Legal Research

The other day I blogged about FDsys and quickly received an email from Carrie Gibb, Market Research Manager from the Office of the Chief Information Officer.  Her email solicited any specific feedback I might have about the new website. 

Spurred on by Elizabeth Farrell, at Florida State University's College of Law Research Center, I had already taken a second look at the advanced search function on the new site, and she was right, it is far superior to the one on the old GPO Access.  You can even search within each individual branch of government, or will be able to do so, once all the databases are added to the site.   As I emailed Carrie Gibb, it will be very useful indeed to the knowledgeable user. 

However, I still maintain that the GPO Access interface should be retained or somehow incorporated into the new site, in part because the drill-down format makes it clear to law students and other non-expert users which branch of government they are searching.  These pages are instructional, as well.  Take for example the Judicial Branch Resources  Federal Publications and Procedures division, where you can learn that Title 28 of the U.S. Code governs the judiciary and judicial procedure and that the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary may have useful information about the operation of the courts.  My point is that GPO Access as it presently exists is an excellent pedagogic tool, and I think the minimalist approach on FDsys has much less to offer the student/novice searcher.  Decide for yourself.  Compare the old (GPO Access) with the new (FDsys) and let the designers have your feedback at: pmo@gpo.gov