Is it becoming easier to find that law review article on point? As more journals become available on the Internet through an initiative called Open Access, published legal scholarship — once only available in print form from law libraries, or online through proprietary databases — will reach a wider audience. This is a movement not only benefiting practicing attorneys, but historians, scholars and members of the public with legal research interests, who will be able to access legal scholarship by simply googling a topic.
Why is this happening? The born-digital movement has advanced the technology, and shrinking library budgets have propelled the movement. Do all, or most, student-run law journals publish electronically? We would like to think that in a few short years, many law schools will join the Open Access movement by placing free copies of law reviews online. Law schools are able to keep archives in institutional repositories and can then move away from paper production. This transition not only helps ease law library resource budgets, but also focuses on ensuring permanent access to digital legal information. The Google effect of Open Access also guarantees that a body of legal scholarship will reach greater numbers of readers, i.e., those who might not have access to proprietary databases.
