This comparative study discusses whether selected foreign countries -- Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and the Federal Republic of Germany -- have a history of a movement toward the establishment of a national information center. The author examines the development of existing law libraries and libraries with large legal collections, analyzes the role played by the national library of each country, and describes some cooperative accomplishments at the regional and national level. Comparisons are drawn with what is expected of a national legal information center in the United States.