Unique Library Services do Exist!!

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!

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.

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 :(!!

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!

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.   

RB Source Reflects WK Law & Business Direction on Specialization, Development By David Curle Director & Lead Analyst Minneapolis, Minnesota February 16, 2012 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.

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.