What did lawyers rely on before online research platforms, practice management software, and digital CLE programs?
For generations, attorneys turned to practice manuals, committee reports, conference proceedings, directories, and professional guidance published by organizations like the American Bar Association. These resources helped legal professionals navigate emerging issues, understand evolving standards, and stay informed about developments across the profession.
Yet many of these materials have remained surprisingly difficult to access. Some existed only in print. Others were preserved through microfiche collections. Researchers often had to know exactly what they were looking for and where to find it.
Today, those materials are available in a new way.
The new ABA Law Library Collection: Books & Practice Materials Archive brings together nearly 150 years of American Bar Association publishing in a fully searchable digital archive. The collection represents the culmination of decades of preservation work by Hein, which served as the ABA’s official microfiche distributor and helped safeguard thousands of publications that might otherwise have become inaccessible.
Now, for the first time, researchers can explore this archive online through HeinOnline.
A Record of the Legal Profession
For nearly 150 years, the American Bar Association has helped shape the legal profession through its work in legal education, ethics, policy development, and professional standards. Along the way, it produced thousands of publications documenting not only the law itself, but how legal professionals understood, interpreted, and practiced it.
The ABA Law Library Collection: Books & Practice Materials Archive captures that history in one place. At launch, the collection includes more than 5,700 titles, 6,100 volumes, and 1.8 million pages of content.
Additional materials are currently being digitized, with the archive expected to grow to nearly 9,000 titles by November 2026. Approximately 150 titles will be added per year, with a two-year embargo applied to newly published materials.
These materials complement traditional legal research sources by providing context that is often difficult to find in case law, statutes, and scholarly journals alone.
A researcher examining the evolution of legal ethics, labor law, or law practice management can now trace those developments through decades of ABA publications.
They show not just what the law was, but how legal professionals understood and applied it.
Practice Manuals &
Handbooks
Access practical guidance through manuals, handbooks, and legal resources supporting practitioners across diverse practice areas.
Reports &
Organizational Records
Explore committee reports, directories, yearbooks, and internal ABA publications documenting decades of legal history.
CLE &
Conference Materials
Support continuing education with CLE materials, conference proceedings, speeches, and policy-focused professional resources.
Built for Discovery
The archive was designed with researchers and librarians in mind.
Subscribers receive the complete associated MARC records for integration into library catalogs, making the collection easier to discover and manage. Researchers can search by author, title, subject, ABA section, or full text, combining traditional cataloging practices with modern search capabilities.
Libraries also receive ongoing MARC record maintenance and monthly notifications as new records are added to the collection.
Note: MARC records are included with your purchase and available upon request. Records are expected to be available in Fall 2026.
Organized by Practice Area.
The collection is organized by subject and official ABA sections, making it easy to explore materials the way legal professionals do.
- Antitrust Law
- Bankruptcy
- Civil Procedure
- Criminal Justice
- Environmental Law
- Estate Planning & Trusts
- Family Law
- Intellectual Property
- Taxation
- + Thousands More Subjects
- Section of Antitrust Law
- Section of Business Law
- Section of Criminal Justice
- Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources
- Section of Family Law
- Section of Intellectual Property Law
- Section of International Law
- Section of Labor and Employment Law
- Section of Law Practice Management
- + Thousands More Sections & Committees
A Special Acknowledgment
The creation of this archive would not have been possible without the contributions of Alan Keely, retired Associate Director for Collection Services at Wake Forest Law Library.
Alan authored the MARC records for the original microfiche archive and was an early advocate for transforming the collection into a digital library. His expertise, persistence, and commitment to discoverability helped make these important resources accessible to a new generation of researchers.
A Complete View of ABA Publishing
The Books & Practice Materials Archive complements HeinOnline’s existing ABA Law Library Collection: Periodicals, allowing institutions to provide access to both scholarly analysis and practical legal guidance.
Together, the two collections provide a more complete view of the ABA’s publishing history, from scholarly analysis to practical guidance.
Limited-Time Savings
Eligible institutions may qualify for multiple introductory discounts, with savings totaling up to 25%.
10% Off
Database Bundle
Discounts
Initial Purchase Discount (10%)
Current subscribers to ABA Law Library Collection: Periodicals receive a 10% discount when purchasing the Books & Practice Materials Archive.
Customers who purchase both the ABA Periodicals and the Books & Practice Materials Archive receive this discount on the total price of their initial order.
AND
Perpetual Renewal Discount (10%)
Customers receive a perpetual discount on the Books & Practice Materials Archive while both ABA database subscriptions remain active.
10% Off
Additional
Discount
ABA Fiche Subscribers
Initial Purchase Discount (10%)
Current and former ABA fiche subscribers from the past 10 years receive this additional discount toward their initial purchase. This discount is not valid toward future renewals.
5% Off
Additional
Discount
Early Subscribers
Initial Purchase Discount (5%)
The first 50 subscribing institutions receive this additional discount toward their initial purchase. This discount is not valid toward future renewals.