It was supposed to be some pain, then some gain. During the recession, law firm library directors made hard choices in order to grapple with a poor economy. They pruned print resources, reduced staffs and budgets, and drove tough “bargains” with publishers. When the economy recovered, of course, things would be different. But as our tenth annual survey of Am Law 200 library directors reveals, better times don’t necessarily bring better days. Indeed, the challenges that law firm libraries face are growing, according to the 82 library directors who participated in our 2011 survey.

One of the biggest headaches is the transition from print to online research. That shift was heightened during the recession, as firms discovered that they could save money and real estate by tossing more books. But doing so has had unexpected consequences. Many of the electronic resources that replaced books are not intuitive or well organized, according to survey respondents, so lawyers don’t use them efficiently.

This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.

To view this content, please continue to their sites.

Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Why am I seeing this?

LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.

For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]