The search engine site Bing recently announced that it is incorporating Britannica Online Encyclopedia answers in Bing search results. Perhaps libraries should be on the front lines of incorporating these types of things into their services. Oh wait some already are!
The online catalog at Westerville Public Library in Ohio includes images and articles as well as the traditional books, e-books, music, movies, and online resources coupled with a variety of filters to narrow or expand your initial search results. Now that is cool!
Check out The National Library of Australia's Trove! It incorporates "books, images, historic newspapers, maps, music, archives," etc. into it's online catalog search results. Now that is really cool!
Finally not to be missed Phil Bradley's "Awe inspiring library initiative blog" post highlights a very unique Live and on Tour roving library van that tools around the local region's festivals, farmer's markets etc. creating awareness of the library all the while offering library card sign-ups, access to the Internet, and free book giveaways. Now that is beyond cool!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
eDelaware App
More and more law firms are developing and launching apps. eDelaware developed by Porter Anderson and Corroon LLP gives users access to Delaware corporate and alternative entity statutes, Article 8 and Article 9 of the UCC, as well as Delaware Court of Chancery and Supreme Court of Delaware case law summaries. The app is free from the iTunes App Store and is available for iPhone, iPad, and Blackberry. Given that Delaware is often a chosen state for entities to incorporate this app is a welcome addition to the market.
Monday, April 23, 2012
What will the Internet look like in 2020??
A graphical peek at what it may look like may or may not surprise you! More people using it, more geographically dispersed, more environmentally friendly :), more hackers :(!!
Friday, March 23, 2012
2 Cool Apps for Android
Not everyone has an IPhone including myself, so I am always glad to learn about new or tried and true Android apps! A new version of Google Voice which better integrates with Android 4 is now available. Key features include the apps ability to integrate with your handset's dialing application for ease of checking missed calls and voice mails and the update gives users the ability to slow down playback for messages. A tried and true app on the Android market is the Kelley Blue Book which has reached a milestone of 1 million downloads. Having used it on the spot myself recently while negotiating a trade in on a used van it definitely came in handy in helping determine if the trade in offer from the dealer was reasonable or not!
Friday, March 9, 2012
A New Resource for Streamlining Securities Research
When you have all of the relevant content you need at your fingertips....anytime, anywhere...and on any device...think of how much faster you will be. Also, think of how much time you free up to spend on revenue producing activities, client development and more. RBSource, powered by the Securities Act Red Book Series is a research workflow productivity tool that is being rapidly adopted as the new standard for Securities Law Attorneys. Updated in near real time...with everything in one place, and an interface unique to each attorney, RBSource makes research and rulechecking, compliance, periodic SEC filing and reporting.....a different experience than one could ever have imagined. Below is an article describing how RBSource was designed by studying the workflow of hundreds of securities attorneys and solving the inefficiencies and challenges inherent in Securities Law Research and Compliance. Not only does RBSource streamline and focus rulechecking and filing activities....it makes it mobile and portable...and works well on any device including the new iPad.
