HeinOnline ( HOL ) is a commercial internet database service launched in 2000 by William S. Hein & Co. (WSH Co), a Buffalo, New York publisher specializing in legal materials. The company was founded in Buffalo, New York, in 1961, and is currently based in nearby Getzville, New York . In 2013, WSH Co. was the 33rd largest private company in western New York, with revenues of around $ 33 million and more than seventy employees.
52-572: HeinOnline is a source for traditional legal materials (reported cases, statutes, government regulations, academic law reviews, commercially produced law journals and magazines, and classic treatises), historical, governmental, and political documents, legislative debates, legislative and executive branch reports, world constitutions, international treaties, and reports and other documents of international organizations. The database includes more than 192 million pages of materials "in an online, fully searchable, image-based format". In 2001, HeinOnline received
104-525: A Law Library Journal essay titled "The Educational Background of the University's Law Librarian" where he advocated college, library school, and law school degrees for new law librarians. In 1953, Bitner, along with Miles O. Price, authored Effective Legal Research . This work updated and advanced many of the themes first presented in Hick's Materials and Methods of Legal Research . As president, Bitner
156-815: A federal agency and published in the Federal Register are ultimately reorganized by topic or subject matter and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), which is updated quarterly. The Federal Register is compiled by the Office of the Federal Register (within the National Archives and Records Administration ) and is printed by the Government Publishing Office . There are no copyright restrictions on
208-509: A new application programming interface (API) to facilitate programmatic access to the Federal Register content. The API is fully RESTful , utilizing the HATEOAS architecture with results delivered in the JSON format. Details are available at the developers page and Ruby and Python client libraries are available. In addition to purchasing printed copies or subscriptions, the contents of
260-428: A proposed rule and provides notice of any public meetings where a proposed rule will be discussed. The public comments are considered by the issuing government agency , and the text of a final rule along with a discussion of the comments is published in the Federal Register . Any agency proposing a rule in the Federal Register must provide contact information for people and organizations interested in making comments to
312-664: A strong position against the Federal Register Modernization Act (H.R. 4195; 113th Congress) , a bill that would require the Federal Register to be published (e.g., by electronic means), rather than printed, and that documents in the Federal Register be made available for sale or distribution to the public in published form. AALL argued that the bill "undermines" citizens' "right to be informed" by making it more difficult for "citizens to find their government's regulations." According to AALL,
364-441: A survey found that 72% of all law firms subscribed to HeinOnline. The author of this article noted that "Academic law libraries quickly embraced HeinOnline in its early years" but expressed "surprise" by "the popularity of HeinOnline in law firms, at 72%." The explanation for this unexpected survey result rested on economic considerations interwoven with HOL's content: "as law firms reduced office space dedicated to print collections,
416-426: A survey of law librarians ranked HeinOnline as one of the three most popular "subscription databases" among law libraries throughout the world. This survey ranked HOL just behind the much larger and more highly capitalized Westlaw and LexisNexis . According to this survey, conducted by a London-based law librarian, "These top three easily dominated the subscription database market across all major law libraries, across
468-521: A survey they conducted "revealed that members of the public, librarians, researchers, students, attorneys, and small business owners continue to rely on the print" version of the Federal Register . AALL also argued that the lack of print versions of the Federal Register and CFR would mean the 15 percent of Americans who don't use the internet would lose their access to that material. The American Association of Law Libraries has been supporting free access to Pacer information for decades. In February 2019
520-556: Is a "robust legal research portal and discovery platform" that "provides multiple starting points for legal researchers to access more specific legal topics because secondary sources, such as journal articles and chapters in monographs, are cross-linked with primary sources. . . ." In 2016, Hein launched "Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture, & Law." Unlike other Hein products, access to this on-line collection
572-440: Is an indispensable tool in many research arsenals, providing access to current must-haves as well as historical obscurities." Odenwald described HeinOnline as "a cornucopia of legal research treasures". In this review he also noted the "oft-repeated drawback to Hein is the lack of editorial enhancements like those on LexisNexis and Westlaw" such as its lack of "annotated codes, case law summaries nor formal legal citation services." At
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#1732798710354624-545: Is completely free, and available to anyone in the world simply by registering at: Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law It contains virtually every reported state and federal case on slavery, every state and federal case on slavery, and more than 1,250 books and pamphlets dating from the eighteenth century to the present. Many of the items have introductions by the General Editor of
676-487: Is published as a special edition of the Federal Register . Its focus is on programs and activities. Each daily issue of the printed Federal Register is organized into four categories: Citations from the Federal Register are [volume] FR [page number] ([date]), e.g. , 71 FR 24924 (April 7, 2006). The final rules promulgated by a federal agency and published in the Federal Register are ultimately reorganized by topic or subject matter and re-published (or "codified") in
