In the realm of legal research, in India, the emergence of digital libraries has sparked a significant change, completely altering how legal experts access, analyze, examine, and apply legal data. No more struggling with libraries, manual flipping through pages, or tedious hunts through piles of printed materials, till you find what you have been looking for. Nowadays digital libraries provide a collection of sources right at the fingertips of attorneys, judges, academics, and learners. This piece will explore the idea of digital libraries, highlighting their advantages and superiority as compared to the conventional libraries.
What is a Digital Legal Library?
In the legal field, a digital library indicates an online internet-based archive or compilation of commentaries, bare acts, journals, documents, databases, publications, and other legal resources that can be accessed digitally.
Advantages of Digital Libraries
In the era of technology, leveraging digital libraries for legal research offers numerous benefits that are vast and unquestionable. Illustratively the advantages of opting for digital libraries are-
- Cost-effective: Digital libraries are usually more budget-friendly than print libraries. They save a lot of money in terms of purchase, storage, and maintenance.
- Access to Vast Resources: Digital libraries provide a wide range of resources at one place, such as- case studies, laws, regulations, legal publications, articles, and discussions. This broad selection guarantees easy and compact access to multiple resources and references for lawyers at one place, to back and supplement their legal research and viewpoints.
- Updated and Dynamic Content: Online libraries offer regularly updated information & databases. This guarantees that researchers can access case rulings, laws, and legal discussions right on time to keep abreast of the latest legal trends and developments.
- Saves Time: Researchers can efficiently find materials through digital libraries, thanks to their advanced and relevant search features. This saves them the time that would have been spent on long searches and reading through the heaps of print books or while navigating through the printed indexes.
- Advance Search Capabilities: Within digital libraries, you can find powerful search tools, like keyword searches, Boolean operators, filters, and sorting features. These tools help the researchers narrow down their searches and easily find the apt and specific information from the pool of extensive databases.
- User-friendly: Digital libraries and resources provide easy and streamlined access and availability. Digital libraries are user-friendly, enabling researchers to access all their legal material anywhere and anytime, with an internet connection. This flexibility empowers the readers to conveniently carry on their research whether they are at work, at home, or, on the move, with their compact devices.
- Eliminate Deterioration of Resources: Unlike print books, digital resources do not depreciate and are not prone to external damage, making it easier to preserve resources for future use, in the form of digital libraries. Digital libraries are easy to maintain and upgrade in the long run.
- Cross-referencing and Citation Management: In digital libraries there are tools that help the researchers to link information and manage citations in their work, making it simpler to record references of legal sources, in research papers or briefs.
A Futuristic Approach & A Requisite of Time
In this digital age, the legal research landscape is shifting towards internet-based platforms and digital libraries. By embracing these resources legal experts and academicians or other people of the field can walk hand in hand with the advancements and needs of the time.
The apex court and Justice D Y Chandrachud have been actively propagating the idea of adopting digital means and methods in the legal field, courts, and legal procedures or proceedings to make the functioning or results more effective, time efficient, accessible, and appropriate.
Various new initiatives and programs have been developed to work in this direction and digitize the functioning of the legal field-
- Virtual Justice Clock- This is an LED sign board with the objective of creating public awareness and spreading updated information. The display board displays various schemes of the law and justice department, updates the status of disposal of cases, e-services provided in the court complexes, and legal aid options. As per the available data around a total of 39 Justice Clocks are operational in 25 high courts of our country.
- Virtual Hearings- The process of virtual hearing of cases came into being as a necessity during the COVID-19 crisis. However, this feature and option was retained and has been slowly inculcated in various courts.
In Sarvesh Mathur vs. High Court of P&H, the apex court observed that only a few HCs were operating in hybrid mode and there was a lack of internet facilities in the court premises, hence, the Supreme Court went on to lay down necessary directions to the high courts, providing for, hearing through hybrid mode and online filings.
In another case, referring to Swapnil Tripathi vs. the Supreme Court of India, it was held that the impact of technology was to ensure access to justice along with strengthened rule of law and democracy.
The provision of virtual hearings of the court cases ensures easy and participative access.
- E-Filing 2.0: Paperless filing of cases in the Supreme Court, some of the other HCs, district courts, and tribunals has been adopted and streamlined. The new and updated e-filing software is easily accessible. The updated software provides for user-friendly and personalized dashboard for the Advocate on Record or concerned litigants.
- Integrated Case Management and Information System (ICMIS): ICMIS is a case management software of the apex court of India. This efficaciously optimizes the service delivery process and the system involved in the management of the database of cases.
- Right To Information Online Portal: The Supreme Court of India has its own online RTI portal for filling of RTI applications and appeals, hence, ensuring easy and all-time access. Many high courts in India have developed the same kind of RTI portals, following the benchmark set by the SC.
- eSCR: The judgments of the highest court of the country i.e. the Supreme Court are accessible by the general public online by the Supreme Court Reporter (SCR) via digital copies and PDFs.
