Will an eReader or the latest iPad be among the gifts you purchase or give this holiday season? Technology’s dizzing pace has led to a variety of training and research opportunities in the law library. Most recently, I have been working with a law librarian pilot group testing the new Thomson Reuters ProView eReader app for the iPad. This has led to an assortment of key “take-aways” that reflect just how much technology is improving and changing the world of law librarians and the management of law libraries.

The pilot group librarians view eReaders as a phenomenal new technology application for researchers. Imagine having NY Rules of the US Courts or Adventures in eDiscovery just a touch away, and light enough to keep in your briefcase. In addition, the technology allows for the transfer of electronic notes made by the court rules reader, as well as annotations in treatises from year-to-year, creating an unprecedented time savings.

eReaders also offer library management efficiencies one might not expect. For instance, there’s an administrative process attached to ordering 150 court rules each year, but stamping, distributing and identifying updates and renewals becomes much simpler when the publication is for an eReader. The electronic management of eReader content is as simple as providing a mass email to the firm which includes a link to downloadable content. The process of distributing and updating these materials, and maintaining these subscriptions becomes seamless, creating great time savings within the parameters of library management.

Whether conducting a spot check of court rules with ProView on an eReader, verifying a case on your iPhone, or consulting secondary source materials related to a case on your iPad, technology continues to offer research and management time savings. And, as we speed towards the end of the year and the launch of new technologies in 2012, law librarians embrace new technology as a means for education, research and efficiency for the students and attorneys they support. It’s anyone’s guess what the next great tool will be, but it’s a sure thing that law librarians will be on the front lines to help law schools and law firms implement it for the greatest effectiveness and efficiency.

Anne Ellis, Sr. Director of Librarian Relations at Thomson Reuters, has over 30 years of experience in the national and global librarian community, including over 15 years as a law firm librarian. She manages Thomson Reuters relationships and activities with law librarians throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. Anne is a member of the American Association of Law Libraries and served as Chair of the AALL Private Law Libraries Special Interest Section. She is also active in the Special Libraries Association and a member of the University of South Florida School of Library and Information Science Advisory Council.