Digital Rulebook And Casebook ...

[BillyMac]

Back in August, I sent a check for $35.00 to my state interscholastic spots governing body to cover the extension of my membership in the NFHS Officials Association. A few nights ago, I received my paper NFHS rulebook and casebook, as part of my IAABO "packet".

The problem is, I do not have access to a digital 2012-13 NFHS rulebook, or casebook. Every time I post a citation on the Forum I will have to type the entire citation, word for word, on my keyboard, and I'm not a very good typist.

Connecticut is a 100% IAABO basketball state, and, as such, basketball officials in the Land of Steady Habits do not belong to the NFHS Officials Association. Also, Connecticut is a state where, in order to become a NFHS Officials Association member, all officials of that sport must join, or none may join, thus, there are no individual members.

For the past several years, in order to gain access to the NFHS online basketball rulebook, and casebook, I've joined the NFHS Officials Association through my state interscholastic sports governing body I send them a check every year, and they put my name on the volleyball official's roster, even though I am not a volleyball official, giving me a working NFHS username, and password, allowing me access to all NFHS online rulebooks, and casebooks, specifically, basketball.

This has worked great, until last year. The NFHS partnered with ArbiterSports to provide members of the NFHS Officials Association with exclusive online benefits through the NFHS Central Hub.

I paid my dues to join the NFHS Officials Association, I have a working username, and password, but I am not a volleyball official, and my name is not on the Connecticut Arbiter volleyball roster, thus, I no longer had access to NFHS online rulebooks, and casebooks, basketball, or otherwise. I do have an Arbiter account, but it is for basketball, and as stated earlier, basketball officials in this state do not belong to the NFHS Officials Association.

Last year some very kind Forum members, who did have access to the ArbiterSports NFHS Central Hub, offered to email me PDF files of the NFHS rulebook, and casebook, so I was able to access these resources when posting on the Forum. I would tell you who those very kind Forum members were, but then I'd have to kill you.

I now understand that then NFHS is no longer making these PDF resources available to anyone, members, or nonmembers. I also understand that the NFHS is making these resources available to the public as applications on smartphones.

I don't own a smartphone. I just barely use my stupidphone. I wouldn't know an "app" if it punched me in the face. Even if I did own a smartphone, would this allow me access to the NFHS rulebook, and casebook, for use on my personal computer, or laptop, where I spend all of my time perusing, and responding to, the Forum?

Does this mean that I, and others like me, who have legal access to paper NFHS rulebooks and casebooks, and who have NFHS membership, will no longer have the ability to copy and paste (digitally speaking) citations into Forum threads, and posts?

What is a Forum member to do? Will somebody, who has the time, have to scan every page of the rulebook, and casebook, and digitally convert them into some type of digital document? There has to be a better way. Anybody have any ideas? If you do, either post them in this thread, or send me an Official Forum private message, and I will send you my real email address. Keep in mind that I have paid my NFHS Officials Association dues for the upcoming season, so I'm not looking for a free lunch.