Law Librarian Blog

Applying "Customer Strategy" for Second Generation eGovernment Services

According to a recent Deloitte Research Study, E-government has automated business, but it has not fundamentally changed the way business is done. The result is a growing gap between what citizens expect from government and what they believe they are actually getting.

"In the rush to move customers from in line to online, public managers did not stop to answer the basic questions that need to be answered to service customers effectively and efficiently: Who are my customers? And what do they want?"

Check out the study: One Size Fits Few: Using Customer Insight to Transform Government (pdf) [JH]

Podcasting in Plain English

Another great production from CommonCraft;

[RJ]

Google Comes Knocking in Search of Hidden Data

Interesting article from Information Week: "Google has been testing ways to index data that is normally hidden to search engine crawlers, a change that should improve the breadth of information available through Google. The so-called "hidden Web" that Google has begun indexing refers to data beyond static Web pages, such as Web pages generated dynamically from a database, based on input such as might be provided through a Web submission form." 

Hat tip to WisBlawg [RJ].

Banning Laptops in the Classroom: Is it Worth the Hassles?

Law school laptop wars have been going on for a couple of years now but when Chicago Law School Dean Saul Levmore decided to cut off wireless and wired access to the Internet in April [U of C press release], the issue made a big splash in the media, ranging from the Above the Law tabloid to the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin.

Ah, a tad draconian, don't you think? A bit extreme to be making access to the Internet in the classroom impossible.

As for laptop use, shouldn't this be a matter decided by law profs and their students on a class by class basis, even perhaps on a day by day basis? If so, law profs might want to read Kevin Yamamoto's (South Texas College of Law) article, Banning Laptops in the Classroom: Is it Worth the Hassles? [SSRN]. Yamamoto argues that laptops should be banned unless their use aids the learning process. Here's the abstract:

Over the last several years law school classrooms have seen an explosion of student laptop use. Law professors have allowed this by default, generally under the pretense that laptops make note-taking easier. However, many professors complain that students use their laptops to play games, watch movies, or if they have an Internet connection, to do web surfing and e-mailing during class. This paper presents my experience in banning laptops from my classroom in the Fall of 2006, the first time it was done at my institution. The article covers the reasons for and against allowing laptops in the classroom, my reasoning and procedure for banning them, perceived differences in the classroom experience and relevant student comments from my course evaluations, which were overwhelmingly positive to the laptop ban. Also covered are the cognitive psychological reasons in support of banning laptops. Studies show that lower grades were correlated with increased student web browsing during class (Grace-Martin & Gay, 2001; Hembrooke & Gay, 2003), and the amount of time which students used their laptops for tasks other than taking lecture notes (Fried, 2007). MRI studies of the brain indicate that the brain stores information differently when distracted, which occurs when students attempt to multi-task in class (Foerde, Knowlton, & Poldrack, 2006). The science of note-taking is also covered, which indicates verbatim typing may interfere with learning (e.g., Kiewra, 1991). The paper concludes by urging law school professors to review why laptops are allowed in their classrooms and, unless they feel that laptops increase student learning, to ban or heavily restrict their classroom use.

My Opinion. Allow laptop use in the classroom except for special occasions! Students come to law school prepared to use their laptops to take notes, integrate digital text provided by course ePackets into their outline programs, etc. Last time I looked, this was the 21st century. I'm not sure the digital natives know how to use pen and paper technology.

If law profs can't keep their students' attention during lectures, maybe they need to kick it up a notch. Maybe the students are bored because they actually prepared for class and are not hearing anything not already covered in their reading assignments. OK, that preparation thing might be a stretch.

If students are driven to distraction because fellow students are surfing the web, emailing, playing poker online, etc., move to a different seat! Students need to learn how to concentrate because those classroom distractions are nothing compared to what they will experience once they leave law school.  That's no stretch. [JH]

ILTA White Paper on Unified Communications

The International Legal Technology Association has published a white paper on Unified Communications (April 2008)(pdf). Unified communications (UC) is defined as "the convergence of multiple communications technologies over an IP network.  It is based on open platforms that allow new methods for individuals, groups and organizations to communicate and collaborate.  [UC] condenses these technologies into a seamless experience with one login, one address book and one inbox." [JH]

Managing Web 2.0 Deployments for e-Discovery Compliance

Pretty much all digital information is vulnerable when it comes to e-discovery requests. That includes content stored in-house on servers and local drives, plus mobile devices. IT departments can readily deal with these discovery requests but what about Web 2.0 apps like blogs and wikis not hosted in-house but used for business purposes? Covered by e-discovery requests? Yup.

