Call It Research Linking, TOC Linking ... or "How I Learned to Love URLs"
By Danielle Francis
So … how many of you have had this conversation?
Associate: I can’t find volume three of (X) Matthew Bender® treatise on the shelf. Can you help me?
Librarian: Unfortunately that volume has been missing for a couple of days. I can inter-library loan it for you or you can get it on LexisNexis.
Associate: I need it right away, so I’ll use it online. Where is it on LexisNexis?
Librarian: Well you click on (X) Area of Law, then on Treatises and Analytical Materials, then…
Instead … wouldn’t it be nice to say: Since it is used so often, there is a direct link to that title on your practice area portal page and on our online catalog.
The LexisNexis services have so many wonderful resources that they have to be organized in layered groups, and that can sometimes mean several clicks to get to the resource you need. But you use some titles more often than others, and there is a quick and easy way to create direct links to them.
TOC Linking, sometimes referred to as Research Linking, is a preference available through www.lexis.com, but you must turn it on. To turn it on, go to the Preferences link at the top of the main www.lexis.com menu screen. Under the Enhanced Table of Contents Display subhead, check Show TOC Linking Icons.
Now when you are viewing the enhanced Table of Contents (TOC) of any title, you will see this icon (“i”) following each section, and you are ready to begin!
Go to one of your most used titles on www.lexis.com, for example, Bender’s Federal Practice Forms. (Hint: To browse the TOC, click the Browse TOC link next to the SEARCH button in the Search form that displays when you select that source.) Here are three, easy steps to adding a direct link to this title on your catalog—or to any other electronic document, e-mail or intranet page).
1. Click on the “i” icon next to the first section of the TOC. A dialog box will open with a URL, an explanation of the URL components, and a link for more help in using the feature.
2. Under the URL, click the COPY TO CLIPBOARD button.
3. Choose where you want the link to appear, go to Edit on your toolbar and click Paste. Voila! When users click the link, they moved to the lexis.com® log-on screen. Once they sign in, the LexisNexis services open directly to the TOC of the specified title.
Some links are long, but like any URL you can edit its appearance using the Hyperlink Editor in the application you are using (CTRL K if you are in Microsoft Word).
Since Bender’s Federal Practice Forms is used by attorneys in multiple practice areas, you can place the link in as many places as you require. And TOC Linking also give you the ability to get more specific, if you choose. For example, if you are adding a link on the Bankruptcy practice area page, you can link directly to Official Forms in Bankruptcy by clicking the “i” icon next to that section header. Or you can even link directly to Form 7 Statement of Financial Affairs.
This service is also great for Law School Library Research Pages or course pages. And, if you want to get fancy, you can create actual searches or search forms using these URLs. For more information, click the Research Linking link that appears at the bottom of menu pages at www.lexis.com Or call your LexisNexis Librarian Relations Consultant. (You can also call LexisNexis® Customer Support at 800-543-6862.)
