WEBLAW : A SUBJECT GATEWAY TO AUSTRALIAN LEGAL RESOURCES

www.weblaw.edu.au
CAPPA, C. University of Queensland, (Coordinator, WebLaw Project). SCOTT, S. Law and Justice Foundation of !W (C"air, WebLaw Project !teerin# Co$$ittee).

This paper was presented at Rivers of Knowledge, the 9th Special, ealth and !aw !i"raries Conference held in #el"o$rne in A$g$st %&&'. The paper provides an overview of the (e"!aw pro)ect, incl$ding the o")ectives of (e"!aw, target a$diences, t*pes of reso$rces covered, selection criteria and +$alit* g$idelines. The develop,ent of (e"!aw, how it c$rrentl* operates and f$t$re directions are disc$ssed. The paper also covers lessons learned a"o$t cooperation as a res$lt of the (e"!aw pro)ect.

1.1 What is WebLaw

(e"!aw is a co-operative we" gatewa* to +$alit* legal reso$rces that are freel* availa"le on the .nternet. The ai, of (e"!aw is to provide efficient access to these reso$rces for legal researchers, st$dents, legal practitioners and non-law*ers with an interest in partic$lar areas of the law. (e"!aw is not pri,aril* ai,ed at ,e,"ers of the p$"lic, altho$gh it is freel* availa"le to an*one with .nternet access. .n essence, (e"!aw is a distri"$ted catalog$ing s*ste,. Participating organisations no,inate an area of e/pertise and provide annotated lin0s to +$alit* reso$rces in this area. Participating organisations adhere to co,,on selection criteria and +$alit* g$idelines. (e"!aw c$rrentl* covers the following s$")ect areas Ad,inistrative !aw Children 3 the !aw Cri,inal !aw ealth !aw A1R Citi5enship 3 #igration Cri,inolog* $,an Rights 2an0ing 3 4inance Constit$tional !aw C*"erspace 4a,il* !aw .nd$strial !aw 2an0r$ptc* Corporations !aw 6nviron,ental !aw 8overn,ent .ntellect$al Propert*

e-co,,erce law 6$ropean 7nion

.nternational !aw !aw of the Sea 9ative Title Sports !aw

!egal Research

#edia 3 Teleco,,$nication Propert* !aw

Occ$pational ealth 3 Privac* Safet* !aw Ta/ation !aw (o,en 3 the !aw

The fo$rteen participating instit$tions are Adelaide 7niversit*, A$st!.., A$stralian 9ational 7niversit*, Co,,onwealth Parlia,entar* !i"rar*, !a Tro"e 7niversit*, !aw and :$stice 4o$ndation of 9ew So$th (ales, #onash 7niversit*, #$rdoch 7niversit*, 9ational !i"rar* of A$stralia, 7niversit* of 9S(, 7niversit* of #el"o$rne, 7niversit* of ;$eensland, 7niversit* of S*dne*, and 7niversit* of (estern A$stralia. As at the date of this paper, a f$rther five instit$tions have agreed to contri"$te records to the data"ase. The* are 2ond 7niversit*, 8riffith 7niversit*, ;$eensland 7niversit* of Technolog*, the 4ederal Co$rt and the 7niversit* of (estern A$stralia. This "rings to the total n$,"er of instit$tions involved in the pro)ect to '9. Another eight instit$tions are considering contri"$ting records.

1.! Sele"ti#$ "%ite%ia

.nternet reso$rces are selected according to esta"lished and doc$,ented collection develop,ent and selection criteria. The Collection %evelo&$ent !tate$ent for (e"!aw is availa"le at www.we"law.ed$.a$<standards.ht,l . This incl$des definitions of=

