The LTRC conducted an e-mail survey of 160 US law schools in May 2001. One technology person - information technology director, library director, or dean - was identified at each school to receive the 5 question survey. Seventy-nine law schools responded to the survey.

Wireless in the Law School

Less than half of all law schools responding to the survey currently had 802.11b wireless local area networks (LAN) installed. Most respondents who had wireless LANs had them in both the law school buildings and the law library. Ten percent of respondents had wireless technology only in their law libraries while six percent had wireless technology only in the law school buildings.

 

Planning for Wireless

Respondents were also asked about technology on their campus, excluding the law school and library. Over half of the law schools responding did not have wireless technology in the law school or law library. Nearly half of these law schools indicated that they not only had no wireless technology in the law school but also that there was no wireless technology anywhere on their campus. Sixty-eight percent of law schools had no wireless technology anywhere on their university campus. The remainder had some wireless technology elsewhere on campus, outside the law school and library. Nearly half of these law schools have plans to purchase wireless LAN technology within the next 12 months.

Law schools with wireless on their campus appear more likely to purchase wireless than if they didn't have wireless on their campus. Over 70% of law schools with wireless elsewhere on campus, but not in the law school or library, were planning to purchase wireless technology within the next 12 months. Only 36% of law schools on campuses without any wireless technology had plans to purchase a wireless LAN in the next 12 months.

More Wireless LAN resources.