Emerging Technologies in Law Libraries:

It’s Everyone’s Business

MALL Spring Conference - May 29, 2009
Compiled by Bonnie Shucha, University of Wisconsin Law Library

See “Twenty Reasons Why Learning Emerging Technologies is Part of Every Librarian’s Job”
at http://tinyurl.com/24hlm8

Content Creation Tools

Blog - Web page that has short, frequent posts made to it; Short for web log; Blawg - law related blog
- Google Blog Search (http://blogsearch.google.com/) - blog search engine
- Blawg (http://www.blawg.com/) and Blawg Search (http://blawgsearch.justia.com/)- law blogs
- Law Library Blogs (http://aallcssis.pbworks.com/Law-Library-Blogs)
- WisBlawg (http://law.wisc.edu/blogs/wisblawg/) – UW Law Library blog

Podcast - Audio blog; combination of “iPod” + “broadcast”; Blawgcast/Plawdcast - law related podcast;
Vlog/Vidcast/Vodcast - Video podcast
- Podscope (http://www.podscope.com/) - search engine
- Blawgs.fm (http://blawgsfm.justia.com) - law podcast directory
- Law Librarian Podcasts (http://blawgsfm.justia.com/category.aspx?catid=1875)

Wiki - A website which allows users to add and edit content collectively
- Wex (http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/) - from Cornell; only selected authors may contribute
- AALL Conference Wiki (http://aall2009.pbworks.com/) – created by individual librarian
- Wikis at the Rosen Law Firm (http://tinyurl.com/2ytmls) – blog post about law firm wikis
- Web 2.0 Challenge-Wikis Links & Examples (http://tinyurl.com/r6rp5m)

Other Content Creation Tools

- Del.icio.us (http://delicious.com/)- A social bookmarking web service for storing, sharing, and
discovering bookmarks
- Univ. of Baltimore Law Library’s Bookmarks (http://delicious.com/reflaw)
- Web 2.0 Challenge-Social Bookmarking Links & Examples (http://tinyurl.com/r48ynh)

- Flickr (http://flickr.com/) - A digital photo sharing website in which photos are tagged to allow
searchers to easily find images
- Web 2.0 Challenge-Flickr Links & Examples (http://tinyurl.com/q4gz2e)

- Scribd (http://www.scribd.com/) - A site for sharing documents (& presentations)

- SlideShare (http://www.slideshare.net/) - A site for sharing presentations (& documents)
- Bonnie Shucha’s Scribd documents (http://www.scribd.com/shucha)

- JD Supra (http://www.jdsupra.com/) – A site for legal professionals to share documents and

social network

- YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/) - A popular free video sharing website which lets users
upload, view, and share video clips
- Harvard Law School Library Research Tutorials (http://www.youtube.com/hlslib)
Information Delivery Tools
RSS - A format for distributing, or syndicating, Web content, including blogs, podcasts, news, and more;
subscribers receive content as soon as it is published; content can be remixed and republished elsewhere
- TVC’s RSS Feeds for Law (http://www.virtualchase.com/topics/rss_law.shtml)
- Current Law Journal Content (http://lawlib.wlu.edu/CLJC/) - from Washington and Lee Law School;
search and subscribe to current law journal tables of contents
RSS Reader - Application that collects syndicated content from one or more RSS feeds and consolidates into a
single view. Also known as an RSS aggregator, feed reader, news reader, or news aggregator.
- Google Reader (http://reader.google.com)
- Bloglines (http://www.bloglines.com/)
- iGoogle (http://www.google.com/ig) – custom Google homepage which incorporates RSS feeds
Content Aggregator - tool to aggregate, manipulate, and mashup RSS content
- Yahoo Pipes (http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/)
eBooks
- Kindle from Amazon (http://tinyurl.com/392a94) – eBook reader
- Sony Reader (http://tinyurl.com/pfeabt) – eBook reader
- Kindle for iPhone (http://tinyurl.com/bu8fdl) – free iPhone eBook app
- OverDrive (http://www.overdrive.com) - provider of eBook, audio books, etc.
- Amazon Kindle DX to be Piloted at Universities this Fall (http://tinyurl.com/pdszos)
- Kindle Me This podcast from Legal Talk Network (http://tinyurl.com/q5oute)

Information Discovery Tools

Library Catalog / Resource Discovery Tool – An interactive OPAC or OPAC add-on which allows users to tag,
rate and review the data. Many are open source.
- Blacklight (http://blacklightopac.org)
Blacklight catalog – Univ. of VA Library (http://blacklight.betech.virginia.edu/)
- SOPAC (http://www.thesocialopac.net/about)
SOPAC catalog – Darien Library (http://www.darienlibrary.org/catalog)
- VuFind (http://www.vufind.org)
VuFind catalog – demo (http://www.vufind.org/demo/)
- LibraryThing for Libraries (http://www.librarything.com/forlibraries/)
LibraryThing enabled catalogs (http://tinyurl.com/2x3cdj)
- Catalogablog (http://catalogablog.blogspot.com/search/label/OPAC) – blog about library catalogs

