Although one can read differing accounts of what is involved in information auditing, most commentators would probably accept that audits are, in some form or another, a type of investigation undertaken for the purpose of optimising information use within organisations. In practice this can range from the compilation of a straightforward inventory of published materials to an analysis of information use and flow across the whole of an organisation's operations. Despite differences in scope, most audits are likely to consist of a survey of the organisation combined with some form of gap analysis.

One of the most satisfying aspects of editing a magazine such as Managing Information, is the gathering together of expertise to help people improve their abilities and the services they provide and to facilitate, through raised awareness and discussion, the development of solutions to issues. Just such an opportunity has presented itself over the past year in the form of the imminent implementation of EU Directive 29/2001.

The concept of placemaking has been widely utilized by public and university libraries to create spaces with library users in mind. This article by Lee F. Peoples describes how academic law libraries can employ placemaking concepts to support their parent law school's program of legal education, encourage collaborative learning, and connect students with their school's community, values and traditions. This article explains how academic law libraries can assess placemaking activities and other uses of library space and demonstrate a return on investment made into library spaces. The article concludes with some predictions for the future of assessing library space use.

New emergent technologies, like cloud computing, blockchain, the ‘internet of things’, and artificial intelligence (AI), have received significant attention from research and industry. Public and private organisations benefit from these technologies, but the privacy of individuals is threatened. This research paper, by Varda Mone and CLV Sivakumar, analyses the existing data protection laws with respect to new emerging technologies like AI, big data, and algorithms. The purpose is first, to discuss and analyse the impact and emergence of modern concepts like big data, algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI), Cloud computing, and the ‘internet of things’, etc mainly in light of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) provisions. The article examines the challenges of GDPR compliance posed by the features of these technologies, both individually and collectively. Due to the unique features of these technologies, we are able to identify areas of compliance that needed attention. With regard to the compliance issues identified, we discuss possible solutions as well as raise new questions for further investigation. It is not an exhaustive assessment of these fields but an attempt is made to shed light on a few of them from a data protection perspective.

This article, written by Renate Ní Uigín, provides an overview of the Irish law publishing market today. It discusses the nature of Irish law, potential purchasers and the principal publishers.

This article, written by Katherine Read, gives an introduction to printed and electronic German legal resources that are collected by the Library of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and including those that are accessible through the web. Particular attention is given to English language sources where they are available to library users.

Elaine Bird, the current Librarian of the Signet Library, describes the history and current activities of this library which forms part of one of the world's oldest legal professional bodies

Adoption of legal technology within law firms has seen a significant increase in recent years with the current necessity for seemingly indefinite remote working only adding to the need for technology solutions to keep legal workflows running. In light of this, legal technology purchases will undoubtedly see a further increase and a well conducted proof of value is crucial to making the right investment decision. This article is based on a talk given by Eleanor White at the BIALL Knowledge Management SIG in November 2018. It establishes the difference between a proof of concept and proof of value and elaborates on some key principles to consider during each phase of the latter. From the preparation and planning through to the running of the evaluation and the resulting decision-making process, this article addresses how to get the most out of the proof of value opportunity.

Paper presented to the 35th BIALL Annual Study Conference in Edinburgh, June 2004 by Sharon Markless.

Anne Coles describes the process of becoming a chartered member of CILIP and considers whether it is relevant to the corporate information sector. She concludes that the skills it encompasses are all vital.

This article by James Mullan looks at a number of different tools for gathering metrics, discusses developing information services using these tools and emphasises their importance as a management tool in recessionary times.

In this article Samantha Steer looks at recent market insights as to the expectations of law firm clients, as well as the traits of lawyers, and presents key features from Westlaw Edge UK that address both aspects. She focuses on how Westlaw Edge UK can help lawyers with regard to accuracy, efficiency and confidence.

In this article, where Liz Murray, Information Resources Manager at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS) in London, interviews Claudia Holland, Head of the Library of the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law, the strategic direction of the new Head Librarian is explored. The strengths of this major international, comparative private law library are considered and the balance between providing electronic access to law resources while still maintaining an excellent legal print collection is examined. The importance of networks and collaboration is also highlighted.

Roger Cook of Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw has produced a guide to the most important and accessible sources of US law reports which is aimed at those of us who do not necessarily need constant access to such sources.

In this article David Wills, the Librarian of the Squire Law Library, offers a brief description of the extraordinary range of architecture at the University of Cambridge with particular reference to the David Williams Building, designed by the world-renowned architects Foster + Partners. He suggests that, in the context of the Squire Law Library, which occupies the top three floors of the David Williams Building, the building has truly come of age; he looks at some of the features and challenges of its modern design; and notes that the building looks set to play a major part in the education and research activity of legal scholars and university students into the distant future. This article is a personal reflection based on the author's experience of using and working in the building for some 26 years since it was constructed and opened in the mid-1990s.

In the 150th anniversary year of both Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the inception of the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting (ICLR) this article by Alison Million considers any possible common contemporaneous connections between their authors. It makes particular reference to Lewis Carroll's legal associations and his fascination with the processes of law, considering to what extent these may have influenced Alice. In briefly reviewing ICLR history and the instigating factors behind reform it looks at the requisite skills needed finally to devise a successful scheme and any potential overlap between those and some of Lewis Carroll's many subject disciplines. The article concludes that just as the law helped shape Alice, so has Alice contributed to English case law by providing a descriptor for “perfect nonsense”.

This paper, presented at the BIALL Conference in June 2010 by Anneli Sarkanen, describes the process Field Fisher Waterhouse went through in utilising wikis in the firm for knowledge management and knowledge sharing. It describes the development of the project, the tactics used to encourage adoption, problems encountered and the project's planned future development.

Ivo Vogel brings us news of the latest areas of interest in German legal information, with a report from a recent conference entitled Legal Information in Change, held at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, including information literacy, the Virtual Law Library, copyright and catalogue enrichment.

This article written by Helen Garner, the Bodleian Law Librarian, reviews three different building projects that have taken place at the Bodleian Law Library (BLL) between 2010 and 2020. The three projects were all undertaken independently of each other and have transformed the BLL. This article discusses each project and explains the work that was completed. This is followed by a summary of the impact of the projects and the lessons learnt.

Today, the level of access to legal information in Canada equals or surpasses that of any country. Not only do several commercial publishers compete to sell their publications but, in recent years, legislatures, many courts and tribunals have built significant repositories on the web. However, the most spectacular advance has come through the creation of CanLII. In this paper, the Daniel Poulin looks at why and how the Free Access to Law (FAL) approach came about in Canada. He sketches the principles supporting free access, but he tries also to make the business case for establishing it.