So far we have three librarians, one paralegal, and one attorney signed
up for the Internet in our firm of about 135 attorneys. Most of our
users are too busy or intimidated to use the Internet, but I expect this
will change as younger attorneys come in who accessed the 'Net in
school.
Most of my frustrations with the Internet come from being overwhelmed by
both the amount of information available and the variety of search
protocols, procedures, etc. There is a lot of information on how to use
the 'Net (books, articles, online help, etc.), but these leave me feeling
almost as overwhelmed as the 'Net itself! I've only been on the 'Net for
a few months, so my newness affects my judgment, but things are beginning
to make more sense. Also, in my humble opinion there's nothing like a
real live Internet buddy to help a novice learn his/her way around.
Fortunately I have such a buddy in one of our other librarians.
I would be surprised if we ever had a lot of attorneys on the Internet,
since they are used to the librarians and paralegals doing most of the
nonWestlaw online work. But I anticipate that the librarians and
paralegals will use the 'Net more and more, simply because there is so
much out there. I am already a fan of e-mail; I've learned a lot just by
reading about others' problems and comments, and have had some tough
questions answered by some of my wonderful colleagues. To me, the
Internet is one more tool that information professionals can use to get
the best, most timely answers to their clients' questions.
By the way, my favorite article on the Internet so far was in the AALL
Newsletter for March, 1994, page 296, "A Traveller's Guide to the
Internet", by James Milles. James compares the Internet to a strange
country, which I find very appropriate. Hope your survey goes well!
Barbara Duval
Smith Helms Mulliss & Moore
Charlotte, NC
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