[OPLINLIST] Changes to statewide databases (July 1)

[Stephen Hedges]

Last Thursday the State Library of Ohio Board approved a $1,467,414
federal Institute of Museum and Library Services LSTA grant request
from Libraries Connect Ohio (LCO). The LCO partners include OPLIN,
OhioLINK, INFOhio, and the State Library. The grant will fund the
first year of an intended five year renewal to purchase databases
for the Ohio Web Library. As a result, the selection of databases in
the Ohio Web Library (what some may think of as "OPLIN" databases)
will be changing on July 1.

The request for continuing LSTA funding was a good opportunity to
review the selection of databases in the Ohio Web Library and make
changes to provide high quality and relevant databases at good
prices in the collection. A task force of fifteen librarians and
additional staff members from OPLIN, INFOhio, OhioLINK, and the
State Library convened this winter to select those resources that
best serve the interests of the LCO community. The work of the task
force demonstrates support for our long term goal to fund a broad
and robust Ohio Web Library collection.

You can see the complete list of changes at
http://oplin.org/new.php. You should keep these changes in mind as
you plan your own database purchases and review the databases
available through OHIONET's Public Library Database Preview
(http://ohionet.org/ref2008_preview.php).

Here are the major items to note:
- Access Science will be replaced, starting July 1, with Facts on
File's Science Online.
- Encyclopedia Britannica will be replaced, starting July 1, with
World Book.
- Wilson Biographies Plus Illustrated will be upgraded to Wilson
Biography Reference Bank. American National Biography will not be
continued.
- Learning Express Library will be upgraded to include the Learn2
package of computer tutorials.

Other Ohio Web Library databases will continue as before. Again, the
complete list of changes is at http://oplin.org/new.php

If you have any questions about the changes to the databases, please
contact OPLIN Support:
Phone: 1-888-966-7546
E-mail: support at oplin.org
Web: http://support.oplin.org/

-- 
Stephen Hedges, Executive Director
Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN)
2323 W. 5th Avenue, Suite 130
Columbus, Ohio  43204
614-728-5250    AIM: hedgesst