As discussed in an Information Week story Holy Web 2.0 Herding Nightmare, employees are flocking to online collaboration tools that are not always supported by in-house IT departments. In Web 2.0 And Legal Discovery, Information Week reviews the need to develop an enterprise-level policy for the use of collaboration tools, one that gives companies and law firms the right to access any online tools that contain corporate data but are not hosted in-house, retrieve that data, and shut down the employee's access to the site if necessary.

As a first step, KM managers should conduct an audit to identify the use of Web 2.0 apps hosted off-site by service providers and consider bringing them in-house to provide users with the capabilities they need to do their jobs. Holy Web 2.0 Herding Nightmare reviews some IT options for doing so.

For Web 2.0 deployments that remain hosted off-site, a registry of blogs, wikis and other collaboration tools used for business purposes is absolutely essential for e-discovery purposes. Courts will not look kindly on "we didn't know" responses. [JH] 

Monitoring and Managing Corporate Reputations Online

Interesting post from Mashable: Andy Beal, co-author of Radically Transparent: Monitoring and Managing Reputations Online (book information below the fold) and CEO of online reputation monitoring tool Trackur, outlines ten tactics that could prevent your company suffering its own online reputation meltdown.  [RJ]

This is sure to become the definitive guide for members of any company or group who want to join and shape the often brutally honest conversation across social media about their brands, products, and people. — Tom Giles, Editor, Technology & Science, BusinessWeek.com

Radically Transparent: Monitoring and Managing Reputations Online
by Andy Beal and Judy Strauss

List Price: $29.99
Publisher: Sybex (March 4, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0470190825
ISBN-13: 978-0470190821

Book Description: Radically Transparent is the complete resource for monitoring, managing, building, and repairing online reputations. The comprehensive guide provides a full-featured reputation monitoring and management system. It includes practical, step-by-step instruction in four skills for personal reputation construction: public relations, search engine optimization, research, and online content creation. It explains how to apply these skills to create online content for blogs, social networking sites, and text communication (e-mail, text messaging, and so forth). The book provides background information, research results, anecdotal evidence, case studies, and practical strategies. It also emphasizes Internet research techniques for identifying and monitoring online identities and features exercises that reinforce key discussions.

Part I explores this new era of transparency and its implications for companies and individuals. Part II reveals the best online reputation management tools and techniques. It explains the what, when, and how of reputation monitoring and explores how to leverage social media to build positive buzz, use search engines to your advantage, and communicate effectively using everything from emails and IMs to blogs and social networks. Part III shows how to track, manage, and repair your online reputation. It explores various tracking methods, provides strategies and techniques when reputation repair is in order, and concludes with a concrete, seven-step action plan for successful and ongoing online reputation management.

Using step-by-step instruction and tested techniques, the expert authors unveil a detailed blueprint for building, managing, monitoring, and repairing your reputation. They detail important public relations, search engine optimization, research, and online content creation strategies and provide a seven-step action plan so that you can develop the skills necessary to monitor and manage your reputation. You'll learn how to:

• Navigate the new rules of engagement in a transparent world
• Define who you are and develop your personal or corporate brand
• Create positive PR buzz with your online content
• Gain visibility in web search results and harness SEO tools
• Understand the pros and cons of e-mail before you hit "Send"
• Use the latest Internet tracking methods and understand how information spreads online
• Apply solid strategies for reputation repair when things go wrong

Will Google Remain Evil?

Yes, if the Company gets its way at its annual shareholder meeting on May 8, 2008. Why? Because Google has recommended a no vote against a shareholder resolution for the creation of a board-level advisory committee on human rights. [the Company's Proxy Statement]. As information professionals, shouldn't we be concerned?

Resolution 5: Committee on Human Rights is offered by Harrington Investments. Here's the text:

4.7 COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS

RESOLVED: To amend the Bylaws, by inserting the following after section 4.6:

Section 4.7. Board Committee on Human Rights. There is established a Board Committee on Human Rights, which is created and authorized to review the implications of company policies, above and beyond matters of legal compliance, for the human rights of individuals in the US and worldwide.

The Board of Directors is authorized in its discretion consistent with these Bylaws, the Articles of Incorporation and applicable law to (1) select the members of the Board Committee on Human Rights, (2) provide said committee with funds for operating expenses, (3) adopt regulations or guidelines to govern said Committee’s operations, (4) empower said Committee to solicit public input and to issue periodic reports to shareholders and the public, at reasonable expense and excluding confidential information, including but not limited to an annual report on the implications of company policies, above and beyond matters of legal compliance, for the human rights of individuals in the US and worldwide, and (5) any other measures within the Board’s discretion consistent with these Bylaws and applicable law.

