Public Records Online.Public Records Online Michael L. Sankey and James R. Flowers Jr., eds. 480 pp., $19.95 Facts on Demand Press 4653 South Lakeshore Dr., Ste. 3 Tempe, AZ 85282 Two books recently published by Facts on Demand Press are packed with information for the online researcher. Find It Online addresses Internet research This article is about using the Internet for research; for the field of research about the Internet, see Internet studies. Internet research is the practice of using the Internet, especially the World Wide Web, for research. in general, while Public Records Online focuses on electronic information from federal, state, and local government courts and agencies. For the Net novice, Find It Online offers explanations of newsgroups This is a list of newsgroups that are significant for their popularity or their position in Usenet history. As of October 2002, there are about 100,000 Usenet newsgroups, of which approximately a fifth are active. , mailing lists An automated e-mail system on the Internet, which is maintained by subject matter. There are thousands of such lists that reach millions of individuals and businesses. New users generally subscribe by sending an e-mail with the word "subscribe" in it and subsequently receive all new , and chat rooms, as well as a glossary. It tutors readers on how to devise a search strategy and phrase elementary Boolean search A search for specific data. It implies that any condition can be searched for using the Boolean operators AND, OR and NOT. For example, the English language request: "Search for all Spanish and French speaking employees who have MBAs would be expressed as follows. commands; how search engines, subject directories, and portals differ; and how to reach information a search engine cannot find. The book also critiques widely used search engines and directories. Even though Find It Online is aimed at a general audience, attorneys should find the sections on people finders, public records, and legal and medical information useful. The book also lists news archives--some free--that go back farther than the norm of one week. In addition, it provides tips on evaluating the authenticity and accuracy of a Web site, as well as on finding experts online and checking their credentials. Also addressed to a general readership, Public Records Online explains the variations in record-keeping procedures among the nation's courts. Attorneys thoroughly acquainted with obtaining current case information from free and fee sites but who need data on closed cases will probably wish the book had a better explanation of the Federal Records Centers and the National Archives National Archives, official depository for records of the U.S. federal government, established in 1934 by an act of Congress. Although displeasure concerning the method of keeping national records was voiced in Congress as early as 1810, the United States continued . It merely lists the city in which the records center for each state is located, without informing readers that requests foreclosed case files can be made online. Unlike Find It Online, Public Records Online does not list the Web address for the National Archives and Records Administration, which has links to many of the regional centers. The content of both books has a similar structure. For example, both provide a list of private companies that gather public record information, followed by a list profiling each company in more detail. The books also share a certain rushed quality to the writing, as if the editing and fact-checking processes were abbreviated so the text could reach print before the transient nature of the Internet made the information outdated. For example, both books list Web addresses for federal "district" courts that are actually sites for bankruptcy court bankruptcy court n. the specialized Federal court in which bankruptcy matters under the Federal Bankruptcy Act are conducted. There are several bankruptcy courts in each state, and each one's territory covers several counties. records only, and Find It Online lists as a news resource the site for American Journalism Magazine, which is actually called the American Journalism Review The American Journalism Review is a national magazine covering topics in journalism. It is published six times a year by the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park. . Public Records Online lacks a page index, and novice computer users who read Find It Online may be stymied by instructions to "click your right mouse," when the author apparently meant click the button on the right-hand side right-hand side n → derecha right-hand side right n → rechte Seite f right-hand side n → lato destro of the computer mouse. Nevertheless, the books provide loads of information at a reasonable price. They would be a useful addition to an attorney's reference library. Peter C. Quinn is editor in chief of the ATLA ATLA Association of Trial Lawyers of America ATLA American Theological Library Association ATLA American Trial Lawyers Association ATLA Air Transport Licensing Authority (Hong Kong) ATLA Avatar: The Last Airbender Law Reporters. |
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