A new productivity tool for securities lawyers exemplifies Wolters Kluwer Law & Business' approach to new product development and to specialized markets. Important Details: Wolters Kluwer Law & Business has released RB Source, an online resource based on its standard print-based Securities Act Handbook, also known as the Redbook. The Redbook is one of those dog-eared and often annotated standard reference works that securities lawyers keep near at hand for reference to rules, regulations and other SEC materials related to the US Securities Act. The offering is designed to fit in with the workflow of lawyers as they prepare disclosure filings and advise clients. RB Source integrates statutes, SEC rules, regulations and forms. Annotation features allow users to take their own personalized notes and highlights in the print version online, and thus makes those personalized features portable - because the product is accessible on laptops, smart phones, and iPads. Implications: In an earlier Insights (Wolters Kluwer's LTR Realignment and New Product Development Looks to Future, 15 June, 2010), we noted some shifts in Wolters Kluwer's approach to the legal market. First, Wolters Kluwer is employing agile development practises to bring new products to market faster, refining as they go and incorporating more user input. Second, it is focusing on a number of practice areas where it has specialized strengths and competencies (such as securities and banking, legal education, intellectual property, and bankruptcy), and can get more deeply embedded in specific practitioner workflows and outputs. RB Source is an example of that approach. It is specifically tied to a type of practitioner and specific workflow, and it adds the functionality of portability and mobility. It also represents the evolution of marketing to include more end user involvement, both before launch and post-launch, as refinements will continue. Like the other legal players, however, Wolters Kluwer is operating in a soft legal market, which has put a damper on revenue growth. Forward-looking law firms are looking for ways to drive inefficiencies out of their business. They are shifting some of the money they used to spend on content and research offerings to more integrated solutions that speed up and improve the ultimate delivery of an end result to their clients. That's the trend that will support this new approach by Wolters Kluwer and others - and indeed the workflow-related offerings are growing significantly growing than traditional content offerings. Another global trend that favors Wolters Kluwer is that a number of practice areas where they have spcialized offerings - such as tax and intellectual property - are becoming increasingly globalized, and will provide worldwide markets for products that meet the needs in those specialties. |
Comment Period Open for Changes to Indiana Rules of Practice and Procedure
Here's your opportunity to comment on several proposed changes to a handful of Indiana Rules Of Practice and Procedure.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Lake County (Indiana) Land Records Go Digital Today
Learned the good news from Marcia Oddi's Indiana Law Blog posting and while it is not a free service it is good to know that they can be accessed online effective today March 8, 2012! It appears that the link for accessing them is not yet on the Lake County Recorder's Website but assume it will be very soon.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Free v. Fee: Resources for Competitive Intelligence (Part 3)
Perhaps a little known fact is that most public libraries in large citiesand towns offer corporate library cards for the businesses that reside in the city the library serves. Even better those same public libraries have a plethora of online databases accessible via the library's Webpage for library cardholders.
Part 3 of this series on competitive intelligence resources takes a look at multiple free Web-based databases often accessible via many public libraries online resources from the comfort of your office, home, or while you are traveling by simply going to the library's Website and loggin in with your library card.
Subscriptions will of course vary from library to library, but the main ones that come to mind are annotated in the list below, and include both company directories and business news databases.
Business and Company Resource Center, a Gale Group resource database of detailed company and industry news and information (company profiles, brands, rankings, histories, investment reports).
Business Index ASAP a Gale Group database that covers management issues, economic indicators and business theories and practices, as well as on the activities of companies and industries worldwide.
Business Source Premier an Ebscohost database of full-text articles from 2800 scholarly journals and business magazines covering management, finance, economics, accounting, and international business.
Corporate ResourceNet an Ebscohost business database contains full-text articles from nearly 1350 magazines and journals, ranging from popular general publications to trade journals to academic journals. It also contains detailed company profiles for the 5000 largest companies in the world.
Dun & Bradstreet's Million Dollar Directory database features 14 million company records, including all U.S. businesses and the most significant segment of Canadian businesses. It provides comprehensive marketing information on both public and private companies and their executives.
Gale Directory Library a Gale Group database with authoritative directories on companies, associations, and more. The Associations Unlimited database was merged into this database.
General Business File ASAP a Gale Group multi-faceted business database providing information from magazines and journals, directories, and company and industry reports. Also includes company rankings.
ProQuest Newsstand provides a searchable online collection of current newspapers to help you quickly find text articles relevant to your research. This resource also will suggest related documents and topics for further exploration. Newspapers covered will vary depending on the library's choices. Most would include the big papers like Wall Street Journal, New York Times, etc. and likely include the local city newspaper(s).
ReferenceUSA an InfoUSA resource providing a directory of business and residential addresses taken from telephone books and other sources. Listings for over 12 million businesses and 102 million residents in the U.S.
Regional Business News an Ebscohost database offering a full-text news service database with business stories from all regions of the world. Updated daily.
So get thee to your local library, sign-up for a corporate or personal library card, and begin taking advantage of these many free online databases.
Part 3 of this series on competitive intelligence resources takes a look at multiple free Web-based databases often accessible via many public libraries online resources from the comfort of your office, home, or while you are traveling by simply going to the library's Website and loggin in with your library card.
