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Google: to use, or not to use. What is the question?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 September 2009

Natasha Choolhun
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Abstract

This article by Natasha Choolhun, with input from Emma Harris and colleagues, considers how the proliferation of freely available legal information has affected standards of information literacy and research capability in the current legal environment. Real life examples are given to illustrate how staff in law firms are using resources such as Google and Wikipedia in preference over authoritative legal material. The phrase “Google Generation” is explored and consideration is given to how law schools and commercial firms are attempting to instil in their lawyers principles of good information literacy and research skills.

Keywords

internetprofessional conductlegal researchlaw librarians
Type
BIALL 40th Anniversary – Past and Future
Information
Legal Information Management , Volume 9 , Issue 3 , September 2009 , pp. 168 - 172
Copyright
Copyright © The British and Irish Association of Law Librarians 2009

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References

Footnotes

1 Rayner, (Jonathan) (2008). Net-surfing lawyers warned of compliance risk. Law Society Gazette 105(23), 1Google Scholar

2 Italicised quotes are from law librarians

3 Centre for Information Behaviour and the Evaluation of Research (2008a). Information Behaviour of the Researcher of the Future

4 Rayner op. cit.

5 White, (Rupert) (2009). Wikipedia Woe. Law Society Gazette 106(22), 12Google Scholar

6 Centre for Information Behaviour and the Evaluation of Research (2008b). Information Behaviour of the Researcher of the Future, 5

7 R v Chambers (2008). EWCA Crim 2467, [2008] All ER (D) 170

8 Kirby, (James) (2009). Flaws in the system. New Law Journal 159(7368), 649Google Scholar

9 Committee of Inquiry into the Changing Learner Experience (2009). Higher Education in a Web 2.0 World, 6

10 Cottrell (Stella) (2008). The Study Skills Handbook.

11 Centre for Information Behaviour and the Evaluation of Research (2008c). Information Behaviour of the Researcher of the Future, 21