CS-SIS Blog

Today’s Computing Services Special Interest Section events include:

CS-SIS Breakfast Business Meeting and Awards, 7:15am - 8:45am at Hyatt-Capitol Ballroom 3 - Live Streaming

H1: The Economics of Interface: Vendors Respond, 9:00am - 10:30am at CCC-Room 102-106

Recent scholarship has theorized that Westlaw and Lexis design their user interfaces to maximize profits to the detriment of legal research. In this interactive session, vendors will respond to this assertion. Using an interview style question-and-answer format, panelists will discuss how their respective companies might harness technology to better serve the legal information industry, and whether the competing needs for efficiency and profit can peacefully coexist. Perspectives from new organizations outside the duopoly, which feature alternative legal research platforms, will augment the conversation. All panelists will candidly discuss the economic realities of online legal research and the provision of digital legal information.

I4: Turning the Page: e-Book Readers in Law Libraries, 10:45am - 11:30am at CCC-Room 205-207

E-books for devices such as the Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, and iPhone are a small but growing segment of the total market for books. As time passes, more law students, lawyers, and other law library patrons will likely be reading some books - including law books - on e-book readers. What should law librarians know about these technologies? In what ways might legal publishers tailor books and other content for e-readers? Should law libraries start to acquire e-book readers and e-books, or wait for further developments? The presentations and a follow-up audience discussion will address these questions and related issues.

J2: Going Mobile: New Tools to Keep Your Library's Information Moving, 2:15pm - 3:15pm at CCC-Room 108-112

According to a 2008 report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, "the mobile device will be the primary connection tool to the Internet for most people in the world in 2020." Chances are, many users already use these devices to access websites and catalogs. All types of law libraries must begin meeting the demands of mobile technology, whether by delivering information to an attorney's Blackberry or by enabling students to access library resources by iPhone. This session will introduce attendees to the world of mobile applications. We will evaluate applications of interest to law librarians and their users. The live action demonstration of popular mobile applications will prepare attendees to implement effective mobile interfaces. We will explain the technology behind mobile applications and the steps required to create your own - whether you decide to do it yourself or outsource the project.

Welcome to Day Two of the AALL Annual Meeting in Denver, CO.

Today's Computing Services Special Interest Section events include:

CS-SIS Program: Cool Tools Café, 12:00pm – 1:15pm at CCC-Four Seasons Ballroom 1 – Details & Handouts / Evaluation

Emerging technologies are touching all aspects of the law library. Join us for a smorgasbord of tools and gadgets that will help you create, organize and deliver information, increase productivity, and connect with users. Bring your lunch and wander from table to table as tech-savvy law librarians demonstrate some hot new technologies.The Cool Tools Cafe is truly a team effort.

More than 20 CS members have volunteered their time to participate as coordinators, presenters and greeters. Thanks to everyone!This program may be live streamed if conditions are appropriate.

A6: “I Read the News Today, Oh Boy!”: 21st Century Lessons for Law Libraries from the Recording and Newspaper Industries, 1:30pm – 2:45pm at CCC-Room 605-607

Adapting to a digital world, law librarians face many pressures: online resources that are sometimes less usable than their print counterparts, escalating costs from a dwindling number of content providers, and patrons who expect all information to be online. Not surprisingly, other information markets, such the recording and newspaper industries, face similar problems.Both industries saw their content become available on the internet, and they continue to struggle with outside players seizing control of their markets, while facing economic backlash for not effectively meeting consumer expectations. What lessons should legal information professionals learn from these industries?

A panel of law librarians and recording and newspaper industry experts will discuss these transitions, analyzing mistakes that have been made, and identifying opportunities for law librarians. Steve Knopper from Rolling Stone Magazine is one of the panelists.

CS-SIS Program Planning Meeting, 5:30pm – 6:30pm at CCC-Room 208Have an idea for the 2011 Annual Meeting?

Come to the program planning meeting to suggest and get feedback on your suggestion. All CS members are welcome!

Reminder: For those of you that didn't make it to Denver, we’ll be live streaming many of our CS programs again this year. They will appear as they are created at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/cs-sis-programs-denver-2010 .

Given the tech connection, some of you may be interested in the following TS-SIS program:

What's in a Name: CORE and I-2, New Standards to Improve Efficiency in the Electronic Resources Environment
Sunday, July 11, 2010 — 1:30-2:45 p.m.
CCC-Room 109

The current marketplace has numerous products from many vendors to address different aspects of electronic resources.  Interoperability between them is essential to gain maximum benefits.

CORE (Cost of Resource Exchange) describes a message structure which facilitates the transfer of cost data from Integrated Library Systems to Electronic Resource Management Systems.  Identifying institutions with multiple departments, campuses and their hierarchical relationship can be very difficult.

I-2 (Institutional Identifier) a proposed NISO standard, under development, is a unique identifier assigned to an institution.  I-2 aims to be global, interoperable and unique and will show the hierarchical relationship of an institution with all its subsidiaries.

Working group members of these two standards will discuss the need for these standards, their goals, objectives, data elements used and implementation issues.

Program handouts are available.

• Helen Henderson, Speaker, Ringgold. Member of I-2 working group
• Rose Nelson, Speaker, Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries. Member of CORE working group
• Shyama Agrawal, Coordinator, J. Michael Goodson Law Library, Duke University School of Law

Zotero, the free, open source add-on for the Firefox browser, has taken notice of law schools, according to a letter posted to the teknoids listserv. from Frank Bennett . Zotero enables users to manage bibliographic data and to store web-page snapshots and other electronic objects during their research and writing, but until now was not able to compose citations in Bluebook format. Now the development trunk version of Zotero has acquired the basic capabilities needed for legal writing, has a user interface and is ready for action of a sort.

And Zotero would welcome our help! From this point, the project will benefit greatly from the input of actual legal writers. Unfortunately, there are very few lawyers in the Zotero community now, for the obvious-enough reason that Zotero has until now not been terribly useful for things legal.

The developers are looking for people to do beta-testing: who are comfortable with a few basic technical things (installing Firefox, installing plugins), who are able to invest a small amount of time playing with software with limited and occasionally broken functionality, and who have the patience to report a bit of detail when things do not work correctly. We can help build a Zotero that is useful and welcome to law students and other legal writers.

Links to the development forum and utilities:

• Zotero-legal (Google group): A forum for discussion and a repository of notes and proposals.
• Zotero development trunk (main and word-processor plugins): The utilities that run in Firefox.
• Bluebook style (CSL 1.0): The current version of the Bluebook style in CSL 1.0.