S"#&e= the para,eters of the collection in "road ter,s "* descri"ing what is incl$ded and what is e/cl$ded fro, the collection. S#u%"es #' I$'#%(ati#$= acade,ic, govern,ent, nonprofit, personal ho,epages, and co,,ercial sites >"$t note the polic* a"o$t intr$sive advertising? Audie$"e= the intellect$al level of the content sho$ld "e "oth scholarl* and pop$lar. Ge#)%a&hi" C#*e%a)e=pri,ar* foc$s on A$stralian ,aterial "$t enco,passes international reso$rces which co$ld "e of interest to A$stralian legal researchers. La$)ua)e=6nglish

The content section of the Collection %evelo&$ent !tate$ent sets g$idelines to ens$re high +$alit* content. #eas$res to "e considered when selecting reso$rces incl$de=

+alidit,= the degree of o")ective tr$th of the data on the site "* $sing criteria s$ch as clear identification of the so$rce of the content, s$pport "* the 7R! of the clai,s of the a$thor@s affiliation and credentials, and read* availa"ilit* of contact details. A""u%a",=the degree of correctness of the content and o"vio$sl* re+$ires s$")ect e/pertise.

Auth#%it,= this ,a* "e discerni"le thro$gh details a"o$t the creator of the site, the rep$tation of the creator, the location of the server and how ,an* other sites are lin0ed to the target site. C#(&lete$ess= this precl$des incl$sion of sites that are A$nder constr$ctionA. Cu%%e$",= "oth the e/tent to which the content of the site is $p-to-date, that is, reflects c$rrent trendsB and the date on which the site was last $pdated. A""essibilit,= incl$des site design, navigational ease, reada"ilit*, $sa"ilit*, 2o""*-Co,pliance, ease of downloading and printing. Advertising sho$ld not "e o"tr$sive or distracting. Rele*a$"e= Reso$rces sho$ld contain s$"stantial content. 4or e/a,ple, onl* )o$rnals that are availa"le in f$ll te/t or with ,eaningf$l a"stracts sho$ld "e incl$ded. (here there are two si,ilar sets of reso$rces the higher +$alit* reso$rce sho$ld "e selected. !in0s to other listings of sites sho$ld "e ,ade sparingl* and annotated to indicate that this is what is "eing lin0ed to.

1.!.1 T,&es #' %es#u%"es

At this stage onl* reso$rces that are freel* availa"le on the .nternet are selected. Reso$rces are selected fro, a n$,"er of "road categories incl$ding 0e* legislation, co$rts and tri"$nals and 0e* decisions, professional and ind$str* associations, govern,ent "odies, electronic )o$rnals, research reports, govern,ent in+$iries and other pathfinder sites. Sites are generall* lin0ed to at director* level rather than at individ$al page level of e.g. a lin0 is ,ade to the 4a,il* Co$rt ho,e page rather than to ever* page on the 4a,il* Co$rt. .f, however, there is an i,portant reso$rce within a site, this wo$ld "e directl* lin0ed to e.g. a significant research report on the 4a,il* Co$rt site. Plain lang$age g$ides to the law are generall* not lin0ed to. These selection criteria are ,eant as a g$ide onl*, and reso$rces chosen will var* depending $pon the s$")ect area and the perceived needs of the target a$dience. At all ti,es the contri"$tor is enco$raged to $se their professional )$dg,ent and 0nowledge of the s$")ect area and needs of the target a$dience<s when selecting sites for incl$sion.

1.- .ualit,
Central to (e"!aw is the concept of adding val$e thro$gh the selection of +$alit*, annotated reso$rces, sorted into categories, rather than si,pl* "eing a list of h$ndreds of $nsorted lin0s. The $se of annotations is an i,portant ele,ent in assisting searchers to assess whether a reso$rce will "e of "enefit to the,. The ai, is to increase searcher efficienc* "* red$cing scrolling and the n$,"er of clic0s that searchers need to ,a0e. One of the 0e* wa*s of achieving +$alit* is thro$gh a set of co,,onl* agreed selection criteria as disc$ssed in the previo$s section. Other +$alit* ,eas$res incl$de review "* acade,ics and<or practitioners with e/pertise in the s$")ect area, review "* other (e"!aw participants, review "* the pro)ect ,anager, si/ ,onthl* chec0ing of the acc$rac* of lin0s and reg$lar addition of new reso$rces.