- AI Transcriptions: This AI-integrated software transcribes the arguments of constitutional bench cases in the court, on a real-time basis which are accessible on the SC’s official website.
- E-Office Registry Office: The Supreme Court’s Registry office now has adopted the ‘work from anywhere’ module for their e-offices and hence works and manages functioning digitally via their computers
- SuSwagatam: This was an initiative facilitating court visitations via online e-pass, saving the users from the hassle and chaos of long queues for getting physical entry and exit passes.
- National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG): NJDG is a database, that provides for updated details and status of pendency and disposal of cases and judgments, of courts in India.
- E-Sewa Kendra: This E-Kendra is a service center for citizens in the apex court for availing and accessing different e-services related to the court and its procedure.
- Free –Wi-Fi and digital display: Free –Wi-Fi is accessible in the Supreme Court premises. This facilitates actual and effective adoption and usage of all the technological advancements that are being integrated in the daily functioning of the courts, as all of it actually relies on the availability of a proper internet connection.
Adding to this the courtrooms were upgraded with the touch of technology via the LED video wall displays in the courtrooms. - Online Appearance Portals: The Supreme Court launched the Advocate’s Online Appearance portal back in 2023 –for seamless access and conducting of virtual and digital courts.
All of these prominent initiatives work towards the integration of technology and digitization into the court’s functioning and usual legal procedures and hence, mark a walk in hand with the technological advancements brought in with the time. Even digital libraries have been integrated into the system which is available and accessible via usual web network and hence ensuring the availability of digital legal resources.
Advantages of Digital Libraries over Traditional Print Book Libraries: A Side-by-Side Comparison
| S. No. | Basis of Differentiation | Traditional Print Books | Digital Libraries |
| 1 | Keeping Knowledge Up-to-Date | Keeping knowledge up to date through print books basically would mean to physically buying new copies. | Subscribing to digital libraries would mean continuous access to legal updates, the latest commentaries, bare acts, and journals, and your knowledge remains up-to-date. |
| 3. | Expert Opinion at your disposal | There is limited access to expert opinions in printed books. | Includes access to a large variety of expert opinions through various
commentaries, and expert blogs or papers. |
| 4. | Availability | Printed books or physical copies are bulky and are not always at hand when required. The libraries and resource centers usually have limited working hours and resources. | Digital libraries can be effectively accessed 24×7, at the reader’s ease and with compact compatible devices. |
| 5. | Personalisation | Personalisation is limited to personal browsing and reading, taking notes, or buying physical copies. | Can be personalised through recommendations of users, saved preferences, search preferences, and other effective search tools e.g. bookmarks or annotations. |
| 6. | User Excerpts | Manual Copying, highlighting, and taking notes is difficult sometimes | It grants the user an option to copy, highlight, take notes, and then share the files electronically. |
| 7. | Environment friendly | Requires huge amounts of paper for printing of books and also requires physical space for storage. | No physical space and paper are required and this reduces reliance on paper and other related physical materials.
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| 8. | Ease of Research | Comparatively difficult and tedious due to individual browsing of the subject and/or the index provided in the book. | Digital libraries have powerful search engines and specific filters for enhanced research. These are backed by advanced research capabilities, which makes it comparatively easier. |
| 9. | Ease of carrying | Difficult to carry, transport, or store due to physical build, size, and weight. | You don’t need to carry physical copies as digital libraries give access to resources from any device with just an internet connection. |
| 10. | Updated | Cannot be updated and is dependent upon buying of a new updated print book. Moreover the updates and their physical availability are comparatively time taking. | Digital libraries and its resources can be updated readily. |
LexisNexis Digital Legal Library
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Commentaries eBook packages
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Commentaries + Bare Acts eBook packages
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- New commentaries and new editions of titles and bare acts are automatically added to the package.
Bare Acts eBook packages
- 9 packages as per practice area
- All digital bare acts package
- Access shared within 48 hours
- New editions of bare acts are automatically added in package.
Benefits of LexisNexis eBook packages:
- Freedom to choose packages as per practice area
- Get access to full year’s new titles and editions in the package
- Easy to cite in court
- Available on Desktop, iOS and Android
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Conclusion
The rise of digital libraries has truly transformed research in India. The Hon’ble Supreme Court has also embraced the new era of technology by giving access to the judgments through online portals and supporting the new era of digitization by opting for varied technological tools in its functioning. The digitization efforts are also receiving positive responses, as the e-Courts mobile app recorded a huge success with 1.88 crores downloads by June 30, 2023. With their features like affordability, time-saving functions, and regular & immediate updates, digital libraries have made legal information more accessible to everyone, in the field, be it experts, academicians, or students. As we progress further into the era of technology, digital libraries will remain crucial in influencing the realm of legal research and application in India promoting creativity, trust, and ease of access. Thus, it is time for you to adapt and adopt and match the needs of the changing times.