The promise of the Internet is free information available at the touch of a button wherever you are connected. The reality is businesses need to make money, especially on the Wild Wild Web, and paywalls are a constant obstacle for attorneys and self-represented litigants trying to find relevant and accurate legal information. In the constant struggle to find a balance between the interests of the governed to have access to the law and the economic interests of those who publish the law, the latter often carries the most weight. However, recent enhancements to the Texas State Law Library's Digital Collection have made progress toward making legal information freely available for all Texans.
As detailed in the April 2016 issue of Texas Bar Journal, the Texas State Law Library has done a tremendous amount of work in the past few years to expand its Digital Collection and bring legal research materials within reach of all Texans. New resources, including eBooks from Matthew Bender and Nolo Press, and databases from Fastcase and HeinOnline, make previously-unavailable resources accessible remotely via the Internet. The only requirement is that the user sign up for a library card, which can also be accomplished remotely through the digital portal. By expanding access to these valuable legal resource, the Texas State Law Library has done an impressive job of making legal information more widely available and expanding access to justice for all Texans.
To see all of the new content from the Texas State Law Library, visit their Digital Collection page and read about the expand of the library's digital collection in the April 2016 issue of Texas Bar Journal. If you need access to a computer for legal research or would like assistance using online legal resources, visit the Harris County Law Library in downtown Houston.