White Paper

The Context of the Internet and History of Legal Materials on the Internet

 
“The context of the Internet is important. Understanding how legal information is organized online and the methods for accessing and retrieving it will make research efficient. The Internet is often characterized as a vast storehouse of information. That may be true, but free legal information on the Internet is scattered and semi-organized at best. Some files may need external viewers or players aside from the browser. Some documents can appear as HTML text on a screen while others may be viewed or retrieved as word processing files, presentation files, text files, PDFs, and various audio and video formats. Some screen materials may be dynamically generated at the time of view. Different content may appear on successive views. Materials pulled from databases fall into this category.

Note that some of the Internet sources for primary law are getting more comprehensive and better organized over time, though no single site could be called a “one-stop” research experience. Primary materials nonetheless may not be presented in a form that can be used directly in court or relied upon for legal filings without finding a citable version.”

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Mark Giangrande is a legal research specialist with DePaul University College of Law Library and has practiced law librarianship since 1976. His has extensive professional law library experience, having served at six law schools, including four in the Chicago area. He created and managed law school computing facilities. Mr. Giangrande taught a course in advanced legal research at DePaul University College of Law.

Faculty

Mark Giangrande

Mark Giangrande

DePaul University