Information Connection
Vol. 40 No. 3 Pg. 50
Wyoming Bar Journal
June, 2017
Law
Library Resources in the Age of Technology and Google
Thinking: What Does the Wyoming State Law Library Offer?
Brittany Strojny, J.D., M.S. Wyoming State Law Library
Cheyenne, Wyoming
As law
students graduate and enter practice, fewer are familiar with
resources[1] other than electronic resources.
This lack of familiarity can be attributed to the prevalent
use of electronic databases such as Westlaw and
LexisNexis.[2] A first year legal research course
typically introduces law students to these electronic
databases along with print source instruction.[3] Database
companies also offer law school students unlimited access to
the companies' resources, including case law and
secondary source treatises.[4] Law students can usually access
electronic databases on and off site. The ease of access to
online research has resulted in a generation of digital legal
researchers. Students and young lawyers who grow up using the
internet may inadvertently be deploying Google type thinking.
"Google Thinking" can be defined as a process of
entering a term into a search engine and receiving an instant
result without applying a subsequent evaluation process. You
may often hear people say "I will just Google it."
The problem often becomes the lack of an ability to think
critically, evaluate information, or analyze.[5] Coupling
the technology driven user with unlimited access to online
resources may thwart the development of optimal legal
research skills.[6]
Unfortunately
as new attorneys enter practice they find that electronic
database access is cost prohibitive. Some are solo
practitioners or members of small practices and experience
difficulty in obtaining online access. The limited access may
only include a few secondary sources. The good news is that
law librarians can save time and money for online researchers
and pro se parties. Law librarians offer skills of
organizing, selecting, researching, and processing
information.[7] Rather than struggle to locate a
resource in electronic databases or parsing through
unreliable internet materials, do not forget that the law
librarians at the Wyoming State Law Library possess skills to
assist and can provide access to a range of print and
electronic resources.
Print
Sources
A
common misconception is present regarding the availability of
sources: that all research can be...
