Project DIAL Report - 1.4. Structure of this Report

1.4. Structure of this Report

The potential and problems of legal research on the Internet are first discussed (Chapter 2), including an outline of the current range and future potential of the `world law library' on the Internet, and an analysis of why it is difficult to find legal information on the Internet with the research tools available at present. This analysis suggests the types of facilities that it would be valuable to develop for Project DIAL. The `demand side' of Project DIAL is then addressed (Chapter 3), including an account of the extent of access to the Internet in the Bank's DMCs generally, and the seven countries selected for a sample study in particular. An assessment is made of the legal information needs of the project's main intended audience (`legislative personnel') in the seven sample countries, and the extent to which the proposed DIAL facilities could meet those needs. Impediments to access are described, and suggestions made as to how they could be addressed.

Chapters 4-7 give a detailed account of the Project DIAL prototype, the reasons behind its design, and how it could be developed further into a permanent facility which would facilitate world-wide legal research that would meet the needs of DIAL's intended audiences.

The Report concludes with an analysis of the institutional structures and financial and other resources which would be required in order to make Project DIAL a permanent, sustainable facility.

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