Carpe Diem: Establish an Institutional Repository for Your Organization

A law firm associate has prepared a continuing legal education PowerPoint presentation that resides on the hard drive of the associate\u27s laptop. Another associate has served as an expert witness at a U.S. congressional hearing and the testimony is available on the GPO\u27s website. The law firm\u27s annual report from last year is stored on the intranet on the firm\u27s web server. The firm\u27s librarian has delivered an educational presentation at a professional meeting that is available on the web as a podcast. How can all of these diverse items be captured, archived, organized and readily accessible on the web in one location for public access? An institutional repository can provide the perfect solution. In our current technological age, most communications and scholarship are born digital and are often scattered across various servers and hard drives. Most of these virtual items are not as carefully archived or preserved as are traditional print publications. Librarians have a unique opportunity to fill a void by taking a leadership role in organizing and preserving digital information. In today\u27s computer dependent environment, our extensive archival expertise is timely and germane. One particularly effective means for filling the void and seizing the opportunity is to establish an institutional repository to collect the intellectual output of your institution

Federal Law and U.S. Government Information: Exploring a Wealth of Resources

The federal government provides a plethora of free legal resources that are useful for attorneys conducting legal research tasks. In addition to providing inexpensive alternatives to commercial databases, online federal resources offer many bells and whistles such as multimedia, unique searching options, and even crowd-sourcing, that enhance their content

Digital Commons @ UGA School of Law: A Cornucopia of Content

Are you keeping pace? In 2010, the number of law schools with Institutional Repositories (IRs) more than doubled, from 10 to 24. Come hear how two law libraries are increasing the exposure and impact of their law schools\u27 scholarly assets. Title: Institutional Repositories for Law Schools: Showcasing Your Faculty, Law Reviews and Legal Scholarship Presenters: Carol Watson (Alexander Campbell King Law Library, UGA School of Law), ), Lauren Seney (Wolf Law Library, College of William and Mary), Linda Tesar (Wolf Law Library, College of William and Mary) A bepress-sponsored event presented at the Philadelphia Marriott Marquis during AALL 2011

An Attorney\u27s Guide to Business and Investigative Research

Carol A. Watson is the Director of Alexander Campbell King Law Library at the University of Georgia School of Law

Blawgs, Podcasts, Wikis? Deciphering the Lingo and Evaluating Current Awareness Tools

Methods and technology for keeping track of current legal news range from simple to advanced. Simple methods such as becoming familiar with legal news web sites and visiting them regularly are still highly effective. More advanced technologies such as blogs and podcasts offer more diverse methods of delivering information by using sound and video (as opposed to reading plain text). Armed with basic knowledge about these new tools, you can make informed decisions about which technologies can increase your current awareness knowledge

Technology Trends and Predictions: Is a Flying Car in Our Future?

Discusses the future of legal research and technologies that are currently available for law offices. Highlights current technology trends and predictions and the latest innovations in courtroom technology. Concludes with a list of general technology predictions that will hopefully provide food for thought and generate excitement about the coming prospects of technology

From Locating Missing Heirs to Investigating Expert Witnesses: Maximizing Free Investigation Tools on the Web

As a lawyer, it’s not unusual to be called upon to help a client with personal investigation matters. Clients often seek advice on topics ranging from whether a business is legitimate to assisting with a search for missing heirs. Although these are not simple tasks, if you’ve got the time, you can usually find much useful investigative information on the web. However, you’ll have to be thorough, patient and careful

Upgrading Your Internet Connection

You can never be too thin, too rich or have too much Internet access speed! To connect to the Internet, you need a computer, modem, perhaps a phone line or cable connection, communication software and an Internet Service Provider. Any one of these components might slow down your Internet activities, including the age and speed of your PC, your Internet Service Provider\u27s equipment, your software settings, and the quality of your telephone line

Information Literacy in a Fake/False News World: An Overview of the Characteristics of Fake News and its Historical Development

Prior to designing strategies and information literacy programs to combat the dissemination and proliferation of fake/false news, it is instructive for legal information professionals to understand the characteristics of fake news and the context of its historical development