The U.S. Department of Justice established NCJRS in 1972 as a national and international service for exchanging information relating to criminal and juvenile justice. The clearinghouses now include more than 130,000 documents. In one recent 8-month period, NCJRS received and filled more than 52,000 requests for information. Mail, telephone, and fax are the conventional methods of requesting and receiving information. Six months ago, NIJ began operating NCJRS Online to make all its services and products available through computer networks throughout the world, at minimal cost to the countries and to NCJRS. Specific features of NCJRS Online include electronic mail (messaging, mailing lists, discussion forums, and a newsletter), electronic publishing of documents from NIJ and the Office of Justice Programs, and resource sharing. NCJRS Online also enables users to find and electronically travel to other Internet sites. NCJRS Online represents the beginning of a worldwide justice library without walls and the joining of information repositories to reduce crime and improve criminal justice systems around the world. In building NCJRS Online, NIJ is cooperating with many other organizations, including all institutes affiliated with the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch, and stands ready to assist other organizations as well.