Nothing herein shall restrict the power of the Board of Directors to manage the business and affairs of the company. The Board Committee on Human Rights shall not incur any costs to the company except as authorized by the Board of Directors.

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

The proposed Bylaw would establish a Board Committee on Human Rights which would review and make policy recommendations regarding human rights issues raised by the company’s activities and policies. We believe the proposed Board Committee on Human Rights could be an effective mechanism for addressing the human rights implications of the company’s activities and policies as they emerge anywhere in the world. In defining “human rights,” proponents suggest that the committee could use the US Bill of Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as nonbinding benchmark or reference documents.

Perhaps Google is scared off by the proposed committee's mandate: "authorized to review the implications of company policies, above and beyond matters of legal compliance, for the human rights of individuals in the US and worldwide." (emphasis added). But note how the US Bill of Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are referred to as "nonbinding benchmark or reference documents" for defining human rights. The proposed committee could be the first step towards developing a corporate human rights policy. Apparently Google doesn't want to join the growing number of companies that already have one [see compilation of company policy statements maintained by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre].

Of course, this shareholder resolution is a reaction to Google's complicity with China's authoritarian regime by modifying the version of its search engine in China to exclude controversial topics such as the Tiananmen Square massacre or the Falun Gong movement. When asked whether he regretted the decision, Sergey Brin  admitted: "On a business level, that decision to censor... was a net  negative." [Google Censorship FAQ]

Clearly Google isn't prepared to change the "net negative" yet. In addition to opposing the human rights committee proposal, it should come as no surprise that the Company opposes (again) a strongly worded anti-censorship shareholder resolution. Unlike the human rights committee proposal, the Internet censorship resolution identifies minimum standards for establishing corporate policies to protect freedom of access to the Internet.

Shareholder Resolution 4: Internet Censorship is offered by the Office of the Comptroller of New York City, the custodian and trustee of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System, the New York City Teachers’ Retirement System, the New York City Police Pension Fund, and the New York City Fire Department Pension Fund, and custodian of the New York City Board of Education Retirement System, and others. Here's the text:

Whereas, freedom of speech and freedom of the press are fundamental human rights, and free use of the Internet is protected in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees freedom to “receive and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers”, and

Whereas, the rapid provision of full and uncensored information through the Internet has become a major industry in the United States, and one of its major exports, and

Whereas, political censorship of the Internet degrades the quality of that service and ultimately threatens the integrity and viability of the industry itself, both in the United States and abroad, and

Whereas, some authoritarian foreign governments such as the Governments of Belarus, Burma, China, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam block, restrict, and monitor the information their citizens attempt to obtain, and

Whereas, technology companies in the United States such as Google, that operate in countries controlled by authoritarian governments have an obligation to comply with the principles of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, and

Whereas, technology companies in the United States have failed to develop adequate standards by which they can conduct business with authoritarian governments while protecting human rights to freedom of speech and freedom of expression,

Therefore, be it resolved, that shareholders request that management institute policies to help protect freedom of access to the Internet which would include the following minimum standards:

(1) Data that can identify individual users should not be hosted in Internet restricting countries, where political speech can be treated as a crime by the legal system. 

(2) The company will not engage in pro-active censorship. 

(3) The company will use all legal means to resist demands for censorship. The company will only comply with such demands if required to do so through legally binding procedures. 

(4) Users will be clearly informed when the company has acceded to legally binding government requests to filter or otherwise censor content that the user is trying to access.

(5) Users should be informed about the company’s data retention practices, and the ways in which their data is shared with third parties. 

(6) The company will document all cases where legally-binding censorship requests have been complied with, and that information will be publicly available.

Google's Corporate Culture. Google has already violated it's "don't be evil" corporate code of conduct;. Shareholders can change the Company's direction by voting in favor of these proposals. Prior to voting, hopefully shareholders will review Google's Letter from the Founders: "An Owner's Manual" for Google's Shareholders from the S-1 Registration Statement, which states in part:

Don't be evil. We believe strongly that in the long term, we will be better served—as shareholders and in all other ways—by a company that does good things for the world even if we forgo some short term gains. This is an important aspect of our culture and is broadly shared within the company.

...

