Abstract
In this essay, James S. Heller examines the consolidation of legal publishing in the digital age and its implications for access to legal information. Drawing an analogy to Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, Heller warns that a small number of publishers now dominate the legal information landscape, shifting access from ownership to licensing. He traces the historical shift from print to digital, noting that law school libraries have moved from allocating 10% of their materials budgets to digital resources a decade ago to approximately 33% today, with digital content becoming indispensable. The article highlights the consequences of corporate mergers and acquisitions, the diminishing presence of independent publishers, and the resulting concentration of legal information in the hands of a few dominant vendors. While acknowledging the benefits of academic discounts and partnerships, Heller underscores the risks of an information environment governed by restrictive licensing rather than broad access. The essay ultimately argues that the “post-print” world is rapidly approaching, and with it, the need for librarians, educators, and legal professionals to critically examine issues of access, affordability, and control in the digital legal information marketplace.
Document Type
Article
Publication Information
Law Technology News 11-13 (June 2012)
Repository Citation
Heller, James S., "The Hunger Games" (2012). Library Staff Publications. 79.
https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/libpubs/79