January 23-28, 2009
2009 ALA Midwinter Meeting, Denver, CO

In the spirit of the season, the Cooperative Purchasing Program decided to create a list of online databases that dazzled us in 2008. Naturally we always take in consideration important criteria like quality of information, depth and breadth of information, ease of use, and price when choosing the vendors we represent, however our list really isn't derived from these criteria. Instead, this list features databases that made us (and our members) say, "Wow!" If you aren't familiar with these, they are definitely worth taking a look at.

We present then, in alphabetical order, a sampling of what we consider Don't Miss Databases of 2008.

Credo Reference
Even before Credo Reference received the highest rating in LJ's annual reference issue, this database had a lot going for it. As LJ states, "the simple search field on the front page belies the sheer volume and quality of information in Credo Reference…"and we agree.

In addition to the 360 reference sources containing over 3 million entries, Credo really wows users with its multimedia capabilities. You need to see it for yourself ... really.

CultureGrams from ProQuest
This database is akin to the "Little Engine That Could"in that it is a powerhouse of information yet simple enough for the elementary/middle school crowd. Complete with a video gallery, lots of audio clips, AND an affordable price tag, CultureGrams is a great fit for schools and public libraries.

Global Issues in Context from Gale
Due to hit the street any day, Global Issues in Context is a database suitable for virtually any library type: school, public or academic. Its uniqueness lies in its truly global perspective on information. Users can learn about the situation in Darfur by reading a Chinese newspaper. They can read an African's perspective on the problem of world hunger. Take a look at the link below for a great overview of Global Issues in Context link.

Global Road Warrior from World Trade Press
With a hip name and tons of information, Global Road Warrior appeals to seasoned travelers or neophytes alike wanting to expand their knowledge of a country's customs, history, language and culture. A favorite of ours is the "Society and Culture"section that features recipes indigenous to each country. Global Road Warrior is a great complement to a public or academic library's collection.

Novelist Plus from EBSCO
It's everything Novelist has Plus non-fiction titles, book covers, and descriptions. What could be better?

Teen Health and Wellness from Rosen Publishing
Written in a teen-friendly vernacular, Teen Health and Wellness fills the void of mental and physical health information available specifically for teens. With remote access available with every subscription, preteen and teens can search for answers they want privately ... on practically every health topic you can think of. School Library Journal says THW is "Ground-breaking... (and) receives an A+... a definite must-have for all high school and public libraries." We wholeheartedly agree.

All of these databases qualify for discounted pricing to WiLS members. Please contact Sara Gold at 608-265-4167 or sgold@wils.wisc.edu for more information or a customized price quote.

EBSCO

EBSCOhost databases are the most-used, premium online information resources for tens of thousands of institutions worldwide, representing millions of end-users.

EBSCO has served the library industry for more than 60 years. By placing customers at the core of our business, we have tapped their ingenuity to assist us in developing the high quality products and services for which EBSCO is known. We continue to work to identify new challenges and combine technology with data to meet the information needs of our customers worldwide.

Our new interface, EBSCOhost 2.0 is now available! Based upon results gathered from extensive user testing, EBSCOhost 2.0 offers a clean new look and feel, for a technologically sophisticated, yet familiar search experience, with the built-in flexibility to provide individual user customization options.

EBSCOhost databases are available to impaired users requirin screen-readers or using keyboard controls, and exceed levels of 508 accessibility compliance.

Being an environmentally-conscious company has long been a guiding directive of EBSCO Publishing. EBSCO has always tried to implement new initiatives that help the company operate in a more efficient and environmentally-sound manner. Free access to EBSCO's GreenFILE database is available to the public.

Products for Public Libraries November 14th-December 15th Please contact Sara Gold, sgold@wils.wisc.edu for trial access information.

Name:  Lysa Burns
Please call me:  Lysa (pr. "leesa")

What I do:  I work with Cheryl & Sara at WiLS to offer free trials & great pricing for EBSCOhost databases for all WiLS members!

Who I do it for and for how long: I've been with EBSCO Publishing, working specifically with academic libraries, for almost 4 years.

Why I like working for EBSCO: EBSCO Publishing offers a very positive work environment.  We help each other out, we smile & say "Hi"& "Good morning"to each other, maybe share a joke or two and, hopefully, that positive attitude is felt by our customers as well!

The EBSCO database/product I am most excited about and why is: I really like our new interface- especially the addition of thousands of images!  I think the new scroll over feature to quickly view results on the results list also saves a lot of time (no need to toggle back and forth).  

Something most people don't know about me is: I own 3 dogs and a big fat cat and my husband is a certified dog trainer.  He runs a doggy daycare and dog boarding business out of our house.  We've grown very close to many of our four-legged guests! 

I am currently reading: Tim Dorsey's "Orange Crush"(the third in a series).  I read a lot and like a variety of genres.  I just finished "Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude"by Ann Vanderhoof, a colorful and sometimes tasty (with recipes thrown in here & there) sailing travelogue that was wonderful escapism.  The satire and bite of "Orange Crush"is a good contrast!

