BarBooks™ Frequently Asked Questions

The Help & FAQ page for BarBooks™ is a work in progress. If you have a question that is not answered here, please email support@osbar.org and we will help you out, and probably add your question and the answer to the Help FAQ page.



Q. How do I search?
A. You can search all books in the library, or just selected books, by using the search feature as follows:

Search examples

apple pie and pear
apple pie or pear
apple pie w/5 pear
apple not w/12 pear
apple and not pear
wildcard w/5 match*
variable:4 and weights:7


Q. Can I download individual forms?
A. Yes. When viewing a form online, you will have the option to download the form. Click on either "MSWord format" or "WordPerfect format" in the navigation bar under the OSB Legal Publications logo. Click on the version you want to download and follow the instructions in the File Download dialog box.

Most forms are linked from the individual chapter outlines for the chapters they are associated with. However, some books have a special set up. For example, to download the forms for Documentation of Real Estate Transactions, you must click on the link that says “Table of Forms (DOWNLOAD FORMS)” to get to the downloadable version of the forms.


Q. Nothing happens when I try to download a form. Whats wrong?
A. If a File Download dialog box does not open when you click on either "MSWord format" or "WordPerfect format", you may need to adjust your browser options to allow file downloads.

In Internet Explorer, the Information Bar may be blocking your download. Click on the Information Bar at the top of the screen and select Download File. To allow the File Download dialog box to open automatically:

  1. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
  2. On the Security tab, click Custom Level.
  3. To turn off the Information Bar for file downloads, in the Downloads section of the list, under Automatic prompting for file downloads, click Enable.

Q. Can I download all the forms for a particular book at one time?
A. No. However, you can purchase the print book at 40% off the retail price and get all the forms on disk.


Q. How do I copy and paste text from a section?
A. To copy and paste text from a section, highlight the desired text, then type "control c" or click your right mouse button on the highlighted text and select "copy." Your text is now on the clipboard and ready to paste into a document or primary law research tool.

To paste the text in the clipboard, click your right mouse button and select "paste" or type "control v." The text will be inserted into your document with all formatting intact.


Q. Can I print an entire chapter?
A. No. Unfortunately, the BarBooks™ online library is not set up to view or print books by chapter. The site was designed to view by section rather than chapter because of the faster loading times of smaller sections. Since many of our users use dial-up connections or other connections that would make downloading large chapter-sized documents very slow and difficult, we opted to program the site using smaller section-sized documents. This also provides for more targeted search results.


Q. Can I print a section?
A. Yes. When viewing a section click on "Print Page" located in the top right corner of your browser screen. This will allow you to print the entire section you are viewing.

You cannot use this function to print a highlighted portion of a section. To do this, copy and paste the text into a separate document and print that document.

You can also print your search results or your history session.



Q. Can I save my research?
A. Yes. You can save your favorite sections, chapters, or books with the Bookmarks feature. Simply click on "Bookmarks" while you are viewing a section, chapter outline, or book table of contents and add it to your favorites list. To later retrieve your favorite click on "Bookmarks" from the homepage to go to your Bookmarks page.

You can also save a favorite search query. Simply click on "Bookmarks" while viewing your search results and the search query will be saved to your favorite searches list. Retrieve your search results by going to the Bookmarks page.

In addition, you can always print individual sections to save a hard copy of your research. Simply click on "Print Page" to print a section.


Q. I viewed something while researching today and didn't save it. Is there a way I can easily find it?
A. Yes. The "History" feature keeps track of every section you view during a research session. Click "History" from any screen to access a list of the sections you have viewed. This History will only be retained until you log off or your session expires.


Q. Does the online database link to primary law?
A. Not at this time, but we are hoping to add this feature in the future. For now, there is a link to the primary law research tools from the home page, which will open the research tool of your choice in a separate window. You can then copy and paste any citation into the primary law research tool.


