Virtual Reference Library

A Follow-up to My Posts on Digital Libraries

For those of you who have been following my blog posts about digital libraries, I came across this article today on THE Journal website. It discusses a virtual reference library that has been made available to all Texas students. To see the full article with comments, please go to All Texas Public Schools Get Virtual Reference Libraries, Historic Archives.

Texas Public Schools Get Virtual Reference Libraries, Historic Archives

• By David Nagel
• 05/13/14

Beginning in mid-June, more than 9,000 schools in Texas will have free access to a virtual reference library and other resources, including two historic primary source archives from Adam Matthew Digital and 16 collections from Gale.

According to information released by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, the resources will be free to schools through the 2014–2015 school year, after which access will require schools to pay at a rate of $0.22 per pupil, should the choose to continue their subscriptions. The deal was made possible through funding from the Texas state legislature, which allowed TSL to reinstate the statewide program.

The resources include Adam Matthew’s The American West and American Indian Histories and Cultures; and Gale’s Student Resources in Context, GreenR, Literature Resource Center, Health & Wellness Resource Center, Gale Virtual Reference Library, InfoTrac Newsstand, National Geographic Kids, ¡Informe!, Opposing Viewpoints in Context, Kids InfoBits, Academic OneFile, Scribner Writers Series, Educator’s Reference Complete, Student Resource Center Junior, General OneFile and Twayne’s Authors Series.

Schools will be able to apply for free access beginning this month.

Additional details for Texas schools can be found on TSL’s site.

To see comments made on David’s article, please visit: All Texas Public Schools Get Virtual Reference Libraries, Historic Archives

A Digital Library - Part One

A Digital Library for Education – What and Why?

Given the increased acceptance of online education, having access to electronic versions of library materials and services facilitates the learning process and addresses the mobile needs of learners. A digital library provides a central access point for those resources that are similar to ones found in a traditional library such as books, papers, journals, magazines, audio sources, video productions, and web-based materials. With the variety and volume of content, the digital resources are often locally managed through a common interface such as a custom website, but are delivered from an assortment of cloud-based services. Because these are available through the Internet, the electronic resources are available through devices such as personal computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. 

Traditional Library

With this occurring within the realm of electronic networks, new approaches beyond the traditional library can be integrated into the fabric of the educational environment. Connections can be created between digital libraries, other digital repositories, and learning management systems. This online storehouse is capable of distributing educational information to a great number of primary, secondary and higher education students across geographic, economic, and cultural boundaries.

For the digital learner, social media can be tied in with the library to create an engaging and enriching social aspect. This and other educational technologies can be used to create sharing and collaborative efforts between students, which is one of the cornerstones of 21st Century Learning. It also enables the teacher to have multiple students make simultaneous use of a single resource such as a publication or video. 

e-Reader

On the logistical front, digital libraries can allow services to be made available to a greater number of individuals at a lower per patron cost than traditional libraries. The preservation and storage of existing and future acquisitions becomes more easily and readily possible. An electronic system also tackles issues concerning the collection and retrieval of the exponentially increasing global knowledge base. Digital libraries remove the concerns and expense of non-returned materials, damaged books, checking-out /checking-in, theft, and following up with patrons.

A Digital Library for Education, Part II will outline what is involved in creating a digital library. 

Reflection Point: The very existence of libraries affords the best evidence that we may yet have hope for the future of man. ~T.S. Eliot