Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Print or Online 101

(1) It is easier to read a book than a computer screen.
(2) Reading a book is not the same thing as conducting legal research.
(3) It is generally easier to conduct legal research online.
(4) It is generally easier to read a case or statute from a printout than from a computer screen.
(5) A printout is not the same thing as a book.

Examples:

Laws of Fear by Cass Sunstein is a book. Lots of people want to read it. Nobody wants to read it on a computer screen.

Gore v. Bush is a case. The easiest way to find it is online. The easiest way to read it is to print it out. That does not make it a book.

Any questions?

Review:
Online legal research is good.
Most people prefer to read a printout rather han a computer screen.
For longer, book-length reading, people prefer books. That's why they call them that.

Thank you for your attention.

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