728-514: Is significant since many similar databases do not provide full texts of even all U.S. Supreme Court reports, and keyboarded texts of opinions also often do not include italics and other typeface distinctions found in opinions, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries. Furthermore, because nothing in Hein has been keyboarded, no typographical errors have been introduced into the text. In addition to publishing new books and other materials, Hein has become
780-417: The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), which is updated annually. Copies of the Federal Register may be obtained from the U.S. Government Publishing Office. Most law libraries associated with an American Bar Association -accredited law school will also have a set, as will federal depository libraries . The Federal Register has been available online since 1994. Federal depository libraries within
832-588: The Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals , an index providing multilingual coverage of foreign, international, and comparative legal journals. Federal Register The Federal Register ( FR or sometimes Fed. Reg. ) is the official journal of the federal government of the United States that contains government agency rules, proposed rules, and public notices. It is published every weekday, except on federal holidays . The final rules promulgated by
884-410: The Federal Register , including sparklines of agency activity and maps of current rules, but is no longer available. On July 25, 2010, the Federal Register 2.0 website went live. The new website is a collaboration between the developers who created GovPulse.us, the Government Publishing Office and the National Archives and Records Administration . On August 1, 2011, the Federal Register announced
936-405: The Federal Register ; as a work of the U.S. government , it is in the public domain . The Federal Register provides a means for the government to announce to the public changes to government requirements, policies, and guidance. Both proposed and final government rules are published in the Federal Register . A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (or "NPRM") typically requests public comment on
988-511: The H.W. Wilson Company in April 1912, and the company assumed business management duties of the Index in 1914. The AALL publishes a monthly eNewsletter, as well as periodic eBriefings. Many current AALL publications, such as AALL Biennial Salary Survey , AALL Price Index for Legal Publications , and Guide to Fair Business Practices are focused on law librarianship advocacy. AALL also produces
1040-720: The League of Nations ) and modern international organizations (such as the United Nations). HOL has placed online, in word-searchable format, virtually all known historical legal periodicals in English. The Chief Law Librarian at a major Canadian law school referred to this project as "the epic work of HeinOnline". Among its collections, HOL has a full run of the complete reports in PDF form of all U.S. federal statutes, all U.S. Supreme Court reports, lower federal court reports, reports of
1092-531: The AALL Hall of Fame in 2010. Daniel faced significant discrimination, with AALL staff frequently expressing resentment at his requests for equal accommodations in travel and lodging in attending conferences throughout the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Harry Bitner (1916–2001), who served as president for 1963–1964, helped elevate the position of law librarian from an under-educated service position to today's highly skilled specialists. Bitner outlined his thoughts in
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#17327987103541144-1025: The AALL joined with 15 organization and signed a letter calling for passage of H.R. 6714 the Electronic Records Reform Act. In addition to requiring free access to the federal dockets and documents, the legislation directs the Administrative Office of the US Courts to consolidate the Case Management/Electronic Case Files system into a single system. Additionally this year the AALL joined the American Civil Liberties Union and several other organizations on an amicus brief in response to National Veterans Legal Services Program et al v. United States of America supporting
1196-606: The AALL was Arthur James Small (1869–1937), who was elected at the association's formation on July 2, 1906. Small was a law librarian at the Iowa State Library, and it was his idea to create an organization separate from the American Library Association specifically for law librarianship. Small never graduated high school or attended college, yet he successfully served the Iowa State Library for over forty years. Frederick C. Hicks (1875–1956)
1248-759: The Cook County Law Library and other local law libraries." As a journalist noted in writing a history of HOL, the online product has allowed all libraries to cope with "the over burgeoning shelf space devoted to law reviews". In a 2017 "Peer Review" of HeinOnline, in Connections, the official publication of the Association of Independent Information Professionals, Dan Odenwald, of Capstone Information Services & Consulting, noted that "With material dating to 13th century English Law Reports through contemporary American statutes and commentary, Hein
1300-486: The Federal Register and every law review ever published in the United States allowed their firms to discard bound volumes, reduce subscriptions to some materials, and at the same time reduce the need to order materials on inter-library loan. The director of the library at one of the largest firms in Chicago noted, "We cancelled subscriptions, got rid of the bound volumes, and reduced the amount of borrowings we needed to do at
1352-611: The Law Book Industry , the Copyright Act of 1976 , and the 1972 and 1978 amendments to Title 44 of the United States Code . In 2013, AALL's Government Relations Office staff, along with local chapters and AALL members, held the first Local Advocate Lobby Day. This event consists of visits to House and Senate offices to raise the profile of information policy issues pertinent to the AALL. AALL took
1404-696: The Middle East) HOL was tied with Lexis for second place behind Westlaw and in Europe HOL ranked third, behind Westlaw and Lexis. This suggests that the smaller HOL has as great a presence at home and nearly so in Europe and Asia as its much larger competitors, but that it has been less successful in penetrating markets in Africa, Latin America, Australia/New Zealand, and the Middle East. In 2010,
