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Making the Impossible Possible: Stories from OhioLINK Users & Librarians

Students, faculty, staff members and librarians explain, in their own words, why they value OhioLINK. If you have a story to share, please let us know.

Updated: July 2009

OhioLINK Helps Students Complete Projects and Papers

Kristina Carver, 2008 Graduate, Mount Vernon Nazarene University

“I’ve been using OhioLINK for several years now and it has really helped me to complete research papers and lesson plans. It has even helped me find books which I want to read, but can’t often buy. The best thing about OhioLINK is it offers a great place for students to get those hard to find or costly books for research projects or everyday classes.”

Southern State Uses DRC to Preserve Appalachian Heritage

Louis Mays, Librarian/Professor, Southern State Community College

“The Digital Resources Commons at Southern State Community College began with a collaborative effort to digitize the American Indian Heritage project’s annual poster collection. Our future plan is to continue preserving our local Appalachian heritage in southern Ohio and to include images of the local area that encourage tourism. Our small library can’t afford the type of server storage space required for a project of this type, so we are very grateful to OhioLINK and the DRC for their efforts to include us. The DRC has been a great asset to our college.”

OhioLINK Provides Access to World-Class Information Resources

Marian Simonson, Systems Medical Librarian, Cleveland Clinic Alumni Library

"While working at the reference desk yesterday afternoon, one of our physician alumni came up to ask about remote access to our electronic resources from his new position in Boston. He left a year ago and was back for a meeting. After hearing no, he went on to say that he misses the library services offered at the Cleveland Clinic. He didn’t realize how fantastic our resources were, or how easy we made it for our users to get the information they need. I had to ask where he is now that is so lacking since Boston is a great center for medical libraries. His answer – Harvard.

Three cheers for OhioLINK." (submitted June 2009)

OhioLINK Delivers the Books You Need, When You Need Them

Rhonda Burton, Wilmington College

"After working at a college for over 25 years, I just discovered OhioLINK a couple of years ago. I read for pleasure but finding the time to make the trips to our local library proved difficult. A casual conversation with one of our college librarians steered me to OhioLINK for getting the books that I wanted to read and with such a large group of participating libraries to choose from my choices were almost always available. I now have the keys to the kingdom as far as books go and I intend to use OhioLINK as my way ticket to limitless reading pleasure."

"OhioLINK is an Invaluable Research Tool"

Dr. Mel Goldfinger, Associate Professor, Neuroscience, Cell Biology, and Physiology, Wright State University

“OhioLINK is an invaluable research tool. It has become an indispensable component in my research endeavors. Through its e-journal collection, I can read more new and past literature in my field of science and with greater speed than I ever thought or dreamed possible. Its scope of coverage is excellent, and includes much of what I need to access routinely. Its interlibrary loan options are similarly helpful. Because of OhioLINK, my research scholarship is vastly improved.

I’d like to thank everyone associated with OhioLINK, as well as our state government, for its support of this remarkable information system.” (submitted February 2009)

OhioLINK Simplifies the Research Process

David L. Myers, Professor of Psychology, Edison Community College

"I am so grateful for the electronic journal collection in OhioLINK. I just found two articles in different journals on a little hunt for myself, and also it is so convenient now to have students locate and use peer-reviewed articles." (submitted February 2009)

OhioLINK is a Powerful Tool for Teaching and Learning

Carolyn L. Hufford, Cleveland State University Library

"OhioLINK really spoiled me when I was a library school student at Kent State University. The powerful online databases made studying from home possible. It saved time and money and fuel. Right now I am in a pilot project as a group of Master Gardener volunteers from all over Ohio are taking an online class at Ohio State University: Plant Pathology 201.When I read over the course material there were supplemental reading assignments from two textbooks. I borrowed both of them from OhioLINK for free. As a volunteer taking a non-credit course it was just too costly to purchase books for the class, or even to drive around to pick up library copies. The ability to borrow textbooks for a class is very valuable for students and their parents who need to watch their education expenditures. I know of no other state that has such a powerful tool.

