The National Center for State Courts' Court Information Web Site: CourTopics

Abstract

In 2002 the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) launched its Court Information Web site, a content-rich collection of knowledge directed toward the state justice com munity. One of the most comprehensive compilations of state court information in the world, this one-of-a-kind Web site is a product of the Center's unique position in the state court arena. CourTopics, as it was later named, provides a specific port of entry to knowledge and information resources the NCSC retains that can help courts in their mis sion to better serve the public and operate more effectively. CourTopics was made possible by the melding of two prominent NCSC resources funded by the State Justice Institute. In 2000 the Information Service and the Technology Information Service merged into Knowledge and Information Services (KIS). KIS staff are the content managers of CourTopics and for over thirty years have responded to requests for information from the justice community in over 125 court related topic areas. Now these information specialists are transferring this knowledge onto CourTopics. The collection consists of 125 topics arranged into 18 major subject areas. Each topic features an Overview, a Resource Guide or Bibliography, NCSC documents that can be opened in PDF format, and a Frequently Asked Questions section. Many of the topics also include lists of what is happening in the states relevant to the topic. To make this a one-stop shopping forum for those seeking information about court issues, other NCSC divisions contribute their resources, as well. For example, the Research Division provides materials from their projects and publications, such as juries, public trust and confidence, trial court performance standards, statistics, court interpretation, and family issues. The Institute of Court Management contributes their course descriptions and Court Executive Development Program papers. Court Consulting Services offers sum maries of their recent projects, while Technology Services supplies content about their work on functional standards and electronic filing, as well as presentations from Court Technology Conferences. The Government Relations Office provides Issues Briefs on relevant concerns for courts in Congress, and the International Division brings a world wide flavor to the Web site.