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Content and Quality of Legal Information and Data on the Internet with a Special Focus on the United States

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2019

Claire M. Germain
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Summary

In the United States today, digital versions of current decisions, bills, statutes, and regulations issued by federal and state governments are widely available on publicly accessible Web sites. Worldwide, official (defined as “authoritative,” or “the official” word of the law) legal information issued by international organizations and foreign governments is also becoming available on the Web. However, there are currently no standards for the production and authentication of digital documents. Moreover, the information is sometimes available only for a short time and then disappears from the site. No guidelines exist either to promote a uniform way to cite to digital legal materials.

This article examines the contents of legal data and information on the Internet, with a special focus on the United States. It then evaluates the quality of the data, its impact on legal research and access to legal information, and addresses some issues raised by the digital medium, such as its reliability and permanent access concerns.

Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Legal Information , Volume 27 , Issue 3 , Winter 1999 , pp. 289 - 306
Copyright
Copyright © 1999 by the International Association of Law Libraries 

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References

Selective Bibliography

Internet Law Researcher. LittleFalls, N.J., Glasser Legalworks, 1996- . Monthly. Useful bibliography of articles on the Internet of interest to legal researchers.Google Scholar
Internet Newsletter. Legal and Business Aspects. New York, N.Y.: Leader Pubs., 1996- . Monthly. Excellent review of web sites.Google Scholar
Legal.Online. Philadelphia, Penn.: Legal Communications, 1995- . Monthly. http://www.legal.online.com. Evaluates and rates web sites.Google Scholar
Assessment of Formats and Standards for the Creation, Dissemination, and Permanent Accessibility of Electronic Government Information Products. Blumenthal, Marjory S. & Inouye, Alan S. Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, National Research Council. 16 July 1997, NCLIS, July 1997 Draft Report, http://www.nclis.gov/info/gpol.html.Google Scholar
Framework for the Preservation of and Permanent Public Access to USDA Digital Publications. Uhlir, Paul, Project Consultant, National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, Nov. 1997.Google Scholar
Issues and Innovations in Preserving Digital Information. American Research Libraries, 1998. http://www.arl.org/transform/pdi/index.html. Good summary of current issues. Discusses some strategies and models currently explored, as well as specific initiatives from libraries and professional associations.Google Scholar
National Preservation Program for Agricultural Literature. Gwinn, Nancy, Assistant Director, Collections Management, Smithsonian Institution Libraries. May, 16, 1993.Google Scholar
The Official Version: A National Summit To Solve the Problems of Authenticating, Preserving and Citing Legal Information in Digital Form, November 20-22, 1997, Sheraton Hotel, Toronto. Proceedings of Canada summit on digital legal information issues. A shorter version of the print document is available at: http://www.callacbd.ca/summit/index.html.Google Scholar
Preserving Digital Information: Report of the Task Force on Archiving of Digital Information. Research Libraries Group (RLG), May 1996. http://www.rig.org/ArchTF/index.html. Co-sponsored with the Commission on Preservation and Access.Google Scholar
Ensuring the Longevity of Digital Information. Rothenberg, Jeff, http://www.library.Cornell.edu/library/dig-info-paper.rothenberg.pdf. Expanded version of his article “Ensuring the Longevity of Digital Documents” that appeared in the January 1995 edition of Scientific American (Vol. 272, Number 1, pp. 24-29).Google Scholar
Standards for Digital Information Interchange. A Resources Page. http://ahds.ac.uk/resource/standards.html.Google Scholar
Digital Preservation. http://ahds.ac.uk/resource/preserve.html. These two publication of the UK Arts & Humanities Data Service (AHDS) provide useful references and links to organizations and digital library initiatives in the US and the United Kingdom.Google Scholar
A Strategic Policy Framework for Creating and Preserving Digital Collections. http://ahds.ac.uk/manage/framework.htm. Final report of a study undertaken by the AHDS Executive on behalf of the Digital Archiving Working Party of the UK's JISC, British Library, and National Preservation Office (July 1998).Google Scholar
American Research Libraries (ARL). http://www.arl.org/ Comprises 121 large North American research institutions, both in the U.S. and Canada. ARL at: 21 Dupont Circle, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20036, voice: 202-296-2296. Fax: 202-872-0884; . Executive Director: Duane E. Webster.Google Scholar
Coalition for Networked Information (CNI). http://www/cni.org CNI is an organization to advance the transformative promise of networked information technology for the advancement of scholarly communication and the enrichment of intellectual productivity. Founded in 1990 by the Association of Research Libraries, Educom, and CAUSE, CNI is supported by the members of an institutional Task Force representing higher education, publishing, network and telecommunications, information technology, and libraries and library organizations.Google Scholar
Digital Library Federation (DLF). Founded in 1995 to establish the conditions for creating, maintaining, expanding, and preserving a distributed collection of digital materials accessible to scholars, students, and a wider public. The Federation is a leadership organization operating under the umbrella of the Council on Library and Information Resources. It is composed of participants who manage and operate digital libraries. A consortium of fifteen of the US's largest libraries and archives cooperating to ensure access to digitized materials. The site provides links to member organizations with a range of digital library access and preservation projects. Contact: Donald J. Waters, Director, Digital Library Federation, Council on Library and Information Resources, 205 Church Street, Third Floor, New Haven, CT 06510-1805. Phone: +1-203-498-6076; Fax: +1-203-498-6078; Email: .Google Scholar