We aspire to make Google an institution that makes the world a better place. In pursuing this goal, we will always be mindful of our responsibilities to our shareholders, employees, customers and business partners.

Compelling Corporate Conduct. In the U.S., there are three principal mechanisms for compelling corporate conduct: governmental action (through legislation and judicial enforcement), shareholder action and consumer action. I doubt consumer boycotts (e.g., refusing to click on Google ads) is going to work. Looks like shareholder action won't work either. That leaves government action which could turn on corporate complicity and corporate culture, the twin themes of the above shareholder resolutions.

Perhaps it is time to follow international criminal law standards. Complicity does not require knowledge of the specific abuse or a desire for it to have occurred, as long as there was knowledge of the contribution. Therefore, it may not matter that the company was merely carrying out normal business activities if those activities contributed to the abuse and the company was aware or should have been aware of its contribution. The fact that a company was following orders, fulfilling contractual obligations, or even complying with national law will not, alone, guarantee it legal protection. See John G. Ruggie's recent report to the UN Human Rights Council, Protect, Respect and Remedy: a Framework for Business and Human Rights (April 7, 2008) [pdf] (John Ruggie, Evron and Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, is Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on business & human rights.)

Maybe it is time to follow what some national governments are doing, namely apply "corporate culture" in deciding corporate criminal accountability by examining a company’s policies, rules and practices to determine criminal liability and punishment, rather than basing accountability on the individual acts of employees or officers. See Corporate Culture as a Basis for the Criminal Liability of Corporations (Feb. 2008)(prepared for the Special Representative by the law firm Allens Arthur Robinson)(pdf). See also, Trends in the Use of Corporate Law and Shareholder Activism to Increase Corporate Responsibility and Accountability for Human Rights (Dec. 2007)(prepared for the Special Representative by the law firm Fried Frank)(pdf).

I wonder what our presidential contenders have to say. If we cannot promote corporate social responsibility through shareholder or consumer action, national governments must be persuaded to regain control of corporations through regulation. That's the conclusion University of British Columbia law prof Joel Bakan reached in his 2004 work, The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power [LLB post]. [JH] 

Web 2.0 Expo San Francisco 2008 Starts Today

The four-day Web 2.0 Expo San Francisco 2008 starts today [website]. Check out the Annotated Schedule of Programs and the offical Web 2.0 Expo Blog. Information Week will be providing on-going coverage of the event here. Follow news and blog coverage: Google News Search | Google Blog Search [JH]

Professional Reading: A Review of "Human-Powered" Search Engines

Phil Bradley takes a look at the major "human-powered" or moderated search engines and and discusses the value of this type of search engine in Human-powered Search Engines: An Overview and Roundup (Ariadne, January 2008). In the article, he reviews eight moderated SEs: Anoox, ChaCha, Collarity, Earthfrisk, iRazoo, Mahalo, Sproose and Wikia Search.

Noting that the only mediated SE he regularly uses in Collarity, Bradley closes his review with the observation that "perhaps success lies less in human-powered search engines and more in personally powered search engines." To build your own custom search engine, check out Rollyo, Eurekster, Yahoo Search Builder and Google Custom Search. [JH]

Crawford on Kindle and eBooks

Walt Crawford, Director and Managing Editor of the PALINET Leadership Network, takes a look at Kindle and eBooks in the April 2008 issue of Cites & Insights. See Old Media/New Media Perspective: Thinking About Kindle and Ebooks [HTML | PDF of entire issue]:

• Amazon's Kindle (page 9 in PDF)
• Nine Models, One Name: Untangling the Ebook Muddle (page 16) (manuscript version of article that was published in American Libraries (Sept. 2000)
• Other Thoughts on eBooks (page 20)

[JH]

A Must-Read, Zittrain's The Future of the Internet--And How to Stop It

A superb and alarming discussion, from one of the most astute and forward-looking analysts of the Internet. Zittrain explains how the glorious promise of the Internet might not be realized—and points the way toward reducing the current risks.  Absolutely essential reading." — Cass Sunstein, Karl N. Llewellyn Distinguished Service Professor of Jurisprudence, The University of Chicago Law School

The Future of the Internet--And How to Stop It
by Jonathan Zittrain

List Price: $30.00
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Yale University Press (April 14, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0300124872
ISBN-13: 978-0300124873

Book Description: This extraordinary book explains the engine that has catapulted the Internet from backwater to ubiquity—and reveals that it is sputtering precisely because of its runaway success. With the unwitting help of its users, the generative Internet is on a path to a lockdown, ending its cycle of innovation—and facilitating unsettling new kinds of control. 

