Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/87421
The Challenges of E-Books in Law Firm Libraries book. The library staff orders, receives and unpacks the books, checks them in to the system and labels them for distribution. The mail room picks up the books, and they magically appear in the attorney's office ready to use. What the Publishers Have in highlighters and post-it notes. Nothing in these e-books is so enticing that we are rushing to substitute them for our existing print collection. In fact, in a year since our trials began, not one lawyer has asked the library to purchase an e-book. Common The e-books in EPUB format share many similarities. Each allows the reader to create bookmarks, make annotations in the form of notes and adjust the appearance by changing fonts and sizes. You can also copy and email selected text. Lexis and Thomson, who have created their own platforms, justify propietary systems by saying the software allows them to develop special features within the e-books. Among these are the ability to carry notes and bookmarks forward to new editions. If the e-book is borrowed from the library, the vendor keeps track of patrons through their login credentials and retains their notes to be reapplied when they next check out the book or receive an updated edition. Wolters Kluwer has added the ability to use a split screen to view two e-books or an e-book and an outside document at the same time. In addition, the e-books allow linking outside of their content to other resources, such as primary law. Since each of these providers are major publishers of legal databases, they benefit from directing lawyers to Lexis, Westlaw or CCH Intelliconnect. Although the latter is not a metered resource, the first two can quickly add to the monthly database bills as they already have your research ID. For Thomson West, the links only work with Westlaw Next. If your firm, like ours, does not yet subscribe to Westlaw Next but sticks with Westlaw Classic, you may be hearing from your lawyers about barriers to research. Lexis links to Lexis Advance, their new platform. While these are useful tools, they mimic the use of print books and hardly represent earth-shattering developments for lawyers who are used to spreading everything out on their desks and making liberal use of Survey Reveals Similar Results According to a Zoomerang survey I conducted among law firm librarians in June 2012 (view survey results), we're not the only ones reaching this conclusion. Our colleagues at other law firms aren't buying many e-books either. Of the 85 law firm librarians answering the question, "Are you providing e-books to the attorneys in your firm?" only 10 (12 percent) said yes. About 21 percent of the law firm libraries are planning to purchase e-books in the coming year. Almost 40 percent of the librarians have tested e-books, so presumably they are basing their decisions on concrete experience. Librarians are not ignoring e-books with legal content, but I believe they are hesitating for good reason. Firms with 500 or more lawyers had not bought any e-books. This supports my conclusion that the vendors have made the entire experience of acquiring, distributing and supporting e-books far too complicated. I have not addressed licensing and digital rights management, which add additional complexity. Pricing is another issue to consider, with Thomson specifically charging a premium for e-books over print. Lexis is keeping prices the same, and Wolters Kluwer offers discounts if you purchase both formats. Recommendations From the American Lawyer Law Librarian Survey of 2012, we find that 96 percent of law firm libraries are using an integrated library system (ILS). If you are unfamiliar with the ILS, it is a type of proprietary database. The catalog is specifically designed to create and maintain library resources in the form of bibliographic records. In AALL/ILTA White Paper 71