"Leaving the comfort zone" : attitudes of small law firms towards electronic library resources

Abstract

Small law firms in New Zealand have been slower to adapt to new forms of information technology than larger firms. Participants from ten small law firms in the Wellington region were interviewed to discover the reasons underlying their lack of use or use of electronic library resources. The qualitative data gathered was organised into themes and analysed. The major factors inhibiting the surveyed firms from use of electronic library resources were the comfort and familiarity the participants felt for print rather than electronic resources, and the expense of upgrading their information resources. Other issues included: computer literacy; inadequate training; firm culture; the need for a change agent. It is important that small law firms have access to similar resources to those enjoyed by large firms in order for them to retain their competitive edge.