IPods, iPhones, Xboxes, and TiVos represent the first wave of Internet-centered products that can’t be easily modified by anyone except their vendors or selected partners. These “tethered appliances” have already been used in remarkable but little-known ways: car GPS systems have been reconfigured at the demand of law enforcement to eavesdrop on the occupants at all times, and digital video recorders have been ordered to self-destruct thanks to a lawsuit against the manufacturer thousands of miles away. New Web 2.0 platforms like Google mash-ups and Facebook are rightly touted—but their applications can be similarly monitored and eliminated from a central source. As tethered appliances and applications eclipse the PC, the very nature of the Internet—its “generativity,” or innovative character—is at risk.

The Internet’s current trajectory is one of lost opportunity. Its salvation, Zittrain argues, lies in the hands of its millions of users. Drawing on generative technologies like Wikipedia that have so far survived their own successes, this book shows how to develop new technologies and social structures that allow users to work creatively and collaboratively, participate in solutions, and become true “netizens.”

About the Author: Jonathan L. Zittrain is the Professor of Internet Governance and Regulation at Oxford University and co-founder of Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society.

Professional Reading: Turning Static Pathfinders Into Dynamic Online Resources

Demonstrating my utter lack of imagination, I led the charge for converting print-based subject guides and pathfinders into quasi-static web pages at the University of Cincinnati Law Library a couple of years ago. At the time I was thinking that it would be easier to update webpages and distribute download-able PDF files, while saving a few trees in the process. But someone still had to code the updates or create the PDF files, and that work couldn't be distributed to all pathfinder authors because many didn't know how to compose in HTLM, most we didn't want to have web server authorization for uploading purposes because we were fearful of the Oops factor, and, alas, we were too cash-strapped to hand out PDF-creator software to everyone. In other words, delays.

Plus the "ownership" aspect of our publications tended to reduce collaboration. That meant our pathfinders and subject guides revealed relative strength and weakness in covering both online and print resources. While that may be good for management purposes in terms of identifying competencies, it was bad for the users of our publications.

There's a number of better ways to create and update web-based pathfinders and subject guides. Edward M. Corrado and Kathryn A. Frederick review cost-effective options in their Free and Open Source Options for Creating Database-Driven Subject Guides (Code4Lib Issue 2, 2008-03-24). The article discusses both the functionality and the relative strengths and weaknesses of open source database-driven solutions (such as SubjectsPlus, LibData, Research Guide, and Library Course Builder), social bookmarking sites, blogs, wikis, and eCourse management systems. [JH]

The Google Quality Rater's Handbook

The Google Quality Rater's Handbook (version 2.1 dated April 6, 2007)(pdf) was leaked recently. Download it while you can! Essentially, the Rater's Handbook tells you what Google deems important when judging the quality and relevance of a webpage.

As Pandia Search Engine News reports "in spite of what many say, Google does not entirely rely on automatic computer-based algorithms in its search engine rankings. They do employ human editors that control the quality of selected sites and they may give a boost to sites these reviewers deem especially useful." See also Spying on Google: What is Spam? What is Relevant? Read This to Find Out and SearchEngineLand's synopsis of the handbook.

Hat tip to Ron Jones. [JH]

ARL Study Reveals Many Research Libraries Are Also Publishers

ARL has published the results of a study of publishing services by ARL member libraries. Karla Hahn's report, Research Library Publishing Services: New Options for University Publishing (pdf), is based on a survey of ARL member libraries with follow-up interviews. It finds that research libraries are rapidly developing publishing services. By late 2007, 44% of the 80 responding ARL member libraries reported they were delivering publishing services and another 21% were in the process of planning publishing service development. Only 36% of responding institutions were not active in this arena.

Among the 44 percent of respondents that reported publishing activities:

• 88 percent report publishing e-journals.
• 79 percent publish conference papers and proceedings.
• 71 percent publish monographs.

Although the aggregate number of journal titles reported to be published by research represents "a very thin slice of the scholarly publishing pie," Hahn wrote, publishing activities, enabled by "emerging capabilities of digital information and networks," is clearly increasing. Respondents reported working on 265 titles, 131 of which were "established"; 81 were new titles; and 53 were "under development."

Key findings include:

• Service development is being driven by campus demand, largely from authors and editors.
• Substantial investment in open source applications such as Open Journal Systems, Open Conference Systems, D-Pubs, and DSpace is facilitating service development.
• Library publishing services are part of a range of new kinds of services libraries have developed or are developing, such as repository and digitization services.
• The use of various forms of revenue generation is common for publishing services, but core support comes from library resources and in some cases new campus funding.

