Designing A Legal Research Tool

There is an article published on the Social Science Research Network by Jennifer Greig of Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law in Orlando, Florida entitled Have You Seen the New Library Bar?: Designing a Legal Research Toolbar :

"It seems like more and more people today are selecting their legal research results based on ease of access rather than the completeness of the results. After hearing one too many third-year law students say 'I researched my entire paper on Google,' I set off to create a tool that would satisfy both the desire for speed and the need for complete and authoritative research results. The tool is a legal research toolbar that integrates into a web browser and provides constant and quick access to library-sanctioned websites and databases. This paper walks readers through the design process of the Barry Law School Toolbar, including conception, negotiating with IT, and testing."

On a related note, the Cornell Law Library has improved its Legal Research Engine, a custom search tool that searches legal research guides created by law libraries in the United States, law-themed sites indexed by InSite, Cornell's legal current awareness service, and academic blawgs. And with one simple click, it is possible to add the Legal Research Engine or any of its individual components to one's Google personal home page.