1./ 0ist#%, #' WebLaw

7nderstanding how (e"!aw ca,e into "eing is i,portant for $nderstanding how it c$rrentl* operates and wh* it has "een s$ccessf$l. (e"!aw was ver* ,$ch a gro$nd$p initiative in response to a need. A n$,"er of organisations fo$nd that ,aintaining a wide range of .nternet s$")ect g$ides to the law was diffic$lt and ti,e cons$,ing. 4or e/a,ple, the !aw and :$stice 4o$ndation of 9S( ,aintained a series of practice collections in a variet* of areas of the law, "$t fo$nd that the* did not have the staff reso$rces to 0eep these $p to date. Preli,inar* disc$ssions were held "etween S$e Scott >!aw and :$stice 4o$ndation of 9S(?, Carol*n Kearne* >S*dne* 7niversit*? and Clare Cappa >;$eensland 7niversit*? to disc$ss the possi"ilit* of developing a cooperative sol$tion to this pro"le,. The* developed the concept of a we" ring where"* each organisation wo$ld no,inate an area of e/pertise, develop a s$")ect g$ide in this area, and lin0 to each other. Participating organisations wo$ld agree to adhere to co,,on selection criteria, +$alit* g$idelines and a standard loo0 and feel, while at the sa,e ti,e ,aintaining their own organisational "randing. A n$,"er of organi5ations, which had developed we" s$")ect g$ides to the law, were contacted. 9ine organisations, incl$ding $niversit* li"raries, the !aw and :$stice 4o$ndation of 9S(, the Parlia,entar* !i"rar* and the 9ational !i"rar*, e/pressed an interest. S$e Scott fro, the !aw and :$stice 4o$ndation of 9S( acted as pro)ect ,anager and was responsi"le for organising ,eetings, ,aintaining co,,$nication "etween the gro$p and developing and ,onitoring ti,elines. A n$,"er of ,eetings were held in con)$nction with ,a)or conferences to disc$ss and refine the concept. An e,ail disc$ssion list was esta"lished "* #$rdoch 7niversit*. The process was ver* ,$ch an evol$tionar* one, with the s$")ect areas, selection criteria and loo0 and feel evolving in response to feed"ac0. As the pro)ect "eca,e ,ore well-0nown other organisations )oined. (hat we ended $p with "* :$l* %&&& was a str$ct$re where"* each organisation ,aintained their own page on their own site, while at the sa,e ti,e having a co,,on C(e"!awD str$ct$re. This str$ct$re incl$ded the (e"!aw logo, a ta"le of contents and a predicta"le order and na,e for categories. e.g. 4a,il* !aw >!aw and :$stice 4o$ndation of 9S(? and .nd$strial Relations>7niversit* of S*dne*? 1espite the s$ccess of (e"!aw, it s$ffered fro, a n$,"er of li,itations. .t wasnDt possi"le to search across sites, it wasnDt possi"le to carr* o$t targeted searches, there was no wa* of chec0ing lin0s across sites and there was no wa* of alerting $sers to new reso$rces which had "een added to the data"ase. Also, the !aw and :$stice 4o$ndation was $na"le to co,,it to providing pro)ect ,anage,ent past :$l* %&&&.

1.1 WebLaw Sta)e !

The (e"law pro)ect received a ,a)or i,pet$s with the s$ccessf$l application for a Research .nfrastr$ct$re 6+$ip,ent and 4acilities >R.64? grant fro, the A$stralian Research Co$ncil >4ile no. R&&'&EFG&?. The indicative f$nding provided was