Academic Law Libraries as ePublishers. Cincinnati's Marx Law Library publishes the Securities Lawyer's Deskbook, a project I inherited in 2001. At the time, I didn't think our little library should be in the publishing business. There was (and still is) no funding or staff support from the College of Law. Twice the project was almost axed because of library budget cuts but we were lucky to negotiate a licensing agreement with a SOX compliance vendor to offset some costs while keeping access to the Deskbook available free of charge.

Initially, I was amazed by the number of large SEC law firms that could bill out Lexis-Westlaw search charges easily but used the Deskbook instead. Now, I take that for granted. The Deskbook is the highest visited destination in the College of Law domain -- no other College of Law subdomain covers close -- and it generates tons of Law Library goodwill from our alumni.

I wonder what other academic law libraries are doing these days. Elmer, time for a new CALI-sponsored survey? [JH]

IHE Administrators Audio Conference on Regulating Social Networking Sites

Facebook, MySpace & On-Line Communities: What Your College Must Know
Tuesday, April 8, 2008, 1:00 - 2:00 PM ET
Live, 60-Minute Audio Conference
Online Registration | Cost: $199

From the Conference Blurb: The misuse of online social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook can have serious consequences for your university.  How are students improperly using these sites and what rights do your college administrators have to monitor student behavior? How do you create an effective policy for your college? Join us for a live, 60-minute audio conference where you and your colleagues will learn:

• Drafting an Online Network Policy: Keys to Protect Your College
• The Monitoring Student Debate: Strategies to Avoid Common Pitfalls
• Keys to Effectively Utilize Public Safety, Staff, & Campus Community
• How to Use Social Networking Sites to Benefit Your Institution

Conference Presenter: Tomás Gonzalez is the Senior Assistant Dean at the Syracuse University College of Law.  He is a nationally recognized speaker on the topic of legal issues and on-line communities. His expertise includes legal issues in Higher Educations, leadership and community development, academic support programs, diversity education and student success/recognition programs.

[JH]

2008 CALI Conference: Call for Speakers

Among the many annual conferences, CALI's is my favorite. This year's conference theme is "Transforming Legal Education." CALI Executive Director John Mayer writes:

It is time to put the divisiveness of laptops in the classroom behind us. It is time to face our fears.  Fear of USNews ranks, fear of the student debt implosion, fear of technology and change itself.  It's time to consider the ideas of Carnegie and decide how technology impacts professionalism and ethics in legal education.  What does transformation mean to you and your institution and does technology have a central or supporting role in accomplishing our goals?

Submit your session proposals. Remember, law school "transformation" means reforming legal education.

This year's conference will be on held Thursday-Saturday, June 18-21, 2008 in  Baltimore, MD at the University of Maryland School of Law. Conference Home Page. Registration is now open. [JH]

KM Apps in Law Firms

Check out Judith Lamont's KM World article, KM for Legal Apps: Time is Money, for some practical uses law firms are making with knowledge management applications. Hat tip to Dennis Kennedy. [JH]

Google Books Releases New API

The new API, Books Viewability, gives web developers the ability, through a set of software protocols, to locate titles on Google Book Search and automatically embed links to those books on their own sites.  Details. [JH]

Attorneys Tire of Second Life?

So says Carolyn Elefant at Legal Blog Watch (though if you check the comments, not all lawyers agree with the assessment):

A little more than a year ago, I blogged about lawyers venturing into the virtual world, Second Life, either for personal enjoyment or marketing opportunities.  Today, however, you'll find that many lawyers' infatuation with Second Life has already died, with few lawyers giving Second Life a first, let alone second chance to play a role in marketing initiatives.

Future Lawyer Rick Georges is one lawyer who's considered but declined to participate in Second Life.  He explains:

I found it difficult to use, very difficult to navigate, difficult to find property, and difficult to build in. Since it was so labor intensive, it stands to reason that serious hobbyists were the only denizens. In addition, the bandwidth and computer power necessary to support 3D online virtual worlds just doesn't fit with attorney client interaction. When the technology becomes easy to use, and virtual worlds are as easy to navigate in as the real world; then, virtual lawyering in 3D might become a reality. However, don't hold your breath.

Kevin O'Keefe of Lexblog also adds that with stagnating user numbers and rampant service interruptions, Second Life should not rank high on a law firm marketer's list of "innovative marketing or networking."

