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11 Legal Information Alert 1 (1992)

handle is hein.lbr/leinfal0011 and id is 1 raw text is: What's new in legal publications, databases and research techniques Volume 11, No. 1 January 1992 Contents Inforsnation Brokering: An Alternative for Private Law Libraries 1 Librarian at Large: Outstand- ing Law Librarian 4 Database Report 5 For Your Information 6 NewPublications 8 Publishers 15 Calendar 16 Index 16 Information Brokering: An Alternative For Private Law Libraries by Linda Will It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. . . it was the winter of despair. -Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities In these days of budget cutbacks, salary freezes, staff reductions, and the demise of the annual bonus, private law firm information managers are worried. While mourning the loss of an era when budgets were fat and any new online product was immediately purchased, many find it is time to contemplate new horizons. Some are taking steps to transform their information centers into profit-generating operations. I am one of these librarians, and this article outlines how we changed our firm's library from an operating expenditure into a profit center. Cross Selling By introducing database brokering as a cross-selling mechanism, I gained the immediate attention of firm management. Basically, there are three ways in which a law firm can compete in the information brokerage profession: m as an in-house service to existing clients; a as a participant in a local library consortium that markets database services to the business community; and as an ancillary business related to, but legally separate from, a firm's law practice. When I first approached management with the idea of aggressively utilizing our information center as a revenue-generating center, I had two thoughts. The first was to participate in the local library consortium by providing legal research services for members who occasionally need a LEXIS or WESTLAW search, but who have no expertise in online legal researching. A typical request might be from a consortium member in an engineering library who needs to know about the state lemon law. They subscribe only to NEXIS. Like all special libraries, they need the information fast and faxed. By providing search services for consortium members and charging at a value-added rate, my information center not only would help professional peers, but would also bring in revenue and keep the name of our law firm prominent in the community. Our benefit was twofold: PR and profit. My second proposal was to market our database and research services to existing clients. The work would be more demanding but with higher return of net revenue. continued on next page

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