November 21, 2016

Hi,

The databases that are available on OSLIS are provided through the State Library’s Statewide Database Licensing Program, and related decisions are guided by the Statewide Database Licensing Advisory Committee (SDLAC). The current contract with Gale Cengage Learning runs through July 31, 2018. As a state agency, the State Library is required to put out a request for proposal (RFP) for large contracts. In anticipation of that, the SDLAC is gathering feedback from constituents and considering RFP components. For more details, see the Libs-Or announcement.

On a related note, SDLAC recently chose to purchase access to 36 STEM eBooks in Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL). See the 9/12 and 9/26 OSLIST postings for more information about that. Now Oregonians have access to over 300 eBooks in GVRL. The complete list of available GVRL eBooks has been updated to include information about the audience (Adult, College/Academic, Elementary, Middle School, High School) and a short annotation for each title. You can also sort and filter by each column. Additionally, MARC record sets are now available by audience.

Because the list of GVRL titles and the MARC records are accessed in two different places, I added a document to the Gale folder in the OSLIS Digital Repository: www.bit.ly/oslis-resources (original URL). “GVRL STEM Titles: MARC Records & Annotated List” offers background information and explains how to access the eBooks, the list, and the MARC records.

There’s also a factsheet about the different types of eBooks that are available in Gale databases, besides those in GVRL, with access and MARC record information. “Gale Database eBooks & MARC Records” includes examples of the content and different ways eBooks can display in GVRL, National Geographic Kids, Kids InfoBits, and Student Resources in Context. The eBooks are a mix of nonfiction and reference books.

Questions? Please ask.

Thanks,
Jen

Jennifer Maurer
School Library Consultant
Oregon State Library