OhioLINK changes lives; it has transformed mine." (submitted February 2009)

OhioLINK Helps Students Succeed

Ed Zunic, International Baccalaureate Teacher, Upper Arlington High School

“For the last five years, I’ve required my International Baccalaureate music students to read college-level texts and perform college-level tasks. With OhioLINK, they finally have the college-level resources.”

"OhioLINK is Truly A Motherlode of Information"

Roger Sun, Senior, Business, The University of Akron

“My online friends around other institutions like the University of Michigan and Stanford are sometimes surprised by how quickly I can shotgun a list of references to support my positions. Where is this firepower coming from?! I just laugh and point at OhioLINK.

OhioLINK is truly a motherlode of information. With access to venerable sites like EBSCO and Lexis Nexis, I can do targeted research and bring to bear the same firepower that professionals use. I am not ashamed to say that I use it almost as much as I use Google, which sometimes hits 150 a day." (Submitted May 2008)

OhioLINK Provides Instant, Electronic Access to Information

Jeffrey Kampman, Ohio University

"While looking for a book that my university library didn't have on OhioLINK, I stumbled across the service's Electronic Book Center, which had an easily-accessible electronic copy available for instant perusal. This was a big time-saver, since I didn't have to wait for a physical copy of the book to arrive at my institution, and didn't have to leave my room to access it. I can see myself utilizing this service often in the future. Thanks, OhioLINK!" (Submitted May 2008)

OhioLINK Makes it Easier for Scholars to Complete Research

Dr. Timothy E. Scheurer, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Shawnee State University

“In a few weeks my book Music and Mythmaking in Film: Genre and the Role of the Composer will be published by McFarland. Had it not been for OhioLINK I might be saying, ‘I'm still working on my book on film music’ (and I would be saying that next year as well) or privately musing that I might never finish the project because of the travel involved in obtaining scholarly materials. As a scholar at a small state school with a small library, OhioLINK has been a real godsend and has made the already arduous task of writing and publishing considerably easier and, quite frankly, more exciting.” (submitted November 2007)

OhioLINK Helps Future Teachers Complete Projects and Lesson Plans

Rose Carver, Senior, Early Childhood Education and Integrated Language Arts major, Mount Vernon Nazarene University

“I've been using OhioLINK for several years now and it has really helped me to complete research papers, and lesson plans. It has even helped me find books which I want to read, but can't often buy. The best thing about OhioLINK is it offers a great place for students to get those hard to find or costly books for research projects or everyday classes.” (submitted November 2007)

Carol Engelhardt Herringer, Associate Professor of History and Director, Social Science Education Program, Wright State University

“I do love OhioLINK! It makes my research much easier. For example, this past academic year (2006-7), I had a research leave. I was able to spend a total of almost 3 months in Britain, but for the rest of the time, I was dependent on OhioLINK (as well as my institution's library). OhioLINK came through for me, providing me with even obscure sources on my topic (Eucharistic debates in the 19th century Church of England). Some libraries wouldn't lend the material I needed, but at least OhioLINK let me know what was available, so I could visit the library myself.

OhioLINK is also a great help to me in my teaching. I am able to get materials for lectures as well as videos for class from OhioLINK.

OhioLINK greatly enhances my ability to teach and research, and I am grateful for it.” (submitted November 2007)

Sharon Pelkey, Graduate Student, Kent State University

“As a full time student with a more than full time job, I cannot tell you how OhioLINK has helped my academic career. With so little free time, I am often unable to travel to libraries to borrow a book or to get a journal article not housed by my own university, but OhioLINK has allowed me to receive information within my timeframe and to immediately access journals, in short to succeed where I might not have been able to otherwise. Research is time consuming enough without traveling all over the place to do it. With OhioLINK, time saved is a paper written, a project completed, and an academic career destined for success!” (submitted October 2007)

