Lyonette,
I'd rather call it "shorthand" than a "short cut", but let me say how I
really use this term. Mostly, at the reference desk, very aware that some
users prefer one system over the other, I use it as a generic way to say,
"take your pick" but what you want is either online or not online. When
it gets to something that is on one service and not on the other, then I
usually specify the appropriate one. It is no secret that I much prefer
Westlaw for a number of reasons. Many other users prefer Lexis. If I
were going to always use the name of the service that I would use to do a
specific retrieval, then Westlaw would be mentioned at my reference desk
most all of the time. I don't think that that would be fair to Lexis,
because it might seem like I was "steering" users to the system I prefer
to use. Maybe it is perfectly proper to steer users like that but that
isn't what I am trying to do. Some users just find Lexis much easier and
I think that they ought to be able to use it if they want.
We call the supreme court "the Supremes" and no one seems to mind. That
refers to the Florida Supremes or the U.S. Supremes a bit like Wexis
refers to "your favorite online case finder service". WestLex sounds
okay to me too, but we are talking about slang here so I don't think it
is worth a whole lot of cognitive energy.
We're pretty busy at my post and don't spend a lot of time on the finer
points (Can't you tell. :)) when we are triaging incoming reference
problems.
Certainly no offense meant to Elmer Fudd or anyone else. I love Elmer
Fudd!
Wascally Wabbitt,
Tewwy Seawe
..............
On Tue, 16 May 1995, Lyonette Louis-Jacques wrote:
> I was told that Terry Seale originated the term "Wexis" (I guess during one
> of the "public access to government documents in electronic format"
> discussions we've had here on LAW-LIB).
>
> I do think "Wexis" has many meanings. Firstly, it's more likely to
> seem to be a play on the term "Lexis" than on the combination of "Westlaw" and
> "Lexis" I think. I did tell someone it sounded like the way Elmer Fudd
> would talk. Secondly, if it is a playful combination of "Westlaw" and
> "Lexis" - with "Westlaw" taking precedence, it looks like "West/law"
> swallowing up "Lexis". To really keep clarity about the two databases
> being combined, seems like "Lexwest" or "Westlex" might be better
> combinations. "Wexis" still seems like "Lexis" being poked fun of,
> rather than a combination of the two databases to me. I'm in favor of
> keeping the two database names separate. LEXIS, WESTLAW, and whatever
> competitors can get in there. I'm for calling them by their names.
> Short cuts here, involving combining names, have many implications.
>
> Cheers,
> Lyo.
> -------
>
> | Lyonette Louis-Jacques
> ,o __|-. Foreign and International
> ,_~o/ \/ | Law Librarian & Lecturer in Law
> |/ | D'Angelo Law Library
> / > | University of Chicago Law School
> ' ` | 1121 East 60th Street
> | Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A
> _____________| llou@midway.uchicago.edu/p:1-312-702-9612/f:-2889
> GO BULLS!
> (from the "Rogue Gallery"
> --art done by d. hall)
>
>
>
>
>
>
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