NARA National Archives and Records Administration. Center for Electronic Records. http://www.nara.gov/nara/electronic/ NARA currently does not, in general, post any electronic records on the Internet.Google Scholar
Research Libraries Group (RLG). www.rlg.org Contact: Ricky Erway, Member Services Officer, Digital Initiatives, RLG, 650-691-2228 .Google Scholar
U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. www.nclis.gov Independent agency within the executive branch, created in 1970, to advise the US president on national policy issues relating to libraries and informational needs of the country. 1110 Vermont Avenue, N.W. Suite 820, Washington, DC 20005-3522. Telephone: 202-606-9200; Fax: 202-606-9203. Simon, Jeanne Hurley, Chairperson; . Willard, Robert S., Executive Director; .Google Scholar
Internet Law Researcher. LittleFalls, N.J., Glasser Legalworks, 1996- . Monthly. Useful bibliography of articles on the Internet of interest to legal researchers.Google Scholar
Internet Newsletter. Legal and Business Aspects. New York, N.Y.: Leader Pubs., 1996- . Monthly. Excellent review of web sites.Google Scholar
Legal.Online. Philadelphia, Penn.: Legal Communications, 1995- . Monthly. http://www.legal.online.com. Evaluates and rates web sites.Google Scholar
Assessment of Formats and Standards for the Creation, Dissemination, and Permanent Accessibility of Electronic Government Information Products. Blumenthal, Marjory S. & Inouye, Alan S. Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, National Research Council. 16 July 1997, NCLIS, July 1997 Draft Report, http://www.nclis.gov/info/gpol.html.Google Scholar
Framework for the Preservation of and Permanent Public Access to USDA Digital Publications. Uhlir, Paul, Project Consultant, National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, Nov. 1997.Google Scholar
Issues and Innovations in Preserving Digital Information. American Research Libraries, 1998. http://www.arl.org/transform/pdi/index.html. Good summary of current issues. Discusses some strategies and models currently explored, as well as specific initiatives from libraries and professional associations.Google Scholar
National Preservation Program for Agricultural Literature. Gwinn, Nancy, Assistant Director, Collections Management, Smithsonian Institution Libraries. May, 16, 1993.Google Scholar
The Official Version: A National Summit To Solve the Problems of Authenticating, Preserving and Citing Legal Information in Digital Form, November 20-22, 1997, Sheraton Hotel, Toronto. Proceedings of Canada summit on digital legal information issues. A shorter version of the print document is available at: http://www.callacbd.ca/summit/index.html.Google Scholar
Preserving Digital Information: Report of the Task Force on Archiving of Digital Information. Research Libraries Group (RLG), May 1996. http://www.rig.org/ArchTF/index.html. Co-sponsored with the Commission on Preservation and Access.Google Scholar
Ensuring the Longevity of Digital Information. Rothenberg, Jeff, http://www.library.Cornell.edu/library/dig-info-paper.rothenberg.pdf. Expanded version of his article “Ensuring the Longevity of Digital Documents” that appeared in the January 1995 edition of Scientific American (Vol. 272, Number 1, pp. 24-29).Google Scholar
Standards for Digital Information Interchange. A Resources Page. http://ahds.ac.uk/resource/standards.html.Google Scholar
Digital Preservation. http://ahds.ac.uk/resource/preserve.html. These two publication of the UK Arts & Humanities Data Service (AHDS) provide useful references and links to organizations and digital library initiatives in the US and the United Kingdom.Google Scholar
A Strategic Policy Framework for Creating and Preserving Digital Collections. http://ahds.ac.uk/manage/framework.htm. Final report of a study undertaken by the AHDS Executive on behalf of the Digital Archiving Working Party of the UK's JISC, British Library, and National Preservation Office (July 1998).Google Scholar
American Research Libraries (ARL). http://www.arl.org/ Comprises 121 large North American research institutions, both in the U.S. and Canada. ARL at: 21 Dupont Circle, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20036, voice: 202-296-2296. Fax: 202-872-0884; . Executive Director: Duane E. Webster.Google Scholar
Coalition for Networked Information (CNI). http://www/cni.org CNI is an organization to advance the transformative promise of networked information technology for the advancement of scholarly communication and the enrichment of intellectual productivity. Founded in 1990 by the Association of Research Libraries, Educom, and CAUSE, CNI is supported by the members of an institutional Task Force representing higher education, publishing, network and telecommunications, information technology, and libraries and library organizations.Google Scholar
Digital Library Federation (DLF). Founded in 1995 to establish the conditions for creating, maintaining, expanding, and preserving a distributed collection of digital materials accessible to scholars, students, and a wider public. The Federation is a leadership organization operating under the umbrella of the Council on Library and Information Resources. It is composed of participants who manage and operate digital libraries. A consortium of fifteen of the US's largest libraries and archives cooperating to ensure access to digitized materials. The site provides links to member organizations with a range of digital library access and preservation projects. Contact: Donald J. Waters, Director, Digital Library Federation, Council on Library and Information Resources, 205 Church Street, Third Floor, New Haven, CT 06510-1805. Phone: +1-203-498-6076; Fax: +1-203-498-6078; Email: .Google Scholar
NARA National Archives and Records Administration. Center for Electronic Records. http://www.nara.gov/nara/electronic/ NARA currently does not, in general, post any electronic records on the Internet.Google Scholar
Research Libraries Group (RLG). www.rlg.org Contact: Ricky Erway, Member Services Officer, Digital Initiatives, RLG, 650-691-2228 .Google Scholar
U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. www.nclis.gov Independent agency within the executive branch, created in 1970, to advise the US president on national policy issues relating to libraries and informational needs of the country. 1110 Vermont Avenue, N.W. Suite 820, Washington, DC 20005-3522. Telephone: 202-606-9200; Fax: 202-606-9203. Simon, Jeanne Hurley, Chairperson; . Willard, Robert S., Executive Director; .Google Scholar