While at the university library yesterday, talking to one of the reference librarians, I discovered something that made my day.
It turns out that all citizens of Ohio have free access to a large pool of research databases, via Ohio Web Library. All you have to do is enter your public library card number, and then you get access to a large number of research databases. I have access to more via my university account right now, but the offerings from Ohio Web Library shouldn’t be ignored, either. Here are some of the things available:
- Encyclopaedia Britannica Online.
- Academic Search Premier. Academic Search Premier is an excellent source of scholarly journals in all academic disciplines. More than 8,000 journals are indexed and full text is provided for more than 4500. Most are peer reviewed. Searchable cited references are provided for selected titles.
- Oxford Reference Online – All Subjects. Dictionaries, thesaureses, reference works for politics, history, religion – this site is a treasure trove of goodies. I was, however, slightly let down to find that the Concise Oxford English Dictionary is available – not the regular version. Oh well.
- AccessScience
Based on what the Ohio Web Library page says, they’re far from being done with the project, so I’m sure Ohioans will see some more great resources added to it.
While I was quite happy about discovering this, I have to admit: I was also a little peeved. Why wasn’t this program publicized more? Apparently, it’s been around for quite a few years, and I still knew nothing about it. Considering how great a resource it is, Ohio could have gone to a little more trouble in letting citizens know. Perhaps I’m making too much of it, though. Admittedly, being into history, languages, and a dozen other “scholarly” topics (not to imply I’m a scholar – I’m not!), I’m probably more excited about the project than most people would be.
* By the way, I suppose I should clarify – this isn’t free; it’s paid for by Ohio tax dollars. When I say free, I mean you don’t have to pay anything when you access the resources.
Neat. On the other hand, who (other than another Ohian) cares?
Or would that be “Ohioan?” lol
Who else would care? No one, really.
But I’m from Ohio, and it’s my blog, so.. well, there you have it. 
And it’s Ohioan, not Ohian.
Thanks for clearing that up for me. Now I can sleep well tonight!
Not a problem! I’m always glad to help expand your intellectual horizons!
To be fair though, a lot of Ohioans would pronounce it “Ohians”, or perhaps “Ohi-uhns.”