Attacking Internet Information 'Overload'
by
Source
The Law Teacher, Volume 2, number 1 (Fall 1994), p. 8.
About the Author
Larry Donahue is a research fellow and UNIX/Internet consultant and advisor at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law.
The Internet is a powerful way for law students, faculty, and practitioners to communicate with their peers, others interested in particular legal areas, and the legal community at large. Dozens of discussion lists link law students, faculty, and practitioners.
Typically, several hundred people subscribe to a particular list. They are great sources of information, but their volume prevents anyone from participating in more than a few lists. Also, many people don't participate simply because they don't know about the lists, or because they don't know how to access them.
The Chicago-Kent College of Law and Villanova University School of Law have created the Legal Domain Network to attack these problems in three ways:
Signal-to-noise ratios: A typical discussion may involve many postings, but only a small measure of information. The Legal Domain Network attempts to solve this problem by distilling the Internet community at large to a select group concentrating on the legal community. Discussions can take place without intrusions by people who aren't likely to provide useful information.
E-mail overflow: Currently, the legal community primarily uses "listservers" to hold discussions over the Internet. Participants receive posts in e-mailboxes, along with their personal mail. They cannot process this intermingled mail quickly, and this discourages them from participating in discussions. The Legal Domain Network attacks this problem by employing Usenet technology, which separates the discussions from regular e-mail and allows users to enter into discussions selectively. The technology also permits users to participate only in discussions that interest them.
Finding information: The undocumented nature of the Internet makes searching much more difficult than with commercial legal research resources. The Legal Domain Network solves this problem by offering a central kiosk, through which users may guide their legal research. A simple-to-use interface is being developed to provide a backbone for all legal information on the Internet.
For information on how to become connected to the Legal Domain Network, leave a message at:
