Finding aid for the Ohio Bar Automated Research (OBAR) Papers

History of OBAR

A group of Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) members began investigating computer assisted legal research technology in the mid 1960s, subsequently forming a nonprofit subsidiary in 1967, the Ohio Bar Automated Research (OBAR), to develop a computer assisted legal research system for Ohio lawyers. OBAR contracted with Data Corporation, an Ohio based company specializing in information retrieval, to create the service. Essentially Data Corporation would provide the technology development while OBAR would raise funds, market, and administer the service (also called OBAR); both entities were to divide sales revenues. Computer assisted legal research proved feasible; but response time, communication protocol, and other issues were problematic. More funding was necessary to solve technical issues, but both OBAR and Data Corporation had constraints about committing to additional funding.

Unexpectedly, U.S. based Mead Corporation acquired Data Central as a wholly owned subsidiary in 1969. Initially interested in Data Corporation's scanning technology, Mead became interested in the automated search service developed by OBAR and Data Corporation. Mead's market research indicated that while a market for online research existed, the existing database required substantial rebuilding. Deciding to go forward with developing an online system, Mead formed a new subsidiary, Mead Data Central (MDC), to concentrate solely on a nationwide automated legal research system. During the next few years Mead invested millions of dollars in the redevelopment of the database, although OBAR's early concept for a full text, interactive system remained.

By 1971, points of tension developed in OBAR and MDC's non-profit/commercial joint venture, but OBAR continued to promote the system, while MDC handled the business and technical aspects. In 1971 OBAR sold its proprietary interests to Mead Data Central, receiving ten years of royalty payments in return. The system was not yet generating revenue, so OBAR borrowed against "future" royalty payments to meet its administrative costs. Although OBAR was not formally a part of MDC after 1971, over the next few years OBAR actively promoted test marketing and training of the second-generation OBAR system, publicly unveiled as "LEXIS" in April 1973. During the full ten year contractual period with MDC (1971-81), OBAR continued to promote and provide assistance for the system. In fact, as late as 1989, OBAR President Robert Asman received significant subscription waiver charges in return for continuing to promote the LEXIS service (C34, Apr. 24, 1989). OBAR's role in the development of what is now a huge international legal service (MDC sold its interests to Reed-Elsevier in 1994) was substantial.

Case Western Reserve University Law School was recognized by Mead Data Central as the first law school to use the LEXIS system on a regular basis. See Spencer Neth, Computerized Legal Research in the Law Schools: the Case Western Reserve Experience, 28 Journal of Legal Education 553 (1977) -- "In November of 1971, Case Western Reserve Law School moved into a handsome new building complex. Awaiting our arrival and located in a room set aside for that purpose was a computer terminal connected to the OBAR computerized legal research system. CWRU thus became the first law school in the United States to have a computerized legal research system permanently installed." In a footnote Spencer adds that "Professor Arthur R. Miller at the University of Michigan and later at Harvard University and a few other law school professors previously had OBAR terminals on a temporary, experimental basis."

PLEASE NOTE: Due to technical difficulties with the date display in the following chronology list, dates have temporarily been moved to the event column.

Much of the history above is derived from William G. Harrington, "A Brief History of Computer-Assisted Legal Research", 77 L. Lib. J. 543 (1984-85).

Scope and Content

A collection of various internal and external records (minutes, correspondence, customer files, financial and technical reports, etc.) documenting the history of the Ohio State Bar Association's (OSBA) non-profit subsidiary, the Ohio Bar Automated Research (OBAR) Corporation, and its automated legal research system that subsequently evolved into LEXIS-NEXIS.

As noted below, some parts of the collection are more robust than others. Plans include digitization of selected series and files for optimal access to researchers.

Trustee meetings (M Series) are among the most complete of the archive (1967-1983) and document the history of the organization and its online legal research service from OBAR's formation as a non-profit affiliate of the Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA), to contracting with Data Corporation for database development, through Mead Corporation's subsequent acquisition of Data Corporation. Materials include OBAR Reports to the Fellows of the Ohio State Bar (annual reports) filed accordingly with the meeting date they were reported in. However, for ease of access, the Annual Reports are duplicated and collectively maintained in Operational Series Files (O17).