You can reach me at: 800-653-2726x2524

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Staff Profile

The WiLS staff is pleased to welcome aboard  Angela Milock, our new ILL research intern. Angela will be working in the interlibrary loan department and her main duties will be overseeing our scanning, document delivery, and RapidILL operations.

Angela received her undergraduate degree from UW-Parkside with a major in English and graduated from UW-Madison's School of Library and Information Studies with an MLS degree last May.  While in library school she volunteered at the LGBT center and worked as a student assistant in the biology and journalism reading room libraries and the Digital Collection Center.  She was also co-chair of the Jail Library Group (which recently celebrated its fifteenth anniversary) that provides reading material to inmates at the Dane County jail.

In her spare time Angela likes reading young adult literature and crocheting.  And earlier this week she and her husband received word that their offer on a house on Madison's north side was accepted so they will shortly be new homeowners!

Angela can be reached by email at amilock@wils.wisc.edu. 

            - Bob Shaw

Digitization on Demand
WiLS ILL Services is proud to announce a new service — Digitization on Demand. We have set up a system for institutions around the world to be able to submit requests either via ILL or through a web form to have complete works within Special Collections" digitized. The outcome of the project would be that patrons who would not be able to get access to specialized research materials would get access, and the University of Wisconsin would get a preservation copy of the work for furthering accessibility to items previously unviewed and untapped by average library users. This would fill a role of "on demand" preservation scanning that the university currently does not have. Many requests for materials in the special collections already come through the normal ILL channels WiLS maintains at this point so obtaining these types of requests will be second nature. From there the staff will pull, scan, and send the work to the requesting institution, and the UWDCG will coordinate the preservation metadata and hosting of the digitized preservation piece.

We are very excited about this joint venture with the University of Wisconsin. It will provide more works for educational purposes now and into the future. WiLS sees this as just a small but important step at again meeting the Wisconsin Idea — we are trying to improve the standard of living for the citizens of the state and world.

--Eric Robinson

Resource Sharing Round Table
Are any of these a significant part of your job?
• resource sharing
• interlibrary loan
• document delivery

If so consider joining the Resource Sharing Round Table (RSRT) when sending in your WLA dues this month. As part of your basic membership, you are allowed to choose two sections/round tables to join. For more information about the RSRT see the WLA home page and the October newsletter.

--Bob Shaw

Reference Service News: Reference and Loan Fall Meeting Review
Tuesday November 18th, I attended the Reference and Loan Fall Reference Meeting for Public Library Systems and Resource Libraries.

We started off with a discussion of the COLAND Visioning Summit. Among the many issues raised community involvement was discussed at our meeting. The suggestion was made that a librarian should be at council meetings to share information. This has had some success when it has been tried. The problem is staffing allocation, time and money. The Ward study showing $4.06 returning to the community for every $1.00 spent on libraries was also mentioned. It was agreed that we need to do more to communicate our value to those who pay for our service. More outreach needs to be done, expecially to job centers, considering the present economy. This is a crisis/opportunity moment.

Most of us are using AskAway, and are pleased with the software. The problem, if there is one, is finding time for staff to monitor AskAway. It was agreed that we are serving those who might not have reached us otherwise. Numbers are up. Even those who resisted Chat Reference at first are now convinced.

In the afternoon there were presentations about CCIC (Child Care Information Center) Geneaology, and Wisconsin State Government resources. Each of these had excellent handouts, which I am sure R&L would be happy to share with any who requested them.

--Fran Metcalf

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Mark your calendars and plan to join your CONTENTdm colleagues at Purdue University Wednesday-Friday, March 18-20, 2009 for the Midwest CONTENTdm Users Group 4th Annual Meeting.

Learn about new features from OCLC staff and hear from your fellow CONTENTdm users. Networking opportunities will be available during the Users Group meeting.

Two half-day pre-conference sessions will be offered on March 18, 2009. Session one will be on copyright issues by attorney Donna Ferullo from Purdue University. The other will be a hands-on session by Geri Ingram from OCLC discussing new features in CONTENTdm 5.

This meeting is being organized by the Midwest CONTENTdm Planning Committee and supported by OCLC and Regional Service Providers in the Midwest.

To register or submit a proposal, go to www.lib.purdue.edu/mug.

Please plan to attend this premier CONTENTdm event. For more information, contact Carl Snow, Purdue University (1-765-494-2764 or csnow@purdue.edu) or Brad Faust, Ball State University (1-765-285-8032 or bfaust@bsu.edu).

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For complete OCLC news, see the OCLC news archive.
WiLS members may find these articles of particular interest.

OCLC Members Council met in Dublin, Ohio, October 19-21, to discuss similarities and differences in libraries around the world, continue planning a transition to a Global Council and Regional Councils to extend OCLC participation, and elect a council delegate to the OCLC Board of Trustees. View report