Subscriptions will of course vary from library to library, but the main ones that come to mind are annotated in the list below, and include both company directories and business news databases.
Business and Company Resource Center, a Gale Group resource database of detailed company and industry news and information (company profiles, brands, rankings, histories, investment reports).
Business Index ASAP a Gale Group database that covers management issues, economic indicators and business theories and practices, as well as on the activities of companies and industries worldwide.
Business Source Premier an Ebscohost database of full-text articles from 2800 scholarly journals and business magazines covering management, finance, economics, accounting, and international business.
Corporate ResourceNet an Ebscohost business database contains full-text articles from nearly 1350 magazines and journals, ranging from popular general publications to trade journals to academic journals. It also contains detailed company profiles for the 5000 largest companies in the world.
Dun & Bradstreet's Million Dollar Directory database features 14 million company records, including all U.S. businesses and the most significant segment of Canadian businesses. It provides comprehensive marketing information on both public and private companies and their executives.
Gale Directory Library a Gale Group database with authoritative directories on companies, associations, and more. The Associations Unlimited database was merged into this database.
General Business File ASAP a Gale Group multi-faceted business database providing information from magazines and journals, directories, and company and industry reports. Also includes company rankings.
ProQuest Newsstand provides a searchable online collection of current newspapers to help you quickly find text articles relevant to your research. This resource also will suggest related documents and topics for further exploration. Newspapers covered will vary depending on the library's choices. Most would include the big papers like Wall Street Journal, New York Times, etc. and likely include the local city newspaper(s).
ReferenceUSA an InfoUSA resource providing a directory of business and residential addresses taken from telephone books and other sources. Listings for over 12 million businesses and 102 million residents in the U.S.
Regional Business News an Ebscohost database offering a full-text news service database with business stories from all regions of the world. Updated daily.
So get thee to your local library, sign-up for a corporate or personal library card, and begin taking advantage of these many free online databases.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
New Blog Reporting on Indiana Property Tax Issues
The newly launched, as in just a few days ago, Indiana Property Tax Reporter blog is unique and serves a niche market of attorneys and paralegals practicing in Indiana. The blog discusses property tax cases, legislation and a variety of other Indiana property tax legal issues.
TranscriptPad App - Not Free But Worth the Investment!
Reviews of the TranscriptPad App have been very favorable, and even though it costs $49.99 it is sure to be a good investment for those who manage and review transcipts frequently, as the one-time cost includes new versions and support.
The description of the app provided below is taken directly from the FAQs page for the app. The app is available for download from the iTunes Store.
"TranscriptPad is an app designed specifically for lawyers to read and review transcripts, create designations, and flag or email certain sections. It is a turnkey solution created specifically for the needs of judges, lawyers, paralegals, experts, trial presentation consultants, or anyone who needs to work with transcripts. Using the right tool for the job gives you a better experience, and a better result, in less time.
TranscriptPad replaces the marked up paper transcript with all the flags, Post-it notes, highlights, un-highlights, pen marks, cross outs, etc.
For example, you might use it to create a report to send to a judge outlining your objections to parts of a video depo your opposing counsel might want to play in trial, or your expert might use it to email you a report of parts of a transcript that should be addressed in mediation."
The description of the app provided below is taken directly from the FAQs page for the app. The app is available for download from the iTunes Store.
"TranscriptPad is an app designed specifically for lawyers to read and review transcripts, create designations, and flag or email certain sections. It is a turnkey solution created specifically for the needs of judges, lawyers, paralegals, experts, trial presentation consultants, or anyone who needs to work with transcripts. Using the right tool for the job gives you a better experience, and a better result, in less time.
TranscriptPad replaces the marked up paper transcript with all the flags, Post-it notes, highlights, un-highlights, pen marks, cross outs, etc.
For example, you might use it to create a report to send to a judge outlining your objections to parts of a video depo your opposing counsel might want to play in trial, or your expert might use it to email you a report of parts of a transcript that should be addressed in mediation."
Friday, January 27, 2012
Free v. Fee: Resources for Competitive Intelligence (Part 2)
This is Part 2 of a 3 part series and it takes a look at the advantages and limitations of free Web resources for competitive intelligence. Free resources abound on the open Web, and while they do offer some advantages they also have limitations on what is actually considered free.
