists' information seeking behavior with online information sources

A questionnaire survey of newspaper journalists at the Charlotte Observer and the News & Observer of Raleigh was conducted to gather data regarding use of online information sources (including the Internet, commercial sources, and internally created sources) in the work process of newsgathering. Journalists surveyed use online information sources more often than respondents in nationwide 1999 studies. A majority believes that online sources are very important to information gathering in their work. More than 80 percent use email and the World Wide Web daily, although less than half search internal or commercial databases weekly. Most never use forums, such as listservs and newsgroups, or applications such as FTP and telnet. About 65 percent of respondents are somewhat satisfied with their online skills, and about ten percent are very satisfied

College and Research Libraries 54 (4) July 1993

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The collection, organisation and use of information by voluntary information providers

This is the first study undertaken into the way in which voluntary workers, untrained in information skills and working in community information services, collect, organise and use the information they provide to assist clients needing it for their day-to-day survival. The study is placed in perspective through a survey of the literature relating to community information services. This is supplemented by a study of documents relating to the Pretoria Citizens' Advice Bureau. Data was collected by means of participant observation at the Pretoria Citizens' Advice Bureau and interviews with voluntary workers in the Bureau. Analysis of the data was carried out according to the grounded theory approach. It was found that untrained volunteers creating information storage and retrieval tools for use by their fellow volunteers, work without a knowledge of information storage and retrieval theory. They tend to make ad hoc decisions and create tools that are not as user-friendly as they could be with some background in the theory of information science. On the other hand, volunteers searching for information make the same kind of demands of the information storage and retrieval system they use as do professional and scientific information users, in that they want direct access to as much relevant information as possible in one place. They want the information repackaged in a manner to suit their purpose. When under pressure, they are reluctant to consult multiple information storage and retrieval tools not within easy reach. The study culminates in a number of recommendations for the improvement of the service of the Pretoria Citizens' Advice Bureau in particular. Recommendations are also put forward for a centralised computerised database providing processed information to community information services in South Africa. Some suggestions are made concerning education and training of volunteers and professional information workers with a view to providing a better understanding of community information services.Information ScienceD. Lit. et Phil