1456-627: The U.S. Customs Court, Tax Court Memorandum Decisions, and Board of Bankruptcy Courts. HOL contains all published debates in Congress, starting with the Annals of Congress in 1789 and is beginning to add published committee reports from Congress, executive branch reports, administrative law reports and decisions, all colonial and state statutes and reported cases, congressional hearings, and full runs of reports and documents from numerous federal agencies. Materials come from all English-speaking nations, but
1508-659: The U.S. also receive copies of the text, either in paper or microfiche format. Outside the U.S., some major libraries may also carry the Federal Register . As part of the Federal E-Government eRulemaking Initiative, the web site Regulations.gov was established in 2003 to enable easy public access to agency dockets on rulemaking projects including the published Federal Register document. The public can use Regulations.gov to access entire rulemaking dockets from participating Federal agencies to include providing on-line comments directly to those responsible for drafting
1560-504: The United States. AALL's mission is to promote and enhance the value of law libraries to the legal and public communities, to foster the profession of law librarianship , and to provide leadership in the field of legal information and information policy." AALL was founded in 1906. The American Association of Law Libraries' vision is to be a thriving professional association whose members and libraries – whether physical or virtual legal information services – are recognized as critical to
1612-523: The agencies and the agencies are required to address these concerns when it publishes its final rule on the subject. The notice and comment process, as outlined in the Administrative Procedure Act, gives the people a chance to participate in agency rulemaking . Publication of documents in the Federal Register also constitutes constructive notice , and its contents are judicially noticed . The United States Government Manual
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1664-562: The coveted "New Product Award", from the American Association of Law Libraries . Since then HOL has received this award two more times in recognition of new content libraries added to its constantly expanding database. In 2002, HOL was named as a "Best Commercial Website" by the International Association of Law Libraries. In 2007, EContent Magazine listed HOL among the hundred "companies that matter most in
1716-611: The database also includes a great deal of other foreign materials. These include the Israel Law Reports, the Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals (IFLP), materials from the European Centre for Minority Issues , "comprehensive coverage of student-run law reviews relating to Chinese law", and a Foreign and International Law Library. HeinOnline carries a number of sources which are otherwise unavailable from competing database products. For example, it has PDFs of scans of
1768-538: The database of law reviews had expanded to more than 800 journals. Starting in 2007, HOL provided full-text searchable access to "every 'flagship' law review published by an accredited U.S. law school." At the time of HeinOnline’s inception, Lexis and Westlaw did not offer access to older law reviews, but only to those published since the 1980s. Thus, HOL initially envisioned itself mainly as a historical archive, but this changed due to market demands by professors, scholars, and law librarians, who wanted access to HOL's scans of
1820-511: The digital content industry". The list "represents the best and the brightest digital content companies". More recently HOL's World's Constitutions Illustrated was named by Choice magazine as an "Outstanding Title" for 2010. A little more than a decade after HOL went live, a publication of the American Association of Law Libraries referred to it as a "groundbreaking product" and as "a leader in online legal literature". In 2013,
1872-407: The entire Federal Register, which is updated on a daily basis. Its library of law journal articles differs from competitors' star-paginated plain text versions. Because Hein uses PDFs, rather than keyboarded text, every document shows original pagination, punctuation, spelling and typesetting. However, as with any electronic product, there are occasional scanning errors. The use of fully searchable PDFs
1924-527: The ever-increasing breadth of HeinOnline's historical, and now more current, publications has made it a pragmatic and sound business investment." This analysis dovetailed with earlier explanations by law firm librarians. All materials on HeinOnline are available as downloadable and searchable PDFs of the original and complete documents. Unlike its major competitors, HOL does not keyboard the content of documents, cases, and statutes, but instead scans them with high-end optical scanning technology. This approach avoids
1976-488: The explosive growth in casebooks and legal literature. Hicks was also a major proponent of expanding the scope of the AALL's Law Library Journal . Prior to Hicks's input, the Journal mostly served as a depository for AALL committee reports. Hicks believed an expanded Journal could cover multiple aspects of law librarianship, ranging from scholarly articles to industry news. The first woman to be elected AALL president
2028-615: The idea that the First Amendment guarantees the public a right of access to judicial records through PACER. The case is currently before the United States Courts of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The primary publication produced by AALL is the quarterly Law Library Journal . In 1907, Frederick W. Schenk made the recommendation for both a quarterly journal and index. The Law Library Journal has been
2080-493: The introduction of typographical errors. In addition, other competitors often edit or delete cases and documents, or change pagination, formatting, and the use of various typefaces such as italics. Because of HOL's use of pdfs of all original documents, the materials appear exactly as they did in the original publication. HeinOnline initially focused on traditional legal materials. Indeed, when first released, HOL provided full online access to only 25 academic law reviews, but by 2006