Kirsten Grandstaff, Student, Ohio University Zanesville

“I am currently an Ohio University Zanesville freshman majoring in Electronic Media, but last year I attended Zane State College as a post-secondary student. While taking English 150, we had to do an expository essay on a topic of our choice. I am absolutely fascinated by the Asian culture, so I thought it appropriate to do my essay on the Geisha culture. Informative material on Geisha is quite hard to find, as I discovered. I only found a book or two on Geisha at my local library. Thanks to OhioLINK, however, I found some needed information and received an A on my essay. The time I took to surf OhioLINK and find the information I needed was time well spent!” (submitted October 2007)

Christina Fitzgerald, Assistant Professor, Department of English, The University of Toledo

“Much of the research I do would not be possible without access to the journals and books available through OhioLINK. I research and write about, as well as teach, medieval literature, and with the help of OhioLINK, I have ready access to the best and most up-to-date secondary materials and scholarly editions of primary materials. Because OSU has a Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, they buy just about everything ever published in the field, and through OhioLINK, I have access to it without having to drive three and half hours away to use it in their library. I wouldn't be able to do my work as efficiently as I do without OhioLINK, but with it, I have access to a world class research library. And my students do, too. Many of the works that my students need for their research papers in my classes are not owned by our library, but they can access them through OhioLINK. I doubt very much that most undergraduates would drive for hours to get a library book, but they'll use OhioLINK!” (submitted May 2007)

Deborah Kuzawa, Adjunct Faculty, Columbus State Community College

“OhioLINK is a beyond useful tool; it is invaluable to students, faculty and researchers in Ohio. I used OhioLINK while an undergraduate at Ohio University. It allowed me to access books that were not available at OU’s library because they were already checked out or not part of the collection. While a graduate student at Ohio State, I used OhioLINK to access an untold number of articles, essays and texts for my research. I was able to find those small, yet important articles and abstracts which gave some of my research and papers a competitive edge.

For community colleges like Columbus State, OhioLINK is an indispensable tool. Like most community colleges, our on-campus library collection is rather small. I would not be able to conduct much research and my students would be similarly limited without access to OhioLINK. Whenever I travel for conferences or pleasure and the topic of education or research comes up, I mention OhioLINK. It is the envy of people around the country. The program gives Ohio colleges and universities the ability to compete for students, researchers and faculty.

Without OhioLINK, small colleges and universities and community colleges would definitely suffer the most.” (submitted March 2007)

Joshua Thomas, Graduate Student, Physics, The University of Toledo

“OhioLINK is a wonderful resource for research. I have had two friends move to two different states to pursue graduate-level research. Both have commented to me that their new state did not have a resource similar to OhioLINK and that their research would be made that much easier if they had access to OhioLINK. OhioLINK is a great benefit to modern research and I believe it gives researchers in Ohio a competitive edge over researchers in other states.” (submitted February 2007)

Laura Wilke, Undergraduate Student, Oberlin College

“I grew up in the neighborhood of Kent State University. We were introduced to the wonder that is OhioLINK in middle school. Teachers were able to assign more extensive and interesting research projects because they knew we could easily get a community card at the university’s library and have access to thousands of resources. When it came time for me to pick a college, prestigious out-of-state universities lost some of their attractiveness because I knew my research capabilities would be the same there as at any Ohio establishment. Now, a freshman at Oberlin College, I have the advantage over some of my year mates. OhioLINK was my first step in high school and it’s my first step now.” (submitted December 2006)

“My college education hinges on the large amounts of financial aid that I receive every semester. Regardless, I still have to work long hours to make ends meet and, frankly, if I didn't have OhioLINK to provide me with the research materials I use everyday, it would be impossible to get any work done. Books and articles are expensive, and while my institution's library resources are astounding, they can't provide everything that I need. OhioLINK has made my college experience less about struggle than I could have ever imagined.” (submitted December 2006)

S. Beth Bierer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Director of Evaluation, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University

“I access OhioLINK at least once a week to identify best practices in the literature, read articles not available at my institution, and request books from other institutions. This access fosters scholarship at my institution as my colleagues and I frequently discuss and share resources with each other that we located using OhioLINK. I also relied on OhioLINK heavily while completing my doctoral work a few years ago. Thus, OhioLINK is an old friend that contributes to my everyday work.” (submitted October 2006)

Josh Teeters, Freshman, History Major, Shawnee State University

“A few days ago, I blogged about seeing this book...Through the power of OhioLINK, I now have a copy of it to read, a mere 3 days later. And the only time I had to go to the library was to pick up the book.

