INTRODUCTION
Middle Temple is one of the four Inns of Court responsible for calling students to the Bar. It is a professional society which educates and trains advocates, as well as providing chambers for barristers and maintaining a large heritage estate in central London. The Inn provides financial support to its students by way of scholarships of over £1 million per year. In conjunction with Inner Temple, the Inn is responsible for the maintenance and preservation of the 12th century Temple Church. Last but not least, it provides a modern law library to the members of all four Inns of Court – students, pupils, barristers and judges, as well as law clerks and academic researchers.
The libraries of the four Inns of Court provide access to all of the main sources of English case law, legislation, textbooks and secondary sources. They divide responsibility for the provision of subject and jurisdictional specialities. Middle Temple's subject specialities include commercial, employment, insurance and maritime and shipping law amongst others and its specialist jurisdictions are US and EU law. Access to legal information is provided through journals, law reports, loose-leafs and textbooks, as well as databases such as Lexis, HeinOnline and Westlaw. The library currently holds over 250,000 print volumes and subscribes to fourteen different databases. The library retains all previous editions of textbooks.
BACKGROUND
Like law librarians everywhere, those at Middle Temple are constantly being told that ‘it's on the internet – why do you still have all of these books’ and that practitioners rely mostly on their computers to do their research. Moreover, law publishers are increasingly encouraging librarians to invest in ebooks for their users. Yet the licenses provided by law publishers do not allow libraries to provide remote access to ebooks: they can only be installed on the library's devices (i.e. computers, e-readers, tablets or laptops), rather than allowing users to download the ebook to their own device for a defined period of time in the way that public libraries can do with some of their titles. For example, the City of London libraries allow members to download four ebooks at a time.Footnote 1
Despite this drawback, we have conducted two trials in order to provide access to ebooks to our members. The first consisted of uploading a selection of ebooks to the public desktop computers. Uptake and feedback was minimal- approximately 1% of members tried the ebooks and comments were negative. The second trial consisted of an iPad mounted onto a static stand placed at the enquiry desk. Very few members tried the device. Moreover, when speaking directly to our members we have found that most of them do not use ebooks, and tend to use a combination of print sources and electronic databases when doing their research.
Additionally, in 2012 we started offering legal information research training sessions to students and pupils. In 2013 a one hour version of this session was integrated fully into the Pupils' Course. Pupils are required by the Bar Standards Board to attend a minimum of 12 hours of practical advocacy teaching and 6 hours of practice management. The course provided by Middle Temple is provided 7 times a year, and the research training session is compulsory.
In order to make these training sessions more dynamic and interesting, as well as qualifying for CPD, I started discussions with our IT department about the possibility of investing in laptop computers that could be used for our legal research sessions. They suggested that iPads connected to an Apple TV would afford us greater flexibility. We would be able to offer interactive sessions, where trainees could follow and create examples of their own during the sessions, rather than simply watching a static Powerpoint presentation. We would also be able to film the sessions in order to provide podcasts. The tablets would remain in the library, and when not used for training purposes, could be lent out to members.
As we lacked the funding to immediately start this project, I began studying whether other law libraries had invested in tablet computers with the intention of lending them out or for use in teaching sessions. I received direct email responses from two libraries that had trialled tablets in the library: the Nahum Gelber Law Library at McGill University and the Boston College Law Library. Feedback from McGill highlighted the fact that providing tablets as part of the library service was useful, but required sufficient manpower. Using tablets in teaching legal research at Boston was a good way to ‘stimulate student interest and interaction in the classroom’ (Berrio Matamoros and Neary, 2012Footnote 2).
A literature review showed that in September 2010 the College of Law had made their own published eTextbooks available to their Legal Practice Course students. These could be downloaded onto students' desktops, laptops or iPads.Footnote 3 Overall uptake was relatively low for a variety of reasons. In 2012 City University obtained JISC funding to develop their existing online legal resources into mobile apps. While this project was different from my own, it nonetheless gave some insight into the possibilities of mobile legal learning that are becoming more widely available to law students.Footnote 4
The most comprehensive project that I came across was the ‘iPads in Legal Learning (iLEGALL)’, carried out jointly during 2011–2012 at Northumbria Law School, Glamorgan Law School and the Law Society of IrelandFootnote 5. This project was on a much grander scale than the one I had envisioned but will nonetheless serve as evidence that the use of tablets in legal research teaching is both viable and appropriate.
