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Library Journal Review

This comprehensive text directs the reader through the intricacies of online database searching in the legal genre. The authors are highly qualified; the Wrens (both J.D.s) are the authors of The Legal Research Manual (Adams & Ambrose, 1986), an analogous study of traditional legal research methodology. Their new book is the most thorough and academic approach to the use of computers in legal research (comparative titles include Cary Griffith's Guide to Computer Assisted Legal Research, Anderson, 1992; and John E. Kinsock's Legal Databases Online: LEXIS-Westlaw, Libraries Unlimited, 1985). What distinguishes this book is its dissecting approach to the explanation of online searching. The elements of insight range from the birth of Boolean algebra to the algorithms of natural language. The text is illustrated with session screen prints and thoughtfully developed ``Quick Guides'' that summarize search techniques in chart format. The Wrens present a balanced coverage of the two major legal databases (this edition was written before LEXIS introduced freestyle natural language and before the Internet listservs were established for WESTLAW and LEXIS). The authors' respect for the written word (be it print or digital) and their attention to the integrity of good academic process render this text a valuable holding for all legal and research collections. Because this is no quick reference, the librarian involved in database use at the reference desk can rely on the plenteous publications of vendors. However, for the librarian involved in teaching research method or academic analysis of computer design and technology, this work is unique for its exhaustive study of the major sources of online legal research.-Lissa Holzhausen, Washburn Sch. of Law Lib., Topeka, Kan. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.