Q. How often will the online database be updated?
A. Every time a print book is released, revised, or supplemented. The department does not have sufficient staff at this time to update more frequently.


Q. How many books are included in the online database?
A. 43 or 47, depending on whether you count each volume of Advising Oregon Businesses separately.


Q. How much does a subscription to the online database cost?
A. That depends on what type of organization you are in. The pricing structure is as follows: Oregon-based sole practitioners, law firms, corporate legal departments, district attorney offices, governmental legal departments, and the state judiciary will be charged based on the number of Oregon licensed attorneys in the firm or office, as follows:

Price Level Number of Oregon Attorneys in Firm One-Year Subscription Fee
801 1 $395
802 2 $595
803 3-5 $795
804 6-9 $995
805 10-19 $1,395
806 20-29 $1,695
807 30-49 $2,495
808 50-99 $3,995
809 100-150 $4,995
810 Each Additional
10 Attorneys
$295


County and state law libraries and educational institution law libraries will be charged based on the library's county service area population, and without regard to whether the library is within or without the State of Oregon, as follows:

County Service Area Population One-Year Subscription Fee
0 to 19,999 $395
20,000 to 49,999 $695
50,000 to 99,999 $1,395
100,000 to 299,999 $1,695
300,000 to 800,000 $1,995
800,000+ $2,995


Q. Will I have to pay full price for print books if I am an online subscriber?
A. No. All BarBooks™ subscribers will be allowed to purchase print copies of any Legal Publication at a 40% discount. This discount can be combined with the 10% early-bird discount that is offered on all books when they are first released.


Q. Can I have my paralegal, legal assistant, law clerk, or secretary access the database using my login and password?
A. Yes. Your access will be subject to a license agreement that will allow for support staff to access the online database on behalf of each attorney in the firm. We can also issue separate logins and passwords for support staff that will need to frequently access BarBooks™. Simply send an email with the names and email addresses of all support staff that you want to have their own login and password to lkruschke@osbar.org.


Q. Do I have to give the bar my email address to be able to access BarBooks™?
A. The bar needs at least one email address for the firm administrator for contact purposes. Each individual firm member does not need to provide an email address. However, if we do not have an email address for a member of the firm, we will have to send important BarBooks™ related correspondence, including their password, via regular mail. This could delay their access to the online library and delay receipt of other important information regarding BarBooks™ updates.


Q. What are the terms of use for my BarBooks™ subscription?
A. If you are a sole practitioner, law firm, corporate legal department, district attorney office, or governmental legal department, click here to view the License Agreement that governs your use of BarBooks™.

If you are a law library, click here to view the License Agreement that governs your use of BarBooks™.


Q. One of the members of my firm cannot access our BarBooks™ account even though his or her directory listing indicates they are with the firm. What do we do?
A. The most likely problem is that the firm member is not “connected” to the firm in the OSB database, but instead simply put the firm name and address in their directory listing. To fix this problem, the firm member who cannot access BarBooks™ should follow these steps:

  1. Go to www.osbar.org and log in on the Member Login page. (If they do not have a password,
    there is a link to have a password emailed to them.)
  2. Once logged in, click on “Change Your Address.”
  3. Scroll down to the button that says “Change Firm Connection.” Click on that button.
  4. In the search window that comes up, search for the firm name, and follow the instructions
    to create a connection to the firm.
  5. Wait 48 hours for the BarBooks™ website to upload the new contact information from the OSB database.

If this does not work, a call to the OSB may be necessary.


Q. How do I log out of BarBooks™?
When you are in BarBooks™ you are in part of the members only part of the bar’s website. To log out of BarBooks™ you must log out of this members only system. Click on the OSB Legal Publications logo in the top left corner of your browser to return to the Member Login page and click on the Logout button in the top right corner.


Q. What should I do if I find a missing section or broken link in the BarBooks™ database?
You should email the information to support@osbar.org and we will get it fixed as quickly as possible.