Category: New on Clicklaw

Clicklaw Wikibooks: An experiment in born-digital publishing

New on Clicklaw

Earlier this year, we launched our first Clicklaw wikibook, Legal Help for British Columbians. A wikibook is a born-digital book, created collaboratively on a wiki platform. By turning this popular Guide into a wikibook, we hoped to make it more accessible, easier to update, and more versatile than its previous print-first format would allow.

In the first six months, we’ve seen that use of the wiki version of the Guide is 20 times greater than use of the previous online version of the Guide (a PDF generated from the print-ready file). We’re impressed with the way multiple contributors and reviewers can effectively collaborate on the wiki platform. And through our Courthouse Libraries BC LawMatters program, we provided public libraries across BC with printed copies of the Guide that were assembled directly from the wiki pages. So far, so good.

This slide presentation “Clicklaw Wikibooks” summarizes our experiment in born-digital publishing.

Guide to the New BC Family Law Act

New on Clicklaw

On March 18, 2013 a whole new Family Law Act will come into force in British Columbia. The new Act overhauls the BC family law system and brings with it many changes. Among the more sweeping changes are a greater focus on the child, emphasis on settling matters out of court, how property is dealt with on marriage breakdown, and new rules about when a guardian wants to move with a child. The Legal Services Society has published an excellent guidebook that summarizes the highlights of the new Act in approachable, plain language format. See the Guide to the New BC Family Law Act.