Different "treatment" is bad enough, but I have found to my horror that in
several instances the substance of the report is just plain wrong (Shepard's
print/CD/Lexis may not agree as to subsequent history and/or treatment).
This is not merely a matter of the online version being more current. For
example, I checked a 1995 N.M. Court of Appeals case on the CD and the
report said there were "no citing references." In fact, the decision had
been reversed in 1996. Shepard's on Lexis.com had the correct information.
God knows what was in the print version. This is but one of several
examples that I have stumbled upon where there are serious errors in direct
or indirect history.
I do not have so charitable a reaction as yours to Lexis's response in
supplying a table. I'd like to know why "Shepard's" isn't "Shepard's" no
matter what format or medium (allowing, of course, for greater currency
online)! We have paid a great deal for a CD product that, it seems, simply
cannot be relied on. I too am investigating the cost of abandoning the CD
product in favor of online access. If we were to do that, I strongly
suspect that our online business would go elsewhere than Lexis.com. Rather
a shame that the venerable name of Shepard's, once the gold standard in
citators, has become so tarnished (in my mind, at least).
Pamela M. Dempsey
Head Librarian
Rodey, Dickason, Sloan, Akin & Robb, P.A.
P.O. Box 1888
Albuquerque, NM 87103
Voice: (505) 768-7348
Fax: (505) 768-7395
pmdempse@rodey.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Judy Helms [mailto:Judy.Helms@co.travis.tx.us]
Sent: Friday, June 01, 2001 3:08 PM
To: law-lib@ucdavis.edu
Subject: Re: Inconsistent coverage by Shepard's Citations on CD and
Lexis.com
I was surprised and disturbed to learn this week that a case's treatment
by Shepard's on CD-ROM may differ significantly from its treatment by
Lexis.com Shepard's. For example, 777 F. Supp. 445 shows a green light on
the CD. The same case Shepardized on Lexis.com shows a red stop sign.
This disturbed me so much that I chose 35 cases at random and compared
their treatment by the two products. Of the 35 cases, 5 showed differing
treatment. This is 14% of the cases!
Lexis confirmed that, yes, there are differences, and supplied me with a
table describing the differences in detail. Their prompt response and
helpfulness impressed me. It showed excellent customer service by Lexis.
As a result of this, my manager is crunching numbers to determine if she
can replace the CD's with Lexis.com passwords.
If you want a list of the cases I searched or a copy of the table Lexis
sent me, you can email me directly at judy.helms@co.travis.tx.us.
Judy Helms
Ref. Librarian
Travis County Law Library
Austin, Texas 78701
(512)473-9045
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