One
of the newest features to the system is “ask us,” which gives
students the ability to ask questions while on OhioLINK, Klingler said.
The unique feature is that when a user sends a question, the system, which
supports close to 80 institutions, will direct the question to a librarian
at the local provider, like Kent. A feature that is just coming out is
a personal account at the Electronic Journal Center, Klingler said.
Through the account, the student can have the system search for an item without being online, and the results will be sent through e-mail. OhioLINK is also looking toward a chat room-based reference service, tentatively called “Ref-Chat,” Schloman said. The service will provide a forum for asking reference questions. Different librarians from different schools will tend the questions at different times. A site specific delivery service is currently in the works for users who may belong to one university but live closer to another, Klingler said.
They can have a book sent to the site they live closer to. So, if a Kent student who lives in Akron were to order a book, they could have it delivered to the Akron University library. A feature that is still in the conceptual stage, called “OLINK,” will allow students to search journals that OhioLINK does not subscribe to, but individual libraries do, Klingler said. OhioLINK will connect the user to the database, but it has to be able to verify the user as belonging to a member university. This “user authentication” is necessary in order for OhioLINK to enforce licensing restrictions on materials.
OhioLINK already has an authentication system so students and faculty can use OhioLINK from a remote location, Klingler said. OhioLINK uses the same PIN numbers as the KentLINK system. Students can create a PIN on the library Web-site, www.library.kent.edu, by clicking on “PIN number,” under “Remote access / online Services.” The PIN will give students access to the OhioLINK services from any computer they choose because it tells the system that the user belongs to one of the member universities.
The mission of OhioLINK is to continue improving its services, Gatten said. It has been on the cutting edge of delivering information. One of the biggest features is the Electronic Journal Center, which provides a clutch of journals through which students can get full-text articles. One of the newest features, which resembles the Electronic Journal Center, is the Digital Media Center, which provides non-text resources, Gatten said. The collection is still very eclectic and specialized because it is still just getting started.
“The Digital Media Center is the counterpart to the Electronic Journal Center,” Gatten said. “It is the same thing, but it delivers things like architecture slides--they just put up some videos of physics demonstrations--and the Sanborn Fire Insurance drawings,” which are old, large-scale street plans of cities in Ohio, including Kent. It also has LANDSAT 7 satellite images of Ohio.
OhioLINK also recently developed an online database for theses and dissertations by faculty of member institutions that can be in any form of media: print, audio or visual, Gatten said. In the last year and a half, OhioLINK has been experimenting with providing e-books, Gatten said. “One vendor went out of business, and one is having financial problems,” Gatten said. “OhioLINK is trying to make e-books available, but the marketplace won’t allow it. It is just not an economically feasible venture for them right now.”
Through the account, the student can have the system search for an item without being online, and the results will be sent through e-mail. OhioLINK is also looking toward a chat room-based reference service, tentatively called “Ref-Chat,” Schloman said. The service will provide a forum for asking reference questions. Different librarians from different schools will tend the questions at different times. A site specific delivery service is currently in the works for users who may belong to one university but live closer to another, Klingler said.
They can have a book sent to the site they live closer to. So, if a Kent student who lives in Akron were to order a book, they could have it delivered to the Akron University library. A feature that is still in the conceptual stage, called “OLINK,” will allow students to search journals that OhioLINK does not subscribe to, but individual libraries do, Klingler said. OhioLINK will connect the user to the database, but it has to be able to verify the user as belonging to a member university. This “user authentication” is necessary in order for OhioLINK to enforce licensing restrictions on materials.
OhioLINK already has an authentication system so students and faculty can use OhioLINK from a remote location, Klingler said. OhioLINK uses the same PIN numbers as the KentLINK system. Students can create a PIN on the library Web-site, www.library.kent.edu, by clicking on “PIN number,” under “Remote access / online Services.” The PIN will give students access to the OhioLINK services from any computer they choose because it tells the system that the user belongs to one of the member universities.
The mission of OhioLINK is to continue improving its services, Gatten said. It has been on the cutting edge of delivering information. One of the biggest features is the Electronic Journal Center, which provides a clutch of journals through which students can get full-text articles. One of the newest features, which resembles the Electronic Journal Center, is the Digital Media Center, which provides non-text resources, Gatten said. The collection is still very eclectic and specialized because it is still just getting started.
“The Digital Media Center is the counterpart to the Electronic Journal Center,” Gatten said. “It is the same thing, but it delivers things like architecture slides--they just put up some videos of physics demonstrations--and the Sanborn Fire Insurance drawings,” which are old, large-scale street plans of cities in Ohio, including Kent. It also has LANDSAT 7 satellite images of Ohio.
OhioLINK also recently developed an online database for theses and dissertations by faculty of member institutions that can be in any form of media: print, audio or visual, Gatten said. In the last year and a half, OhioLINK has been experimenting with providing e-books, Gatten said. “One vendor went out of business, and one is having financial problems,” Gatten said. “OhioLINK is trying to make e-books available, but the marketplace won’t allow it. It is just not an economically feasible venture for them right now.”
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