Online subscription legal materials are an increasing mainstay of legal research. The Office of State Courts Administrator is in a position to provide effective assistance in purchasing legal research subscriptions because it provides the courts' legal opinions to online vendors. The state courts administrator has successfully reduced subscription rates for the courts.
The state courts administrator could help state and local government agencies get better rates by becoming a principal partner in negotiating the state contract for online legal research subscription rates.
A new state contract should be awarded as soon as possible to take advantage of increased competition between online research companies. The Department of Legal Affairs and the Department of State should collaborate with the state courts administrator to ensure that appropriate options are developed to meet the needs of key legal users.
The Department of Management Services should help government agencies ensure accurate billing by posting statewide subscription use and rate information. The department should also ensure that new subscription options and prices for each vendor are clearly described and accessible to facilitate comparison shopping by government agencies.
View Report