E1: Off the Page and Beyond the Book: New Models for Buying and Selling Legal Information
Long ago, legal information moved off the page and beyond the book. However, both information vendors and their customers remain mired in paper- and book-based metaphors that affect the way vendors price and package legal information, as well as the way librarians buy, organize, and disseminate it. Conventional thinking about legal information has led this industry to the impasse faced when vendors continue to raise prices to sustain needed profit margins, while librarians hold down costs by cutting titles. The current legal information economy is not sustainable.
Takeaway 1: Participants will learn how emerging technologies are enabling alternative models for buying and selling legal information.
Takeaway 2: By discussing and providing alternatives to prevailing book- and page-based legal information metaphors, participants will be able to ask better questions about emerging technologies and imagine more sustainable solutions for information delivery problems.
Takeaway 3: Participants will be able to return to their home libraries ready and willing to advocate and negotiate for more rational, useful, efficient, and sustainable legal information purchase and delivery models.
Who should attend: Library managers, acquisitions professionals, and reference librarians in all types of libraries; librarians and vendors who seek common ground in their (sometimes-contentious) relationships with one another
Track(s): Library Management, Information Technology, Reference, Research and Client Services, Collection Development and Cataloging, General or Core Programs
Eyal is well-recognized for his years of experience advising to the legal and intellectual property business communities. Focusing on helping clients to manage the business of law, he is a leading expert in operational, process, organization and technology management issues.
I am currently Vice President of Jones McClure Publishing, which we affectionately refer to as "JMP." Established in 1992, we had a mission: to provide accurate and dependable legal analysis in a user-friendly format that could easily fit into a briefcase and be referenced quickly as needed. Just as we anticipated, our books filled lawyer’s needs like no other, and new purchasers quickly became loyal customers. Our little company has since published many volumes in the areas of Texas, federal, and California law—our O’Connor’s Texas Rules * Civil Trials has gained a reputation as the “trial lawyer’s bible”. We focus on detail without sacrificing accessibility, so our books are easy-to-use without skimping on critical content that attorneys need to get the job done. With 23 titles under our belt, our goal is to continue developing new titles and to explore new subjects, markets, and platforms. Over the years, we have grown into a large family of lawyers and non-lawyers alike, working together in a fast-paced environment that demands quality but respects a balance between work and life outside the office. We are an eco-conscious business dedicated to making a positive impact not just through what we publish, but who we are.