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Access to Electronic Legal Information Committee (AELIC)
Summary of Activities - November 14, 2003
This summary appeared in Vol. 8 No. 4 (Feb. 2004) issue of AALL Spectrum.
AALL Strategic Action Plan 2000-2005
Item 1D (1) “[AALL will] establish standards of excellence for legal information Web sites that are used by consumers and librarians for law-related research.
The Access to Electronic Legal Information Committee (AELIC) is charged with assisting courts and government agencies in their efforts to advance and improve the delivery of legal information to the public via the Internet. By developing and promoting criteria and "best practices," Committee members strive to enhance public access to the sources of law and to improve public understanding of all aspects of the legal system. The Committee works to achieve its charge by providing useful information on its Web site and by reaching out to government Web site managers and decision makers.
The 2002-03 Committee spent the year updating the “General Evaluation Criteria for All Web Sites Providing Legal Information.” Four subcommittees then worked on developing evaluation criteria specific for Judicial, Legislative, Executive Branch, and Local Government Web sites. These evaluation criteria were posted on the Committee’s Web site for review and by June 2003 were ready in final form. The Committee also develops and posts on the Web site a selective annotated bibliography that contains references to print and online sources that discuss website evaluation and/or design principles and issues.
It is anticipated that the 2003-04 Committee will submit the evaluation criteria to the Executive Board by April 2004 for adoption and that those Web sites providing legal information to the public who most meet the criteria established will be recognized by AALL as “best practices” government Web sites. The Committee will also focus on marketing the evaluation criteria to government Web site managers and decision makers.
At both the 2002 and 2003 Annual meetings, members of the Committee participated in CONELL sharing information with attendees about AELIC’s work and a new exhibit display and brochures were developed for the 2003 Annual Meeting highlighting both the AELIC Web site and sample government Web sites that exhibit best practices. In addition, AELIC conducted Web site reviews at the 2003 National Center for State Courts Conference (CTC8) in their CyberCafe. Without charge to AELIC, LexisNexis and the National Center for State Courts provided AELIC with a table, two computers, and a sign on an easel. (kudos to them) Overall feedback from the owners of the sites that we evaluated was positive and appreciative of the help. The manager of the CyberCafe Tom Carlson, promised a program slot for AELIC at CTC9 in two years. It is recommended that AALL and AELIC follow up and act on that offer. One of AELIC’s recently addressed ADA issues about (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 and U.S. Section 508 Guidelines) is one possibility for a future program because CTC8 attendee’s were not familiar with these guidelines.
In closing, AELIC’s direct involvement in fulfilling the Strategic Action Plan has been challenging but gratifying. AELIC is well on coarse of meeting the Executive Board’s charge in Item 1D (1) of the Strategic Action Plan.
Sincerely,
Mark S. Cacho- AELIC Chair 2003-04
Law Library Officer
Orange County Corrections Department
P.O. Box 4970
Orlando, Florida 32802-4970
(407) 836-3325
mark.cacho@ocfl.net
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