Law Library Collection Development in the Digital Age

Book excerpt: While the digital revolution has touched every aspect of law librarianship, perhaps nowhere has the effect been more profound than in the area of collection development. Many of the materials law libraries traditionally collected in print form are now available in electronic format. Digital technology has affected the way we select, order, and process legal materials. The World Wide Web has created an explosion of both commercial and private online publishing. The cost of electronic publishing has caused many traditional law book publishers to sell their companies rather than invest in the needed technologies to compete in the 21st century. Small publishers and book jobbers have been forced to reinvent themselves. The amount of legal information available and its costs continue to soar. Law Library Collection Development in the Digital Age deals with these and other issues related to law library collection development. Chapters range from the theoretical to the practical. Inspired by Penny Hazleton’s seminal paper “How Much of Your Print Collection is Really on Lexis or Westlaw?” the editors and chapter authors of Law Library Collection Development in the Digital Age endeavor to expand on professor Hazleton’s work, with examinations of: the role of law libraries in strategic planning for distance learning Web mirror sites trust vs. antitrust issues access vs. ownership issues how law libraries deal with electronic court records, dockets, and filings the growth of e-journals as they relate to legal publishing how the Hein Greenslips and Blackwell North America’s Bookservice cover legal materials past, present, and future roles of specialized book jobbers and more! Anyone interested in law librarianship or the information industry will find this book informative and useful. Make it a part of your professional collection today.