NCJ Number
75871
Date Published
1979
Length
361 pages
Annotation
These reports detail the results of Coopers and Lybrand's analysis and comparison of the computer-assisted legal research (CALR) capabilities and costs of three systems: the Justice Retrieval and Inquiry System (JURIS); LEXIS, a service of Mead Data Central, Inc.; and WESTLAW, offered by West Publishing Company.
Abstract
The study's objectives were to identify and evaluate the ability of various computer-assisted systems to meet the legal research needs of current JURIS users within the Government; to develop an accurate statement of current, recurring operating costs and projected costs of JURIS; to develop cost projections for the other systems identified; and to identify the residual costs to the Department of Justice (DOJ) should the CALR component of JURIS be provided externally, while other JURIS functions are continued in-house. The methodology included over 25 interviews with current JURIS users; a review of previous comparative and evaluative studies of CALR; a review of documents describing the operation, features, and data base contents of each system; and a review of current literature on CALR. Findings indicate that from an operational standpoint, both JURIS and LEXIS satisfy most of JURIS users' current and projected CALR requirements, whereas WESTLAW does not satisfy these requirements because its search logic and commands are difficult to comprehend. Further, LEXIS contains more data base files and has better overall library coverage in the areas needed by DOJ users than the other systems. However, JURIS is a responsive system for searching and appears to be the more desirable system because of its 'set creation' approach to searching and the overall ease of preparation prior to use. The annual recurring operating costs to DOJ for JURIS were between $2.081 million and $2.157 million for fiscal year 1978. Of this amount, between $1.928 million and $1.988 million relates to the DOJ usage of JURIS CALR. The differences in estimated costs of JURIS and LEXIS for fiscal year 1978 through 1983 are discussed. In evaluating both systems, DOJ must determine the importance of the materials currently in the JURIS data base that are not in LEXIS; the cost of adding specialized tax, securities, and trade regulation libraries to JURIS; and other concerns. Extensive tables illustrating system costs, footnotes, a list of legal research tools, a user profile, correspondence, and a sample interview form are included. A CALR system features analysis worksheet, search response time test matrix, a glossary, and an interview guide are appended. (Author abstract modified)