LawLibTech

Intraclips are free to set up and can be used to track new content from a variety of sources including newspapers, business magazines, and recent state and federal cases. You select the database and create the search, then you can choose to display the current search results on your Intranet (html or xml), and/or receive a list of results via email. A charge of $2.75 per document is incurred when you click through to the full-text of an item listed on the clip. Intraclips are very similar to Westclips, but offer the additional Intranet, and now RSS options.

To create an Intraclip visit West's Integration Solutions. You will, of course, need a Westlaw user id. I use the Internet interface. After creating your search, select RSS under "Format". Once you've completed the setup, you'll see the little orange RSS box next to the name of the clip in your clip directory.

If you'd like to see a sample RSS Intraclip, take a look at my public feeds on Bloglines. Just click on West Intraclip - KM. This Intraclip is set up to require a user id and client-matter number for full-text articles. There are other options including transparent authentication, in other words, a password is not required for users within your network. Check with your Westlaw rep for more info.

Is there a huge demand for RSS? Probably not right now, but the demand is growing quickly. It makes sense to anticipate the need sooner rather than later. Email is becoming problematic as a delivery mechanism, and RSS is an exciting alternative.