H'&&,&&& in addition to contri"$tions fro, the colla"orating instit$tions. The f$nding was for %&&'. The colla"orating instit$tions are the 7niversit* of ;$eensland, the !aw and :$stice 4o$ndation of 9ew So$th (ales, 7niversit* of S*dne*, 7niversit* of #el"o$rne, #$rdoch 7niversit*, Adelaide 7niversit*, 9ational !i"rar* of A$stralia, A$stralian 9ational 7niversit* and the Co,,onwealth Parlia,entar* !i"rar*. Representatives fro, each of these instit$tions for, the Pro)ect Steering Co,,ittee, which is largel* responsi"le for polic* and planning decisions. .n addition, there is a !ocal .,ple,entation Co,,ittee, co,prised of 7niversit* of ;$eensland li"rar* ,anage,ent. The 7niversit* of ;$eensland provides pro)ect ,anage,ent. To date, a f$rther eight instit$tions have agreed to contri"$te records to the data"ase. The* are 2ond 7niversit*, 8riffith 7niversit*, ;$eensland 7niversit* of Technolog*, the 4ederal Co$rt and the 7niversit* of (estern A$stralia. Another eight instit$tions are considering contri"$ting records. All contri"$ting organisations are either Participants, that is, the original nine R.64 8rant partners, or Contri"$tors. All organi5ations will sign an agree,ent which specifies re+$ire,ents and sets o$t the intellect$al propert* arrange,ents for the pro)ect.

1.1.1 Gatewa, A%"hite"tu%e

The second stage of (e"!aw is "ased on a central data"ase ,odel. Representatives fro, participating instit$tions log on to a central server >ho$sed at 7;!? and create and edit ,etadata records onto the data"ase. #etadata for each reso$rce is added via a predesigned te,plate. A search on the (e"!aw ho,epage will res$lt in a search of the data"ase and presentation of the search res$lts according to an agreed te,plate.

1.1.! Res#u%"e des"%i&ti#$

All selected reso$rces are descri"ed according to fi/ed and doc$,ented ,etadata in order to ena"le str$ct$red searching. The ,etadata is str$ct$red in well-defined se,antic fields, as opposed to free-te/t annotations. The :$stice Sector #etadata Sche,e was selected for $se "* the (e"law pro)ect. .nfor,ation a"o$t this sche,e is availa"le at http=<<www.lawfo$ndation.net.a$<olap<g$idelines<,etaintro.ht, All reso$rces are inde/ed according to the !.AC >!egal .nfor,ation Access Centre? s$")ect classification sche,e 8$idelines 3 Standards. .t is envisaged that the "asic !.AC thesa$r$s will "e added to in response to the specific needs of the vario$s s$")ect areas.

1.2 Res&#$di$) t# "ust#(e% $eeds

Research into c$sto,er needs is essential for the (e"law gatewa* to evolve into a proactive sol$tion to infor,ation overload. This research will "e carried o$t in a range

of wa*s incl$ding foc$s gro$ps, interviews with researchers, anal*sis of s$ggestions sent to the we"site, online s$rve*s, anal*sis of we"site $sage statistics, and peer assess,ent.

1.3 4utu%e 4u$di$)

(e"!aw, li0e ,an* A$stralian gatewa*s, has "een f$nded for a li,ited period of ti,e fro, a Co,,onwealth govern,ent grant. The challenge now is to find alternative so$rces of s$pport, either cash or in-0ind, to allow the data"ase to "e ,aintained and to grow in response to c$sto,er needs. The three ,odels generall* accepted as "eing availa"le are sponsorship, cons$ltancies and a s$"scription "ased service. There are vario$s pros and cons associated with each of these alternatives. .n the final anal*sis, if the (e"!aw gatewa* lives $p to its potential to "e an essential reso$rce for the A$stralian legal research co,,$nit*, the i,pet$s to 0eep it via"le will contin$e. 4or this reason the effective pro,otion and s$ccess of this second stage of (e"!aw d$ring the ne/t si/ ,onths is cr$cial.