Information Sharing Tools

Screen Capture / Screencasting
- SnagIt (http://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.asp) - Take a "snapshot" of anything on your PC
screen. Send it, store it, turn it into a detailed graphic, find it later. (purchase required)
- Jing (http://www.jingproject.com/) - Snap a picture of your screen. Record video of onscreen action.
Share instantly over the web, IM, email. (Use with Picnik to edit image -
http://www.picnik.com/)
- Wink (http://www.debugmode.com/wink/) - Tutorial and presentation creation software

Citation Tools
- Zotero (http://www.zotero.org/) - Free Firefox extension to help you collect, manage, and cite your
research sources
- CiteGenie (http://www.citegenie.com/) - Firefox extension which creates Bluebook formatted pinpoint
citations when copying from Westlaw, Lexis and select websites (purchase required)
- Jureeka! (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6636) – A tool which transforms legal
citations in web pages into hyperlinks that point to online source material
 Subject Guides – Platform for creating subject guides that integrate Web 2.0 features, such as chat and RSS
feeds, with traditional library content, such as catalogs and article databases.
- LibGuides (http://www.springshare.com/libguides/) - purchase required
Law Related LibGuides (http://tinyurl.com/pxmruw)
- Library a la Carte (http://alacarte.library.oregonstate.edu/) – open source
OSU Library’s Law Guide (http://ica.library.oregonstate.edu/subject-guide/546-Law)

Social Networking & Communication Tools

Instant Messaging (IM) - A form of immediate, electronic text communication between two or more users who
are online simultaneously. Parties must all have IM accounts and connect through IM service.
- Meebo (http://wwwm.meebo.com/) - An in-browser instant messaging program; no software download
- Trillian (http://www.ceruleanstudios.com/) - Software for monitoring multiple IM accounts
- Libraries Using IM Reference (http://tinyurl.com/2l57or)

Live Chat - A form of immediate, electronic text communication which involves caller using a chat box on a
Web site and responder using IM or a commercial chat service. No account or special software required of caller.
- MeeboMe (http://www.meebome.com/) - Free, flash-based chat widget can be placed on a
website; librarian answers through Meebo
- Plugoo (http://www.plugoo.com/) - Free, flash-based chat widget that can be placed on a website;
librarian can answer through any IM service
- Libraries Using Embedded Chat (http://tinyurl.com/kjn3e)
- IM a Librarian: Establishing a Virtual Reference Service with Little Cost or Technical Skill
(http://www.llrx.com/features/virtualreferenceservice.htm) - article in LLRX

Micro-Blog - Service that allows users to send and receive short messages via the Web, instant messaging
software, or with mobile phones. “What are you doing” messages are routed among subscribers.
- Twitter (http://twitter.com/)
- How Law Schools Are Using Twitter (http://tinyurl.com/d283ms)
- Law Firms on Twitter (http://tinyurl.com/agxosm)
- 145 Lawyers & Legal Professionals to Follow on Twitter (http://tinyurl.com/6oogwr)

Social Networking Sites - Software specifically focused on the building and verifying of online social
community. Users create a profile for themselves which is linked to their network of “friends.”
- FaceBook (http://www.facebook.com/) – individuals and organizations
- Linked In (http://www.linkedin.com/) – professionals
- JD Supra (http://www.jdsupra.com/) – legal professionals
- Law Libraries on Facebook (http://tinyurl.com/5e2rpf)
- Libraries & Facebook: What Do Students Want? (http://tinyurl.com/cdnwpy)
- Social Networking for Lawyers (http://tinyurl.com/dldcd9) – ebook
- A Trial Lawyer’s Guide to Social Networking Sites (http://tinyurl.com/6ofobw) – about jurors
- Web 2.0 Challenge-Social Networking Links & Examples (http://tinyurl.com/oseqh3)

Conference & Training – Services for hosting conference calls and webinars at no charge
- FreeConference (http://www.freeconference.com/) – conference calls
- DimDim (http://www.dimdim.com/) – webinars
-
Virtual World - A computer-simulated environment in which users can interact via avatars and create property.
- SecondLife (http://www.secondlife.com/)
- CyberOne (http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/cyberone/) - Course website for Harvard’s Law in the Court of
Public Opinion taught in SecondLife
- Avatars, Attorneys in a New World of Virtual Law (http://tinyurl.com/c5ro25)
- Web 2.0 Challenge-Second Life Links & Examples (http://tinyurl.com/q69sbx)

Handout Available on Scribd (http://www.scribd.com/shucha)