2132-681: The library, slavery historian Paul Finkelman . Hein continues to add to the library every month. In March, 2017 an article in the official publication of the Association of Independent Information Professionals praised this new collection, noting "Hein also believes in corporate citizenship: In October 2016, it released its collection, Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law. Freely available to anyone with Internet access." The emergence of HeinOnline reflects trends in law librarianship as well as economic changes. In an interview setting, librarians at law firms noted that access to
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2184-600: The more recent journal issues as well, rather than the keyboarded version in Westlaw and Lexis. Even before HOL expanded to include all new law review issues, it was adding other material, starting with the Federal Register in 2002 and a Supreme Court library that included PDFs of all volumes of United States Reports . Significantly, Hein offered the full and complete version of all reported cases, while its competitors often provided truncated and edited versions, with changes in spelling or punctuation to reflect modern usage. This
2236-477: The official publication of AALL since 1908 and contains scholarly articles on law, legal materials, legal research, and librarianship. The AALL also produces a monthly magazine, The AALL Spectrum . Furthermore, the AALL was the first publisher of the Index to Legal Periodicals , including it with the Law Library Journal beginning in 1908. Printing of the Index to Legal Periodicals was passed to
2288-660: The publisher and the repository for a number of third parties. For example, Hein publishes the Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals (IFLP) for the American Association of Law Libraries . Most of the more than 500 periodicals indexed in IFLP are also available in full-text versions through HOL. In addition to traditional periodicals, the IFLP also provides index access to more than 50 collections of essays, conference proceedings, and festschriften. Some of these books are also available on HOL in full text. Chinese legal scholars praise HOL because it
2340-579: The rulemakings. To help federal agencies manage their dockets, the Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) was launched in 2005 and is the agency side of regulations.gov. In April 2009, Citation Technologies created a free, searchable website for Federal Register articles dating from 1996 to the present. GovPulse.us, a finalist in the Sunlight Foundation's Apps for America 2, provided a Web 2.0 interface to
2392-408: The same time, he praised Hein because "Search help and history are easily located; document printing and downloading are simple; and customer supports – training guides, webinars, live chat and toll-free hotlines – are ubiquitous." American Association of Law Libraries The American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) is a nonprofit educational organization with over 5,000 members across
2444-539: The success of their organizations and as central to society. AALL members possess the knowledge and skills to maintain effectiveness in a constantly changing legal environment. Since the ready availability of legal information is a necessary requirement for a just and democratic society , AALL and its members advocate and work toward fair and equitable access to authentic current and historic legal information, and educate and train library users to be knowledgeable and skilled legal information consumers. The first president of
2496-557: The world." They also "dominated University law school libraries". Significantly, among "Research Institute Libraries" HOL ranked first while the much larger Lexis and Westlaw dropped to third and fourth. HOL and Westlaw were tied for first among the most popular "subscription databases" in Public Libraries. Among North American law libraries HOL, Lexis and Westlaw were tied for the highest number of subscriptions, in Asia (excluding
2548-481: Was Rosamond Parma (1884–1946). She served two terms from 1930 to 1932. Parma was also the first law librarian for the University of California, serving as director of UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall library from 1911 to 1935. She also managed the California Law Review . A. Mercer Daniel was the first African-American member to be admitted to AALL in 1933, and was inducted into the inaugural class of
2600-411: Was another early president who greatly contributed to the AALL's vision. Hicks was a law librarian at both Yale and Columbia. In 1919, Hicks was first elected president of the AALL. He served two terms as president, 1919–1920 and 1920–1921. In 1923, Hicks authored Materials and Methods of Legal Research . Prior to the publication of this book, there were very few legal research texts keeping pace with
2652-1009: Was especially true for 19th century cases, which contained extensive lawyers' arguments in the U.S. Reports. These were often deleted in the Lexis and Westlaw versions, but are fully available on HOL. Libraries of Treaties and Agreements, legal classics, U.S. Statutes at Large, all Federal Regulations (including those that had been long superseded) were added by 2007, and more material including extensive state material followed. HeinOnline has now expanded to include reports and proceedings of federal, state, and local governments and agencies, modern books, non-academic law reviews and journals, current legal periodicals, foreign law reports and statutes, legislative and executive branch reports from foreign governments and NGOs, annual reports of numerous non-legal organizations (such as nineteenth-century antislavery societies, religious organizations, and medical societies), reports from historical international organizations (such as
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#17327987103542704-419: Was instrumental in establishing a permanent headquarters for the AALL. The AALL and its members have a long history of proactively influencing policy initiatives in the legal information field. The 1970s were the beginning of the modern era of AALL advocacy. This decade saw the association helping to provide input and shape several important policy issues such as the 1975 Federal Trade Commission's Guides for
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