As further part of my study I posted a query on Lis-Law in July asking for feedback from British libraries. While this did not result in any librarians sharing their experiences, our Lexis representative did get in touch and offered to lend us two iPads pre-loaded with a selection of ebooks and free access to LexisLibrary (including Halsbury's Laws) via WiFi access.
As this was an opportunity not to be missed, I accepted the offer in order to lend iPads out as we do with our textbooks. I decided not use them in training sessions, as two machines would not be sufficient for the ‘flipping the classroom’ type of training I had envisioned. The library has shorter opening hours during the summer months, so we decided to wait until the new term started before borrowing the iPads. We liaised with Lexis and chose titles befitting our subject areas and the trial commenced on 21 October 2013. They lent us two 16 GB iPad2s with the following ebooks installed on them, accessed via the Stanza e-reader:
○ Butterworths Employment Law Handbook
• Butterworths Insurance Law Handbook
• Butterworths Securities & Financial Services Law Handbook
• Civil Court Practice
• Cook on Costs
• Detection and Preservation of Assets
• Macdonald's Immigration Law and Practice
• Stone's Justice's Manual
• Tolley's Company Law Handbook
• Tolley's Employment Law Handbook
• Whillen's Worldwide Taxes
LOGISTICS
An iPad2 costs slightly less than a copy of the 2014 Archbold Criminal Pleading (of which we have two copies that we lend out to members overnight). Nonetheless, we made arrangements with our Finance department to ensure that the iPads would be covered under our insurance, even when they were out of the building. They were included under our computer policy and users had to agree not to leave the iPads unattended or in an unsecured vehicle.
As we currently lend out textbooks overnight to members of all Inns, we decided to have the same policy with the iPads. Part of the reason that Lexis offered to lend us the iPads was to garner more feedback on ebook usage. As such, we agreed to share the feedback we received (anonymously) with Lexis once the trial was finished. We thus created a form that members were required to fill in and sign, whereby they agreed to give feedback when they returned the tablet. The forms simply asked which ebooks had been used, and solicited general comments on the service. Members had to show a valid Inn membership card in order to borrow one of the tablets. At first we limited the lending period to three days, but quickly realized that this was not useful for most people and extended it to one week.
PROMOTION
Lexis created custom-made A5 leaflets to distribute in the library advertising this new service. We quickly found that these were not as effective as larger A4 posters, so we created these and posted them in the library and throughout the Inn. Additionally, we advertised the service through social media (Facebook and Twitter) and the Middle Temple websiteFootnote 6. We emailed the other Inn libraries (as the service was open to all members) and made sure to mention the new service in our training sessions and library tours. At the enquiry desk, we actively encouraged members to borrow an iPad by prominently displaying them, explaining which ebooks they had and that the service was free.
TRIAL AND ERROR
Despite the brand new box and offer of a free service, initial uptake was a little slow and we found that members had to be actively encouraged to borrow the tablets. One member even borrowed it for a week but upon returning it said he only used it for a couple of minutes! After approximately two weeks more members started asking to borrow them without prompting.
Once the trial got under way members started regularly borrowing the iPads. Some borrowed a device more than once, which we allowed as long as no one was waiting to borrow one. We had to start a waiting list four times during the trial, most notably at the end. Most members returned the tablet on time and despite being allowed to have the device for a week, the use averaged out at 5.5 days (omitting the two week closure period for Christmas). From October to February a total of 24 people borrowed the iPads. While the majority (19) were members of Middle Temple, 2 were from Gray's Inn and 3 were from Lincoln's Inn. We did not keep statistics on their status (i.e. student, pupil, barrister, etc.).
Staff members were asked twice to show a member how to use Stanza and how to unlock the screen rotation function. Some members found the iPads tricky to use, gave up and returned the iPads within a day or two. Anecdotally, most members found it a useful service but struggled to give concrete examples, apart from saying it was useful to be able to have an iPad for periods when the library was closed (i.e. weekends and holiday closure period). One member commented that they must be very popular, and was surprised that there wasn't a long waiting list to borrow them.
Official feedback garnered once the loan forms were returned indicated that two respondents found Stanza difficult to use and outdated and would have preferred Apple's own e-reader. Fifteen out of the total 24 borrowers consulted at least one ebook, with the Civil Court Practice the most consulted book. One member said that it would be useful to have more ebooks on offer. Statistics from the use of LexisLibrary on the iPads showed that between October and December it was accessed 327 times.
