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Columbus (Release Date)¾Students, teachers, business owners, researchers, and all Ohio residents regardless of their location, age, education or economic status now have free and instant access to thousands of electronic publications and resources through the Ohio Web Library (www.ohioweblibrary.org).
This online resource is made possible through Libraries Connect Ohio (LCO), a partnership of Ohio libraries and library organizations working together to provide a core collection of information resources and library services to all Ohioans.
“The Ohio Web Library is a cooperative effort among public, school, and academic libraries to ensure that all Ohioans have access to a consistent set of online resources that can be used at school, at work, at the library, and at home,” said Jo Budler, State Librarian of Ohio.
The Ohio Web Library provides one convenient portal to numerous electronic publications and research resources including popular magazines, trade publications, research journals, newspapers from Ohio and the nation, encyclopedias, dictionaries, speeches, poems, plays, maps and even satellite images of Ohio.
A student preparing for college entrance exams can take practice tests online, a business owner can read full text articles from newspapers across the world, and any Ohio resident can have a full set of encyclopedias at their disposal all through the Ohio Web Library. By providing these resources statewide, the Ohio Web Library supports quality education, a skilled workforce, business growth, and lifelong learning in Ohio.
The Ohio Web Library is funded by a Library Services and Technology Act Grant (LSTA) administered through the State Library of Ohio, which provides $1 million per year until June 30, 2008. In addition, the three LCO library networks—INFOhio, OhioLINK and OPLIN—provide an additional $2.9 million in funds each year to purchase resources.
The Ohio Web Library developed by Libraries Connect Ohio is a collaborative effort of the Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO), INFOhio (The Virtual Network for Ohio’s Schools), Ohio Educational Library Media Association (OELMA), Ohio Library Council (OLC), Ohio Library and Information Network (OhioLINK), Ohio Public Library and Information Network (OPLIN), and the State Library of Ohio (StLO). -30-