Correspondence (C Series) informs on all OBAR matters (contractual agreements, database information, public terminal issues, public relations, sales and marketing, meetings, etc.). In-coming and out-going communications are integrated and arranged chronologically.

Operations (O Series) contain a variety of administrative materials covering general OBAR operations, including policies and contracts, organizational documents and internal employer files. Original organizational documents include OBAR's Appointment of Agent (O10), and Vendors License (O12). Of interest is the Service Mark Application with the OBAR logo (O11) of a reel to reel magnetic tape, a version of which was represented on early Lexis brochures.

Fiscal Records (F Series) are limited in scope, containing only random years of many financial reports. However, Bond Holder Reports (F4) and Bond Series files (F5-F7) convey fairly well the debenture bond structure that provided initial funding for OBAR), and Audit Reports F3) are informative as well.

Database material (D Series) is organized into two groups: market surveys and reports, and technical material. Reports cover a variety of topics and include market surveys, database evaluation, etc. The A. D. Little Survey (D1) indicated sufficient Ohio market support to warrant Mead's investment in computer research. Technical information is interesting for a variety of reasons - "Computer Message Reports" (D14, D15) illustrate the development of command terms, "User Guides II" (D21) files document drafting stages of a particular user guide, System Change Orders (D12) and Program Progress Reports (D13) illustrate technical development stages of OBAR I. Interesting as well is the occasional photo illustrating modifications in user equipment as the database developed.

Promotions and Outreach (P Series) material includes advertisements, photos, articles and presentations on OBAR. Articles by key OBAR personnel (e.g., William Harrington) are quite informative on the organization's history, database development, and technical detail. Included in this series is a reprint of a law review article purporting to be the "first instance of actual use of machine research in a law review article" (P3), carried out via the "Horty" system at the University of Pittsburgh's Health Law Center. An early innovator in the field of computer assisted research, Horty's system served as an inspiration and model for the early OBAR system.

Subscriber (S Series) information includes a variety of subscriber information (agreements, irregularity reports, correspondence). Of particular interest are the Squire, Sanders, and Dempsey (S76 - S78) files. SSD attorneys William F. Preston and Richard M. McGonigal were actively involved in all aspects of the OBAR organization; the firm may have been OBAR's first subscriber. Inquiry files (general requests for information) document the wide range of interest, local to international, in OBAR. Inquiry files are organized by Ohio inquiries, out of state inquiries, and out of country inquires; files therein are arranged chronologically.

External Meetings (Series N) include ephemera of conferences OBAR and/or Mead Data Central staff attended to promote and/or demonstrate the database.

Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

Collection is open for research. Please call in advance to arrange appointment. Copies of OBAR cancelled checks (F27, F27A) may be accessed but original cancelled checks (F27B) are restricted.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Organizations/Corporations:

Custodial History

OBAR records were originally collected and maintained by the OBAR organization. Later, Robert Asman,in his capacity as the President of OBAR (1971-), maintained the collection.

Preferred Citation

The Ohio Bar Automated Research (OBAR) Archives. Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Judge Ben C. Green Law Library.

Acquisition Information

Robert Asman donated the OBAR collection to Kathleen Carrick (Director, Law Library) in 1991. Kathleen Carrick donated the material to Case Law Library to maintain as an archive in 1992. Although Asman and Carrick began initial research for a book on OBAR's history, Asman died in 1998 before a book was realized.

Processing Information:

Coordinator; Organization, Cataloging, & Finding Aid: Deborah Dennison

Preservation: Cheryl Lewis

EAD processing: Rosanna Masley

Consultant: Andrew Dorchak

File labels: SaraJean Petite

Photography (including DAO): Martin Raska, Robert Ma

Student Assistants: Rosy Ebel, Ellen Sunderland

Bibliography

Refer to Publications and Outreach (P Series) for articles and presentations on OBAR. Additional sources of relevant information about OBAR and other automated research systems:

Detailed Description of The Collection