I realize this isn’t anything that new, but it occurred to me earlier just how amazing the system really is. Through my university student membership, I can go to OhioLINK and log in. Browse millions of books, articles, and other media. Find something I like, click Request, and that’s pretty much it. The next day the book is zipping through the state to the university I’m attending. When it arrives, I get an email letting me know I can come and pick it up.

I think that’s just exceptionally cool.” (submitted September 2006)

Julie Nieset, Graduate, Master's of Biology, The University of Akron

“OhioLINK has been an invaluable resource during my graduate studies at University of Akron. To put it bluntly, I use it all the time for everything related to school! The resources of OhioLINK allow science researchers to easily gain access to articles, a necessity for keeping a competitive edge in the field. I frequently use Science Citation Index to search and find articles for my thesis as well as classes. It is fantastic that so many papers are available to read online. For those articles that aren’t readily available, my requests have been sent in short order.

I frequently borrow books relevant to coursework and research. Because of the volume of books available, I find what I need.

I have found the staff at the UA Libraries as well as OhioLINK to be wonderful, very knowledgeable and helpful. Additionally, I have found excellent science teaching materials for children—tapes, CDs, curriculum guides, and other resources—that I would be hard pressed to find anywhere else, plus it would cost a fortune to purchase them.” (submitted April 2006)

Professor Says OhioLINK Is Indispensable

Krishnakumar Nedunuri, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Central State University

“OhioLINK has always been an indispensable research companion for me. We are a small school with limited journal access capabilities within our campus. With the help of OhioLINK, I can browse extensive databases and conduct quick literature searches spanning from education to engineering conveniently from my home. I can also borrow items from other universities located within Ohio. I urge all concerned to continue to support this amazing resource for Ohio institutions. As the word implies, OhioLINK really connects different institutions of Ohio and serves as a portal for sharing knowledge.” (submitted February 2006)

Kathryn Cole Bunthoff, Doctoral Student, English, University of Cincinnati

“When considering prospective graduate schools for a doctoral program in English, OhioLINK was a contributing factor in my choice to attend the University of Cincinnati. The program information sent to me by the English department included just a short description of OhioLINK, but I could immediately anticipate the benefit to my research—quick access to texts held at libraries other than my home institution. I previously attended a smaller university with no such system, and research quickly became trying. I even drove across the state to check out armloads of books rather than wait the customary two to three weeks for them to arrive through interlibrary loan. Research at UC has fulfilled—indeed surpassed—those initial expectations, and has helped my work become more careful as well as more enjoyable.” (submitted February 2006)

Valerie Snavely, Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission

“I absolutely love the OhioLINK service. Several years ago when I had more time to read for pleasure, I discovered that many long-out-of-print books—ones that I knew existed but were available nowhere—could be accessed through OhioLINK. My area of interest deals with the history of upper-class English society during the late Victorian-Edwardian period (not exactly mainstream!). Almost every book was published in England from approximately 1880 through 1930-35, and in many cases, only a few made it to the U.S. I'd given up hope of ever finding them—until I found OhioLINK first. I thought I'd died and gone to musty old book heaven. With only one exception, I finally got hold of more than 50 that existed only as titles on my wish list. I was ecstatic!

So now I'm reentering the world of OhioLINK and all its temptations - with new lists! This probably sounds corny but for me, OhioLINK opened the door to a world of treasures. It's a truly wonderful service.” (submitted December 2006)

Kevin Salsbury, Doctoral Student, Ohio University

"I want to thank all of the librarians at Clark Memorial Library, Shawnee State University, and OhioLINK for helping me on my 'journey' towards achieving my Ph.D. in Counselor Education at Ohio University. Without the extraordinary patience and many kind acts of the librarians, coupled with dearest OhioLINK, I would never have been able to review the hundreds of journal articles and put together my ideas about mild brain injury and battered women. Residing and working full time in Portsmouth, while attending class in Athens has been a challenge, although you have made it possible and even pleasurable. During those lonely hours as I searched for answers, I knew that I could always turn to OhioLINK. As I enter my fifth year of doctoral studies, I want to celebrate our fifth anniversary by giving thanks to you and the SSU librarians for my 'journey.'