Specific comments from the forms included: ‘enabled me to particularly approach my area of research, which was time saving and convenient. Not having to sift through unwanted and irrelevant material served to achieve this’. Another member said the tablet was: ‘not as easy to navigate as [I] thought it would be and because of this [I] didn't use it ‘on the hoof'. [I] would need a good couple of weeks to familiarize myself with it to be confident in using it while working’.
Other members commented that it would be useful to have an email and/or text reminder service when it needed to be returned, and that the iPads should come with covers that convert into keyboards for ease-of-use. One cheeky member commented that ‘Westlaw was better’. We're not sure if that was a Thomson Reuters employee in disguise. A couple of members did note that it would be more useful to also have Westlaw installed on them. Many members seemed to focus on the technology and access to LexisLibrary rather than the ebooks. One staff member noted: ‘a couple of people mentioned when they borrowed or returned the iPads that they were thinking of buying their own and wanted to try one out before making the investment’.
In addition, from 19 July 2013 to 14 February 2014 we ran a simple online poll asking members: ‘If tablets (iPad, Galaxy Note) were available to borrow from the library would you use this service?’ 57% responded ‘yes, but only if there was no charge’; 12% responded ‘yes, and I would be willing to pay a small fee’; 31% responded ‘no, I would not use this facility’.
STAFF FEEDBACK
Feedback from staff members was positive. They all felt that providing iPads with ebooks was a good service and one that should be offered permanently. Comments included: ‘instead of carrying several books you can have them in one light device’; ‘I think they were well used – they were out on loan all the time and members and I heard nothing but praise for the service’; ‘members were surprised/very appreciative when they realised it was a free loan’; ‘it was a huge success and we should offer the service permanently … it was so much more convenient than lugging texts home from our overnight loan system and that the fact they could have it for a week was wonderful’; ‘I think it's a good thing to offer new technology … the best feature was that it makes the subscriptions available off site, which seems to be what everyone really wants’.
Staff found that publicity was poor and thus some members were ‘very hesitant’ to borrow a device; when members came to the enquiry desk and physically saw the iPads however, they would ask about the trial. Staff also found that the small range of titles on offer was problematic. We were, of course, limited to only having Lexis publications so this problem would be solved if we did invest in tablets for lending purposes, as we could load different publishers' ebooks on to them. A quick survey shows that Sweet & Maxwell currently offer 91 ebooks on their website; Informa have roughly 60 titles available via Wildy's; Jordans list 79 titles; and OUP had hundreds of titles, although only a modest percentage were practitioners' textbooks, which is what our library stocks. Lexis currently has 31 ebook titles on offer.
CONCLUSIONS
It was not overly difficult to keep track of the iPads and lend them out to users. The ease of use and ability to carry multiple titles in one device made them very attractive to members, especially as it was a free loan. It remains to be seen if it would be viable to invest in tablets for teaching purposes. Given that the iLEGALL project was such a success at three institutions, however, it would be worth pursuing, especially if students are entering the Inns of Court having already experienced training using tablet devices. As one staff member noted: ‘more and more people will be having their own iPads (or similar tablets), so it is useful for us to be able to work with that technology’. I am happy to report that our IT department agree and we are planning to have iPads and an Apple TV installed for training purposes by September of 2014. We will also lend the iPads out to members, although it remains to be seen if we will load ebooks on to them due to the reasons outlined below.
However, significant problems remain with providing ebooks on tablets to our members. First, it is not clear if each publisher requires its own ebook reader or if their ebooks will work on a generic platform. Sweet & Maxwell ebooks will only work on their ProView app, for example. Thus there are potential difficulties when it comes to managing the software for the devices. A more important issue is price. On top of the cost of investing in tablet computers, ebooks are the same price as hardbacks, but with the additional cost of 20% VAT. This can add up substantially for libraries with tight budgets. Thirdly, due to the transient nature of ebooks, and Middle Temple Library's policy of keeping all previous editions of textbooks, we can not afford to invest solely in ebooks and will continue to purchase hard copy; long term investment in ebooks is not a viable option for our library. If the legal publishers decide to allow us to make them ‘lendable’ as publishers do for public libraries we will of course revise our policy. Lastly, as one staff member noted: ‘I don't think we can afford to give up print subscriptions … just yet. The law still relies on paper far too much for that’.
