E-Library Adds Volumes

By Lauren Barack -- School Library Journal, 9/1/2005

Florida’s K–12 schools now have access to a host of free resources, thanks to the Florida Electronic Library, an online collection sponsored by the state. A total of 12 new databases from Thomson Gale are accessible free of charge, including online encyclopedias, books, and periodicals. Previously, only those schools that had subscribed to the search tools could use them.

“Small counties where there are less than 20,000 people were not able to afford [database access] for their students,” says Judi Ring, Florida’s state librarian. “So now that playing field has been equalized.” Twenty-six of Florida’s 67 school districts had subscribed to some of the databases that they will now get for free. Thomson Gale has agreed to credit those schools for the unused subscription. Leon County, for example, will save $250,000 a year.

Many Floridians already had use of the databases at public libraries and universities. Public schools will now be included in that group by having the IP addresses of their on-site computers registered with Thomson Gale. Launched in December 2003 through a grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Florida Electronic Library continues to expand its offerings. In October, the library will launch a Google-like search program, says Ring. “Demand for library services and electronic database searches across Florida is so great,” she says. “You can have computers but if you don’t have any information to access, they are no good.”