1.5 C##&e%ati*e &%#6e"ts 7 s#(e #bse%*ati#$s

.n concl$sion, we wo$ld li0e to share so,e of o$r o"servations a"o$t cooperative pro)ects with *o$. Partnerships, strategic alliances, networ0s and cooperation are "eco,ing increasingl* co,,on. A n$,"er of factors have led to this= decreased reso$rces, increased potential for cooperation as a res$lt of the we", i,proved co,,$nication and the "l$rring of "o$ndaries "etween the govern,ent, $niversities and private ind$str*. Cooperation has de,onstra"le "enefits and can lead to "etter +$alit* o$tco,es and increased efficiencies. The realit*, is, however, +$ite often different fro, the rhetoric and it is worthwhile "eing aware of so,e of the iss$es involved "efore esta"lishing a cooperative pro)ect. 2ased on o$r e/perience with this pro)ect, we identified the following factors as contri"$ting to the s$ccess of (e"!aw. (e also o$tline several of the challenges facing a cooperative pro)ect of this nat$re.

1.5.1 What hel&s

The (e"!aw pro)ect has "een relativel* tro$"le free. (e "elieve that the 0e* to this s$ccess was fle/i"ilit*, co,,on goals and an iterative approach.

Cultu%e There has "een a great willingness to share and wor0 colla"orativel*. This ,a* "e "eca$se of the sharing c$lt$re of li"rarians, de,onstrated thro$gh pro)ects s$ch as the A$stralian 2i"liographic 9etwor0 and the 9ational 7nion Catalog$e. !i"rarians are also acc$sto,ed to dealing with co,,on standards for descri"ing infor,ation. This c$lt$re does not necessaril* e/ist in other ind$stries. 4le8ible9 ite%ati*e a&&%#a"h As previo$sl* disc$ssed (e"!aw evolved. .t did not "egin with a set of r$les

that ever*one had to follow. This allowed participating organisations to feel that the* co$ld help to shape the pro)ect. 4le/i"ilit* is essential to the s$ccess of cooperative pro)ects and there needs to "e a willingness to adapt and adopt to the needs of others. This ties in with a c$lt$re of sharing and seeing that the "enefits of cooperation o$tweigh the disadvantages. C#((u$i"ati#$ Consistent, effective co,,$nication is esse$tial to the s$ccess of a cooperative pro)ect for a n$,"er of reasons. .t is i,portant to 0eep the pro)ect in the forefront of peopleDs conscio$sness I ever*one has their own wor0load and deadlines to ,eet and the tas0s associated with a cooperative pro)ect will often "e given lowest priorit*. .t is also i,portant to deal with pro"le,s as the* arise. The ,eans of co,,$nication needs to "e appropriate - e,ail is e/cellent for general anno$nce,ents and proced$ral co,,$nication "$t donDt e/pect to get disc$ssion and feed"ac0 I face-to-face and teleconferences are ,$ch "etter for this. .f there is the slightest whiff of dissent, donDt to$ch e,ail - get on the phone i,,ediatel*.

Su&&#%t '%#( (a$a)e(e$t .t is vital for each participant to have f$ll ,anage,ent s$pport and to "$ild responsi"ilities for the cooperative pro)ect into )o" descriptions. .f this isnDt done there is a ris0 that the wor0 on the cooperative pro)ect is not seen as real wor0. .n the case of (e"!aw the ,anage,ent of the participating instit$tions have "een ver* s$pportive. B%a$di$) 2randing is a diffic$lt area. .n this era of co,petitive f$nding instit$tions need to "e a"le to point to a pro)ect as one of their achieve,ents and the* need to feel that the contri"$tion the* ,a0e is ade+$atel* ac0nowledged. 7nfort$natel* this can often res$lt in logo overload and disagree,ents over the level of contri"$tion. On the flip side one of the "ea$ties of cooperation is that for far less effort an organisation can still clai, ownership. C%iti"al (ass S$ccess "$ilds s$ccess. #anage,ent will "e ,$ch ,ore s$pportive of a s$ccessf$l pro)ect and others will want to )oin *o$. .tDs worth p$tting in the e/tra effort in the "eginning to ,a0e s$re that the pro)ect "$ilds this critical ,ass. :%#6e"t (a$a)e(e$t (e "elieve that is ver* diffic$lt to ,anage large-scale cooperative pro)ects witho$t a designated pro)ect ,anager. .ss$es s$ch as ,eeting deadlines, co,,$nicating effectivel*, pro,oting and tro$"leshooting all need a designated pro)ect ,anager. This does not need to "e f$ll ti,e, "$t it does need to "e "$ilt into so,eoneDs d$ties.