The most obvious yet perhaps often overlooked resource for company information is the Website of the company and can generally be found via a Google search or educated guess of the URL for the company. While arguably the company's site may be mostly marketing in nature, often valuable and accurate information such as names of the executives, phone number, address etc. can be gleaned from the site.
Company directories are abundant on the free Web. Dun and Bradstreet offers a free search to quickly determine if a company has a report on file before paying for it either directly on the site or getting it via the gateway on Lexis or Westlaw. One can also get free basic directory information on companies from Hoovers and ThomasNet. Secretary of State business filings are also a great resource for company information. LLRX.com Directory of Business Filings provides an excellent and regularly updated directory of links to the Websites for all 50 States business filings. All of these resources are great starting points for free, albeit limited, information on companies. The more detailed information contained in business filings will incur a cost, albeit generally reasonable, and may require a subscription or payment by credit card for access.
If you are seeking information on a non-profit company try Guidestar. It is a wonderful resource for information on not for profits which includes free basic directory information and access (requires registration) to the form 990s for the company.
Website directories for company research are also abundant on the Web. Zimmerman's Research Guide offers a great article on company information which provides links to all of the resources discussed. Similarly, the Justia.com business research page offers a directory of links to resources for news, executives, ratings, filings, and watchdog groups for businesses.
Clearly, the Web offers plenty of free options for competitive research but the term free is not always as straight forward as it may seem. Often, the "free" resources are very limited in what they actually offer at no cost. But if you are prepared to hit a pay-wall at some point and understand the limitations of "free" these resources can provide a great foundation for the first phase of your company research.
Next up will be Part 3 where we'll cover Web-based databases accessible via many public libraries resources.
The most obvious yet perhaps often overlooked resource for company information is the Website of the company and can generally be found via a Google search or educated guess of the URL for the company. While arguably the company's site may be mostly marketing in nature, often valuable and accurate information such as names of the executives, phone number, address etc. can be gleaned from the site.
Company directories are abundant on the free Web. Dun and Bradstreet offers a free search to quickly determine if a company has a report on file before paying for it either directly on the site or getting it via the gateway on Lexis or Westlaw. One can also get free basic directory information on companies from Hoovers and ThomasNet. Secretary of State business filings are also a great resource for company information. LLRX.com Directory of Business Filings provides an excellent and regularly updated directory of links to the Websites for all 50 States business filings. All of these resources are great starting points for free, albeit limited, information on companies. The more detailed information contained in business filings will incur a cost, albeit generally reasonable, and may require a subscription or payment by credit card for access.
If you are seeking information on a non-profit company try Guidestar. It is a wonderful resource for information on not for profits which includes free basic directory information and access (requires registration) to the form 990s for the company.
Website directories for company research are also abundant on the Web. Zimmerman's Research Guide offers a great article on company information which provides links to all of the resources discussed. Similarly, the Justia.com business research page offers a directory of links to resources for news, executives, ratings, filings, and watchdog groups for businesses.
Clearly, the Web offers plenty of free options for competitive research but the term free is not always as straight forward as it may seem. Often, the "free" resources are very limited in what they actually offer at no cost. But if you are prepared to hit a pay-wall at some point and understand the limitations of "free" these resources can provide a great foundation for the first phase of your company research.
Next up will be Part 3 where we'll cover Web-based databases accessible via many public libraries resources.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Education Really Does Pay!
And nothing illustrates it better than this Bureau of Labor Statistics graph on the U.S. Department of Labor Website. Powerful proof!
Mobile Member Guide for the 112th Congress
Click here for details about this new app from the GPO. To access the app on your mobile device, go to http://m.gpo.gov/memberguide.
Supported Devices
Supported Devices
- iPad or iPhone (iOS 4.3.3 or higher)
- Android devices (Android 2.1 or higher)
- Blackberry devices (Blackberry 6.0 or higher)
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Free v. Fee: Resources for Competitive Intelligence (Part 1)
This is part 1 of a 3 part series on free v. fee based resources for competitive intelligence research. Part 1 showcases single search fee-based resources. Part 2 will take a look at the advantages and limitations of truly free Web resources. Part 3 will take a look at Web-based database resources accessible from most local public libraries.
