Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/87421
Librarians must rethink how they offer and restrict access to services. the development and rollout of their new portal, LInC: the Library Information Center. The core project team comprised three staff members. The manager of library services served as the project manager and creative director, the information resources librarian handled the overall content and served as vendor liaison and trainer on the new interface, and the technical services librarian was responsible for overall SharePoint development and resource integration. At Finnegan, the manager of library services coordinated with a member of the IT department, who created the site framework and provided answers and advice on the technical aspects of using SharePoint. The manager then worked with the library staff to develop the content. Creating a Streamlined Resource With the ever-growing universe of online resources — both those that are subscription-based and those that are free, such as Google Scholar and Google Patents — law firm librarians struggle to efficiently steer their attorneys to the most relevant and authoritative resources, and to ensure that access to those resources is quick and painless. Accessing Google is simpler than remembering a lengthy letter/number password combination, especially when paired with a required client/matter description. One solution for quicker access to resources includes the use of SharePoint webpart widgets and custom user 30 AALL/ILTA White Paper interfaces (CUIs). The webparts and CUIs do not require a client/matter or login, thus providing easy access to some of the simplest and most common tasks performed by firm users. Many legal vendors have out-of-the-box solutions available through a quick download on their websites. These customized tools also simplify access for users unfamiliar with comprehensive databases, such as westlaw.com or lexis.com. Webparts provide availability to users, particularly secretaries or paralegals, who might not otherwise use the full databases. Librarians must rethink how they offer and restrict access to services. A portal can support a strategic shift from library staff performing a majority of legal research to enabling other support staff to perform their own research using the most relevant resources. Individuals can then utilize the most comprehensive and authoritative sources of information, rather than struggling to choose the right resource for a particular budget and wasting time with free Internet resources that can take more time and produce unreliable results. Librarians must take stock of the level of complexity involved when contemplating a new or upgraded platform, and subsequently assess their knowledge and capabilities as well as the availability of resources and support within and beyond the firm. Utilizing a tool that is relatively user-friendly, such as SharePoint, can help empower the library staff to contribute, organize and maintain the content. Members of the IT department