Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/87421
The Challenges of E-Books in Law Firm Libraries by Bess Reynolds of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP Bess Reynolds is the Technical Services Manager in the Library and Knowledge Management Department at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. She specializes in implementing new technologies to enhance discovery of the firm's print and digital resources. Before becoming a law librarian, Bess worked in banking and finance. She can be reached at breynolds@debevoise.com. It is a fact that lawyers live in a world of information overload. Adoption of online information tools requires ease of use. Lawyers don't want to have to learn a new platform for every resource they use in the course of a work day. But what about e-books? To date, major legal publishers are feeling their way through the maze of offering electronic versions of their publications. Debevoise & Plimpton LLP conducted e-book trials with three legal publishers. Let's see how they fared. The Trials In 2011, our firm set up e-book trials with LexisNexis, Thomson Reuters and Wolters Kluwer. Our initial foray into e-books began when three of our partners wrote a treatise, "Takeovers: a Strategic Guide to Mergers and Acquisitions," which Wolters Kluwer made available as an e-book. The library was asked to set up trial-uses for attorneys. At the same time, the firm began a pilot project for lawyers and staff to test iPads in the network environment, creating a pool of potential users. After reviewing questions of format and devices, I determined 66 AALL/ILTA White Paper