The web manager of The Virtual Chase points out that law libraries are in an odd transition period, when primary source of information (books) is out of sync with the prevailing approach to research (online).
While the amount of new information produced electronically outpaces print, the extent to which we publish and purchase books is significant. In fact, the second most prevalent source of print information in the U.S. is books and not newspapers or magazines. . . . The question for law firm management, then, is not whether you convert to an all- or mostly-electronic library, but when. Firms whose practices demand the availability of significant treatise collections or whose lawyers comprise a fair number over the age of 40, will do better to wait. . . . Because we are in a period of transition, there will be strengths and weaknesses in groups that depend primarily on one research method – electronic or print – over another. The key to mastering the transition is in finding balance. Full article here.