Legal research has passed the crossroads of print or digital and is heading for the next: facts or concepts. But are search engines getting too “easy” to use? Is the “dumbing down” of legal search engines a real threat to the quality of legal research? Read further >

Awhile back I went on an adventure to uncover the “modern library.” The traditional library is a place the curious roam and discover bundles of meticulously crafted and curated information. Massive wooden bookshelves would instill a sense of awe and ignite a challenge to absorb all hidden wisdom. Then came the Internet and it became a dated notion to pick up a book. The library was effectively replaced by a search engine. LegalComplex Library is an attempt to rekindle this enchantment in a new era. Read further >

I’ve been thinking more about digital workflows, extending the thinking from an earlier post about how workflows for digital channels – tables, Web browsers, desktop & enterprise software – are still emerging. A workflow I observe emerging is that of hybrid content-software products. Read further >

I’ve already made a post about multilingual content, noting how Wolters Kluwer Belgium’s Jura offers content to lawyers in Dutch, French and English. Wolters Kluwer China offers content in Mandarian and English. In the past, professionals have searched one language at a time. But public search engines are changing professional customers’ expectations. Read further >

I’ve been a long-term subscriber to the online edition of the Wall Street Journal but recently upgraded to the Wall Street Journal Professional Edition with Factiva. Now I already subscribe to Factiva at work, but that subscription is for use at work. I certainly can access the Wall Street Journal through it. I know the value of Factiva as a value-added aggregator of news and business information. It offers content in multiple languages, organizes all of that content under standardized metadata, and presents it with helpful post-search filters. I receive email alerts. Factiva organizes tens of thousands of commercial publications and public websites by a search box and topics, not by a particular publication. Read further >

An excellent piece by Mary Abraham at Above and Beyond KM questioned if Westlaw or Lexis are offering the right legal search solution. She states: Read further >

Some weeks ago Kevin Smokler (CEO, booktour.com) stated that, “Whoever Builds A Good Tool To Help Us Find New Books To Read Will Get Rich.” Still, the mechanisms for book publishers to target their products in an ideal way to customers needs still requires improvement. According to his point of view, the state-of-the-art solution for book publishers is still to come. Read further >

Bibliometrics is essentially the measurement of citations to texts but is expanding to include ”web metrics.” I have always found the discipline of bibliometrics interesting, particularly how it impacts professional publishing in tax, legal, regulatory, medical and scientific content. My introduction to bibliometrics started with reading two articles, one by Professor Colin Tapper from 1981 and another from 1993 by Patti Ogden. I have been following developments in this discipline ever since. It has a long history in professional publishing and information retrieval. Read further >

I agree with Don Dodge’s observations in his blog, “Don Dodge on the Next Big Thing” that “search is amazing compared to 10 years ago at AltaVista. He rightfully observes that search innovation continues, much of it unnoticed, but nonetheless striking when examined in full retrospectively. These enhancements include the extension of search to more content types in Google, such as photos, videos and news. He reminds us of the integration of maps into search, the emergence of Instant Search and the increased sophistication in identifying advertising relevant to customers’ keywords. Read further >

In a digital space all content providers fight for user face time which makes it increasingly difficult to be exceptional. Although good branding and premium authors help you stand out on a bookshelf, additional features on top of content will tip the scale in a digital environment. Content providers should therefore move towards providing solutions instead of just information. But how? Read further >