Readers, have any of you ventured out into Second Life for marketing purposes?  And what kinds of results have you experienced?  Let us know in the comment section below.

[JJ]

Do You Use IM in Your Law Firm Library?

LawLibTech is conducting a poll of law firm librarians on IM practices in preparation for a presentation at TRIPLL next month. [JH]

Google White Paper on Business Communications Trends, Priorities, and Best Practices

From the executive summary of the 2008 Annual Google Communications Intelligence Report (Feb. 2008):

At the end of 2007, Google conducted an annual online survey of messaging professionals. Providing insight into the major communications trends in the past year as well as the pressing issues and concerns for the coming one, this survey is the result of 575 global interviews with CEOs, CIOs, and CTOs in large, multinational enterprises as well as small organizations. This report summarizes the key findings of the survey, including detailed statistical analysis of the key trends in business communications in 2007 and how these trends translate into priorities for business communications professionals in the year ahead. Following the summary of the research findings, the report touches on Google’s expectations for the coming year as well as defines some best practices in business communication to help organizations address the expected challenges in the industry in 2008.

Download google0802whitepaper.pdf [JH]

Twitter in Plain English

Once again, the creative folks at Commoncraft have produced one of their great "Paperworks Videos" explaining a popular IT phenomenon. This time it is Twitter. [JH]

PACER Recycling Page

Check out Public.Resource.org's PACER recycling page.   There you can can provide free access to your old PACER court documents as well as access other PACER documents that have been uploaded.  Very nice.  [RJ] 

Internet Explorer 8 Beta Now Available

Internet Explorer 8 Beta can now be installed on Microsoft Windows Vista® Service Pack 1 (SP1), Windows Vista, Windows XP® Service Pack 2 (SP2), Windows Server® 2008 and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2).

Gee-whiz new features include Facebook, eBay, Live Maps and Me.dium integration using IE8's new "WebSlices" technology.  With WebSlices, IE8 beta users can subscribe to portions of a page that update dynamically to receive updates from that page as content changes.

New Features | Download Page

Downloaders Beware! Reports of IE8 Beta crashing computers running XP SP2 are coming in. [JH]

Open Minds, Open Books, Open Source

Interesting article from Inside Higher Ed: "Libraries are starting to embrace technologies developed in-house or by other universities. Will they eventually replace third-party vendors?"  See also, Perceptions 2007: An International Survey of Library Automation.  [RJ]

Editors Picked 'Em: Best Collections of Downloads

Great article from PC World:

"These are among the most popular collections of downloads we've produced in recent months.

When you open a link, you'll see a list of the downloads we've picked. Simply click on the name of the download that interests you, read our mini-review, and if you're still interested, download away!"  [RJ]

30 Google Apps You’ve Never Heard Of

Well, not really but that's the title of Laura Milligan's article which is useful for listing Google Apps and providing brief descriptions of ones you may not know. I, for example, didn't know Google's News Archive Search existed. Here's Milligan's description of it:

Archive Search: Forget dusting off old microfiche and microfilm from the library to discover archived photos and newspapers. Google’s Archive Search goes back 200 years and “can automatically create timelines which show selected results from relevant time periods” to augment your search.

NB: Google Answer is listed but that app died several years ago. [JH]

Lexis Reports Information Overload for Legal Professionals

The link to Lexis's report here.

A discussion from Legal Blog Watch:

Information overload is crushing white-collar professionals of all ilks, but hitting lawyers particularly hard, according to a LexisNexis published yesterday. Among professionals generally, seven in 10 feel inundated with information and two in five believe they are headed for an information "breaking point," the survey says. But among lawyers, 80 percent report being overloaded with information and 70 percent say they spend too much time sifting through irrelevant information. Common symptoms of information overload for lawyers include spending too much time conducting research, having trouble recreating research time for billing purposes, and wasting time searching for old e-mails and documents.

But while information overload is crushing us, nearly 70 percent of lawyers say that finding specific pieces of legal research or information is easier today than just two years ago, with 20 percent saying it is much easier today. Virtually all agree that having leading-edge legal technology is crucial to cutting through the clutter. For the lawyers surveyed, the most important technology tools are those that return comprehensive results, focus on the lawyer's practice area, provide analysis and expertise in addition to data, and are regularly updated. Less than half thought it was important to have a tool that offers access to online communities where they can discuss issues of law with their peers.