1.5.! Challe$)es

;eeti$) deadli$es One of the ,ost diffic$lt pro"le,s to deal with in carr*ing o$t cooperative pro)ects is that participants tend not to ,eet deadlines. This is ,ost pro"a"l* "eca$se the* have their own wor0 to do I the* ,a* "e enth$siastic and want

to participate "$t their own deadlines alwa*s intr$de. The pro)ect ,anager often has li,ited a$thorit* to ,a0e people ,eet deadlines. So,e of the strategies we have $sed to overco,e this pro"le, incl$de ,a0ing s$re there is high level s$pport for the pro)ect fro, each participating organisation, gentle, persistent re,inders, "$ilding this factor into ti,elines and having differing real and p$"licised deadlines. .ualit, 6ns$ring the +$alit* of the overall prod$ct is diffic$lt when a n$,"er of different organisations are responsi"le for the content. Once again the pro)ect ,anager often has li,ited control over this. A range of strategies can "e $sed to address this iss$e incl$ding training, feed"ac0, peer review, and +$alit* chec0ing "* the pro)ect ,anager. 7lti,atel* there needs to "e clear g$idelines that ,$st "e ,et, and clear conse+$ences if the* are not. .t is i,portant to address this iss$e, as a significant ele,ent in the s$ccess of a cooperative pro)ect is its +$alit*.

1.< C#$"lusi#$
The strengths of (e"!aw lie in its cooperative nat$re and the fact that it is evolving in response to need. (e"!aw has the potential to evolve into the 0e* gatewa* to secondar* legal reso$rces for A$stralian legal researchers. P$t si,pl*, (e"!aw hopes to do for secondar* legal ,aterial what A$st!.. and ScalePl$s do for pri,ar* legal ,aterial I provide free, acc$rate and ti,el* access to .nternet reso$rces fro, a single we" address. (e welco,e feed"ac0 fro, (e"!aw $sers. .f organisations are interested in 0nowing ,ore a"o$t the pro)ect, or "eco,ing a (e"!aw contri"$tor, please contact either= Clare Cappa, 7niversit* of ;$eensland, Coordinator, (e"!aw !egal 8atewa* Pro)ect, 6,ail= c.cappaJli"rar*.$+.ed$.a$ Telephone= >&E? KKGL %%L% S$e Scott, !aw and :$stice 4o$ndation of 9S(, Chair, (e"!aw Pro)ect Steering Co,,ittee, 6,ail= sscottJlawfo$ndation.net.a$ Telephone=>&%? 9%%' K9&&. Bibli#)%a&h,: Cri"", 8$lcin, Ta*lor, Chris 3 Man Ke,pen, 9icole 4ro, S$")ect 8atewa* to 1*na,ic (e" Space= the 6vol$tion of the A$stralasian Mirt$al 6ngineering !i"rar* 'nfor$ation (nline )***, S*dne*, 'G-'F :an$ar*, %&&'. Ta*lor, Chris 8atewa*s= A cottage ind$str* going placesNPresentation at A!.A Untan#lin# t"e Web, State !i"rar* of ;$eensland, Fth A$g$st %&&'. Pitsch,ann, !o$is A. +uildin# !ustainable Collections of Free ,"ird-Party Web .esources 1igital !i"rar* 4ederation, (ashington, %&&'. 9ational !i"rar* of A$stralia, /ustralian !ubject 0ateways Foru$, Ohttp=<<www.nla.gov.a$<initiatives<sgP, last accessed %& A$g$st, %&&'.