John,
I think that taking online searching classes is very important, regardless of
which databases you use. Lexis and Westlaw are not all there is, and there
are other ways of searching. Dialog is good because of the diversity of
databases, and because it teaches you skills that Westlaw and Lexis don't
require.
I searched Westlaw and Lexis first as a law student and a lawyer, but it was
really when I learned Dialog in library school and then used it on the job
that I became a good searcher. Interestingly enough, these skills transferred
back to my Lexis/Westlaw searches.
Good luck in library school.
--Bryan M. Carson
Bryan M. Carson, J.D., M.I.L.S.
Coordinator of Reference and Instructional Services
Western Kentucky University Libraries
1 Big Red Way
Bowling Green, Kentucky 42101
Phone: 270-745-5007
Fax: 270-745-2275
bryan.carson@wku.edu
John Altmeyer wrote:
>
> How important is it to have a class about Dialog? I am an MLS
> student. I have a law degree, and I have worked doing legal research
> for 9 years. My goal is to be a law librarian.
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