[JJ]

The Economic Benefits of Reducing PC Software Piracy

New report by the Business Software Alliance:

"Reducing software piracy could create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, billions in information technology (IT) spending and economic growth, and new tax revenues to support local services.

A study commissioned by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and conducted independently by International Data Corporation (IDC) finds that while all countries could benefit from reducing the use of illegal software on personal computers (PC), high-piracy emerging economies could experience the most dramatic, positive impacts.

“The Economic Benefits of Reducing PC Software Piracy” looks at the bottom line economic benefits of reducing piracy in 42 countries that together account for more than 90 percent of global IT spending in 2007. The study is designed to quantify the economic benefits to domestic economies that could be gained from a ten percentage point reduction in PC software piracy over a four year period, from 2008-2011."  [RJ]

CrimeReports Maps Arrests and Other Police Reports

CrimeReports.com overlays police reports on maps so users can view where arrests and other police calls have been made. Users can also configure e-mail alerts to notify them of crimes in their neighborhood. The site relies on law enforcement agencies that pay $100 or $200 a month for the company to extract data, add map links, and display the information online. At the moment about 40 agencies including one university police department, subscribe to the service. This could be a very useful service if more law enforcement agencies contribute their data.

Meanwhile, the tax assessor of Kanawha County in West Virginia has filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction to block Seneca Technologies from publishing tax maps for the entire state of West Virginia on the Internet. The suit cites a state law which prohibits individuals from copying and redistributing tax maps without the county tax assessor's permission. Hat tip to Tech Law Prof Blog. [JH]

Are You an IT Omnivore?

What kind of information technology user are you? Take the PEW/INTERNET Internet Typology Test to see where you fit. [JH]

Gary Price on the Ask SE

Interesting article from Pandia Search Engine News: "The search engine Ask doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Pandia talks to Gary Price, Director of Online Info Resources at Ask about the soul of Ask and how this search engine works to improve your access to online information of all kinds."  [RJ]

New: Public Library of Law

FastCase has just launched their Public Library of Law, a free resource (registration required for caselaw) that brings together all the available online caselaw, statutes, regulations, court rules and constitutions from the federal and state governments.  From the PLOL spiel:

Comprehensive: The Fastcase PLoL brings together all of the free legal resources that exist on the Internet and adds an additional 10 years of case law from all 50 states, eliminating the need to search hundreds of sites or pore through thousands of books to find answers to legal questions.  PLoL users have access to:

o   U.S. Reports: Vol. 1-546, inclusive (1757 to present)
o   F.2d Vol. 178-999, inclusive (1950 to 1995)
o   F.3d Vol. 1-491, inclusive (1995 to present)
o   State cases from 1997 to present
o   Statutes, regulations, court rules, and constitutions � federal and all 50 states
o   Commonly used legal forms

Easy to Use: The Fastcase PLoL features Fastcase�s patented search technology, an intuitive interface that works like popular Web search engines.  By sorting the most applicable cases first, PLoL puts the needles on top of the haystack, making even first-time legal research as easy as using Google.

Reliable: Fastcase updates the PLoL daily with new cases from court websites.  Additionally, when new law books are released, Fastcase keys them in and adds them to PLoL, adding cases that represent the final, official version of the law.  This makes the Fastcase PLoL more reliable than other destinations that simply aggregate draft decisions from different court Web sites. The library is also backstopped by the comprehensive Fastcase database; where cited cases don�t exist in PLoL, they link to those cases in Fastcase�s comprehensive subscription research service for lawyers.

A bit more competition for our two party system.  Check it out!  [JJ]

Stanford’s Computer Science Department's Role in Search Technology

Some interesting snippets of search history can be found in Richard Brandt's 2004 Stanford Manazine article, Net Assets: How Stanford's computer science department changed the way we get information. The business plan for Yahoo! received a D-minus grade because the selection process was not automated. And according to Brandt, Google's PageRank system was "the first true innovation in search technology since the bibliography."

Regarding Google, see also Sergey Brin and Lawrence Page's The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine and Amy Langville and Carl Meyer, Google's PageRank and Beyond: The Science of Search Engine Rankings (Princeton University Press, 2006). {JH}

New Widgets Available for PreCYdent

PreCYdent's Tom Smith (San Diego) reports that his PreCYdent legal research service now provides two search engine widgets, one adding the service's search box to your FireFox or IE7 browser and another for adding it to your website or blog.

In addition, he forecasts that the service's database of primary US resources will include the last 10 years of all states cases in a week or two.

For more about PreCYdent, see our recent interview with Tom. [JH]