Biall Handbook Of Legal Information Management

The second edition of this popular handbook has been thoroughly updated by the original team of experts and some new contributors, to provide current best practice guidance on the key legal information issues for every type of service. Each of the chapters is updated to reflect general changes in law libraries and their users in the past seven years. In particular, the handbook covers new information technologies, including social networking and communication. New chapters also focus on the key topics of outsourcing, and the impact of the 2007 Legal Services Act. The second edition of this valuable handbook continues to be an important professional reference tool for managers and staff of all types of legal information services, and will help them with the challenges they face in their work every day.

For this new handbook BIALL (British and Irish Association of Law Librarians) has brought together an unparalleled team of respected experts to provide authoritative and up-to-date best practice guidance on the key legal information issues for every type of service, focusing particularly on the balance between electronic and printed resources, free and charged services and electronic and on-site access. Beginning with a survey of the growth of law librarianship, and an analysis of different types of services and users, the Handbook goes on to discuss research techniques for hard copy and electronic information, giving tips on how to 'know it all and find it fast'. Subsequent chapters describe how to source and organise different types of legal information; how to choose and purchase library management systems; and how to manage budgets and financial demands. A chapter on staff management, training and professional development looks both at practical day-to-day staff concerns and future skills issues. Other chapters cover copyright, data protection and ethical issues; knowledge management; and virtual learning environments. The Handbook concludes with examples of a variety of legal information services which describe the particular professional demands and conditions that they present. The BIALL Handbook of Legal Information Management offers a professional reference for managers and staff of all types of legal information services on the challenges they face in their work every day.

Around the world, legal information managers, law librarians and other legal information specialists work in many settings: law schools, private law firms, courts, government, and public law libraries of various types. They are characterized by their expertise in working with legal information in its many forms, and by their work supporting legal professionals, scholars, or students training to become lawyers. In an ever-shrinking world and a time of unprecedented technological change, the work of legal information managers is challenging and exciting, calling on specialized knowledge and skills, regardless of where in the world they practice their profession. Their role within legal systems contributes substantially to the administration of justice and the rule of law. This International Handbook addresses the policy and strategic issues with which legal information managers and law librarians need to engage in the context of the diverse legal environments in which they work. It provides resources, analysis, and considered studies on an international basis for seasoned professionals, those about to enter the field, and anyone interested in the evolution of legal information in the twenty-first century.

This is the latest in an important series of reviews going back to 1928. The book contains 26 chapters, written by experts in their field, and reviews developments in the principal aspects of British librarianship and information work in the years 2006-2010.

Information management is central to the smooth and effective operation of any legal business. It ranges in scope from email and internet access policies through to the management of client information. This book and accompanying CD-ROM examine this topic.

This book will help any law firm create and maintain an effective and well-organized records management program, including administration and storage of client files and administrative records in all types of media. Firms will learn to implement an efficient information, document, and file retrieval system, thus reducing costs, avoiding ethics violations, and ensuring client satisfaction. In addition, the book covers legal and ethics compliance when it comes to management and retention of both paper and electronic files.