One might argue that there are a plethora of free resources on the Web for competitive intelligence, and it would be hard to dispute that fact. The drawback is that free resources are quite disparate, require the researcher to interact with multiple resources one by one, contain information that may not be reliable, and have true limits on content that is actually free. So are truly free resources your best bet, especially if you are under a big time crunch?
There are several fee-based single search resources available among the big legal vendors that given the relatively low cost for a single search of multiple databases the cost may outweigh the time needed to do the research in multiple "free" Web resources. Lexis offers pay-as-you go access to SmartLinx Reports for businesses, locations, or persons. Similarly, West offers pay-as-you go subsriptions or flat-rate contracts for accessing business reports via either the Thomson Reuters Accelus platform or directly on Westlaw.com, and PeopleMap on Westlaw is an excellent single search resource for uncovering individuals. Most of these resources cost around $100 to search and may or may not also have an additional cost to download the report. Thus, care should be taken on their use depending on a client's ability to pay for the reports or your individual firm policy on treating these one-off services as overhead.
Nonetheless, if you're like most researchers your time is valuable and the ability to quickly locate infomation on a company or person may be vitally important, so the cost of the reports should be weighed against the hourly billing rate you would incur for searching the free disparate resources on the open Web.
One might argue that there are a plethora of free resources on the Web for competitive intelligence, and it would be hard to dispute that fact. The drawback is that free resources are quite disparate, require the researcher to interact with multiple resources one by one, contain information that may not be reliable, and have true limits on content that is actually free. So are truly free resources your best bet, especially if you are under a big time crunch?
There are several fee-based single search resources available among the big legal vendors that given the relatively low cost for a single search of multiple databases the cost may outweigh the time needed to do the research in multiple "free" Web resources. Lexis offers pay-as-you go access to SmartLinx Reports for businesses, locations, or persons. Similarly, West offers pay-as-you go subsriptions or flat-rate contracts for accessing business reports via either the Thomson Reuters Accelus platform or directly on Westlaw.com, and PeopleMap on Westlaw is an excellent single search resource for uncovering individuals. Most of these resources cost around $100 to search and may or may not also have an additional cost to download the report. Thus, care should be taken on their use depending on a client's ability to pay for the reports or your individual firm policy on treating these one-off services as overhead.
Nonetheless, if you're like most researchers your time is valuable and the ability to quickly locate infomation on a company or person may be vitally important, so the cost of the reports should be weighed against the hourly billing rate you would incur for searching the free disparate resources on the open Web.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Free Congressional Record App Available
You can now easily read the Congressional Record on your iPad. The app can be downloaded here for free from the iTunes store.
Not only will you save a ton of paper (i.e. trees) and acccording to the description on iTunes with this app you can also:
- Browse editions of the Congressional Record by date: January 4, 1995 (the 104th Congress, 1st Session) to the present
- Perform keyword searches within individual documents or sections within documents
- Share documents via email
- Save documents to your preferred iPad PDF reader
- Identify the latest bills and resolutions considered daily on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives
- Identify the latest bills, resolutions, treaties, and nominations considered daily on the floor of the U.S. Senate
Not only will you save a ton of paper (i.e. trees) and acccording to the description on iTunes with this app you can also:
- Browse editions of the Congressional Record by date: January 4, 1995 (the 104th Congress, 1st Session) to the present
- Perform keyword searches within individual documents or sections within documents
- Share documents via email
- Save documents to your preferred iPad PDF reader
- Identify the latest bills and resolutions considered daily on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives
- Identify the latest bills, resolutions, treaties, and nominations considered daily on the floor of the U.S. Senate
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Top iPad and IPhone Apps for Lawyers
This article from Attorney at Work provides a must see list of the top Apps for lawyers and includes a bonus link to a PDF of more than 30 top iPhone and iPad Apps. How many of them do you have on your device?
Librarian Recommended Apps for Lawyers plus a new one!
Wonderful suggestions of Apps for Lawyers-of course they would be since they are recommended by a Librarian! Plus the just released Lexis Advance App!
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