Legal Research Using New Technological Tools

Abstract

The technology revolution has impacted every aspect of our daily lives. It is hard to imagine a world without smartphones and the Internet. Where and how we access information has changed dramatically over the last decade. Gone are the days of traveling to the library check out books and read printed journal articles. No longer simply storehouses of print information, libraries but now serve as starting points for searching online information that can be be accessed anywhere, any time and on any device. Library research that used to take hours or days can now be done in minutes. Online materials are often updated quickly, sometimes in hours rather than weeks or months, when researchers had to wait for updated print materials to be delivered.

Utilizing websites and databases now prevails as the most common method of conducting legal research. The sheer number and variety of resources can sometimes make it difficult to determine where to start, how to choose among similar resources, and how to keep up-to-date on what is available. This chapter provides an overview of vast range of legal materials available in libraries and on the web, and offers guidance for efficiently and effectively conducting legal research.