Thank you for making available most human knowledge within a day's request."

Tom Burns, Program Chair, Civil Engineering Technology Department, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College

“I have found the resources provided by OhioLINK to be an indispensable part of enhancing the courses that I teach as well my own professional development. Developments in civil engineering technology, like many other technologies, occur at an ever-quickening pace and the databases provided by OhioLINK allow both my students and I to research and discover the projects, technologies, and techniques that are 'front and center' in many different areas of construction and design.” (submitted November 2006)

Clyde Plank, Language Arts and Sciences Major, University of Rio Grande

“I want to express my appreciation for OhioLINK and the [University of Rio Grande’s] Davis Library. This summer I took one course at the University of Rio Grande. The course included tutoring a nine year-old boy in reading. I soon realized that his (ADHD) Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder was going to thwart the best lesson plans I might devise. I was perplexed as to how to cope with this ADHD obstacle and began searching OhioLINK catalog for books on ADHD. I found books that have helped me understand ADHD children and know how to help them learn. The boy is also interested in animals and I found many children’s books about animals.

Then I was asked to tutor a dyslexic boy in math. Again, I went to OhioLINK catalog and found a book on dyslexia and mathematics that has given me understanding, strategies and confidence in helping this boy learn multiplication. I am amazed and pleased by the tremendous wealth of information and literature we can obtain via OhioLINK and I give OhioLINK credit for my successes this summer.”

Brad Phillips, English Major, Kent State University

“As an English major, looking through a myriad of different databases and journals is essential for any research paper that we are assigned. (And trust me, they are assigned quite frequently!) Living in suburban Ohio, far away from any major research library, OhioLINK is one of the greatest creations for the college student. Knowledge is -- quite literally -- at our fingertips, and makes acquiring an education all the more effective!”

David J. Endres, Graduate Student, The Athenaeum of Ohio/Mt. St. Mary's Seminary

“After three years of graduate work in Washington, D.C., I decided to return home to Ohio to complete my Ph.D. dissertation. Many of my peers questioned how I would be able to tap into enough academic resources to complete the project. As I had made frequent use of OhioLINK's resources while an undergraduate at Xavier University, I knew that the resources available to me in Ohio often surpassed those available in the Washington, D.C. area academic libraries -- a shocking assertion to many of my “East coast” peers!

OhioLINK is a major force in attracting scholars and keeping them here at home, countering the “brain drain” phenomena seen elsewhere. OhioLINK positively affects everyone in Ohio whether they ever step foot in an academic library, enriching our academic, cultural, and economic potential.”

Andrew E. Hershberger, Assistant Professor of Contemporary Art History, Bowling Green State University

“I first learned about OhioLINK in 2001 while living in New Jersey. I had just finished my doctorate at Princeton and had accepted my current position. Back then, I wanted to find out about my new home institution and, in particular, I wanted to find out about any resources that could assist me in the creation of all the brand new courses that I would teach, and the hundreds of lectures that I would give, starting in the fall and thereafter. My goal was to teach all of my courses digitally from the beginning rather than with the traditional system of 35mm slides.

That summer I was simply amazed to discover OhioLINK's fantastic collection of online art historical images, the Digital Media Center Art and Architecture Database. In 2001 it had something like 80,000 digital images of works of art in it; today it has almost 100,000. When I finally got my official POO number and could log on, I further discovered that the majority of these images are of extremely high quality and have been created by, and catalogued by, the art museums that own and care for their pieces. Needless to say, the existence of this database was and is an incredibly important resource for me. My students and I have used it nearly every day since then, and I have accomplished my goal.

