EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed numerous industries, and legal research is no exception. Emerging AI-powered tools have introduced new efficiencies in case law analysis, contract review, compliance monitoring, and legal document automation. Among these innovations, DeepSeek, an open-source large language model (LLM), has garnered…
Articles Posted in Library Technical Services
AI Driven Legal Research and Library Services: A New Era for Law Librarians
Introduction: Law libraries are undergoing a transformation fueled by artificial intelligence (AI). While AI isn’t replacing law librarians, it has become a powerful tool that is changing how legal research is conducted and how libraries serve their patrons Modern law librarians leverage AI in various domains – from advanced legal…
Potential Impacts of Government Efficiency Reforms Led by Elon Musk on U.S. Government Libraries
Introduction Materials consulted in preparing this posting were curated from various sources including the recently introduced Deep Research by OpenAI. With Elon Musk at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency, various agencies within the U.S. government may experience restructuring aimed at streamlining operations, reducing costs, and integrating advanced…
The Potential Impact of Forced Chrome Divestiture on Legal Research in Law Libraries: Some Thoughts
The Justice Department’s potential move to compel Google to sell its Chrome browser could significantly reshape the digital landscape, with direct and indirect consequences for the ability of law libraries to utilize computer-assisted legal research (CALR) to serve patrons effectively. This essay explores how such a divestiture might affect CALR…
Google’s Increasing Selectivity: Effects on Information Access and Diversity
On July 17, 2024, we noticed a posting from Wisblawg which stated in part that “In recent months web developers and SEO experts have noted significant changes in Google’s Indexing practices observing a shift toward more selective indexing of web content…” Having already received other indications over the past year…
The Future of Law Librarianship: AI as a Powerful Ally
Although retired as an active law librarian, I try to keep up with current developments by maintaining memberships in AALL, SLA, ABA, and maintaining contacts with friends currently active in the profession. I also have been publishing articles on the Criminal Law Library Blog since 2007 on various subjects, including…
Responding to Errors and Mistakes in ChatGPT and Other Generative AI Systems
Since Open AI released ChatGPT for public use on November 30, 2022, its rate of adoption by the public has been explosive and appears to be increasing at a near exponential rate. Within two months after its public release, it had acquired an estimated 100 million users and surpassed one…
REFLECTIONS OF A RETIRED LAW LIBRARIAN: From Mimeograph to Generative AI
Being a retired law librarian of a certain age, I am now often asked to reflect upon my 50 years serving in various capacities as a law librarian. I have noticed that most questions asked can be grouped into discrete categories. For example, people want to know what lessons I…
OCLC Update 2010
Today we received a link to a slide presentation by Glenn Patton, Director of Wordcat Quality Management at OCLC on July 11 at the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado. We are sharing this information with you because these slides convey an important message regarding…
Skyriver and Innovative Interfaces v. OCLC
On JUly 28, 2010, Skyriver Technology Solutions, LLC and Innovative Interfaces, Inc. filed a complaint against Online Computer Library Center, Inc.(OCLC) in the District Court Northern District of California alleging federal and state antitrust violations and unfair competition. More specifically the complaint states that OCLC “…is unlawfully monopolizing the bibliographic…