Furthermore, there were not in 2001, and still are not today, that many art historians who teach entirely digitally. I have thus given numerous presentations about my teaching philosophy and methodology including invited lectures at the Midwest Society for Photographic Education conference, at the Ohio State University, and at the Toledo Museum of Art, among others. But it was the reaction to my 2002 conference paper entitled "Using OhioLINK's Digital Images in the Classroom," held at the British Academy in London, which gave me the greatest appreciation for OhioLINK. People from all over the world were asking me: Can we join?

I knew right then in ways that I've only come to appreciate more and more that we've got something really special here in Ohio. And I've only mentioned my impressions of one image database, and it's just one of dozens of other digital databases that are available on OhioLINK. I know that there are many other professors and students who have had similarly positive experiences with other OhioLINK resources in their disciplines. Thanks for creating OhioLINK. I don't want to imagine life without it.”

Candee Basford, Continuing Education Student, Southern State Community College

“OhioLINK has allowed me to be a part of a larger conversation, linking me to a world of words, images and ideas. Access to OhioLINK and the Southern State Community College’s Learning Resource Center staff has enriched my educational journey. That journey began at Southern State and moved to Wilberforce University for a bachelor’s degree. Recently, I received my master’s degree in adult education and leadership from Antioch University McGregor. I completed all of my research, including a final capstone graduate publication with the help of OhioLINK. Now, I am completing the circle with a return to Southern State.

While my academic journey tells one story, the other more valuable purpose of OhioLINK goes far beyond academics. That purpose extends into self-knowledge and finding connections with others. OhioLINK is especially critical for folks like me who live in the poorest, most rural areas of the state where access to resources is limited.

OhioLINK serves a valuable purpose in my learning and in my life. It has enabled me to obtain both an undergraduate and graduate degree, something that is not easy to do where I live. Because of OhioLINK I can continue my education.”

“Being a member of OhioLINK has revolutionized our library. With basically the same budget as we had in 1996, the year we joined the consortium, we are now able to offer our students and faculty electronic access to the full text of more than ten times the number of journals that we owned in print that year. It’s no wonder then that our being a member of this, one of the best library consortia in the world, has drawn rave reviews not only from students, but also from budget-conscious administrators. Being a member of OhioLINK has also become a major drawing card for prospective faculty members. I don’t know where we’d be without it.”

Miriamne Krummel, Assistant Professor, Department of English, University of Dayton

“Without OhioLINK my teaching and research methods would be greatly impaired. OhioLINK is the sustenance of my scholarly and pedagogical life. I use OhioLINK to prepare my lectures for my students so that I can provide them with current information in the field. I turn to OhioLINK on a weekly basis as a way of supplementing the holdings in the Roesch Library at the University of Dayton; OhioLINK enables me to remain scholarly competitive.

I advise my students to turn to OhioLINK when they sit down to start the research for their papers. For graduate students, OhioLINK is indispensable; for undergraduate students, OhioLINK enables them to enlarge their world beyond the shelves of Roesch Library and starts them on their journey to graduate and professional schools. OhioLINK is the blood that courses through our academic lives. Do everything you can to keep OhioLINK healthy and vibrant. Do this for me, yes, but especially do this for our future: the students.”

Shayna Bach, Graduate Student, Nursing, Case Western Reserve University

“Thank you especially for the electronic journals, which I can access at home and print off articles for research interests and various assigned papers. I have a small child at home and trips to the library can be time-consuming and difficult with a tot in hand. OhioLINK allows me to make efficient use of my time at home. The OhioLINK databases get to the heart of my interests, while still helping me uncover some unexpected jewels along the way.” (submitted June 2005)

Jesse Lewin, Undergraduate Student, Kenyon College

“OhioLINK is the most valuable and strongest search tool I have ever used. It has helped me successfully meet the academic rigors of college research and paper writing.”

Max Funk, Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Toledo

“OhioLINK is an indispensable resource to me in carrying out my role as an educator and researcher in the higher education system here in Ohio. The courses I teach enroll junior and senior undergraduates and graduate students. Recent courses include biochemistry, protein chemistry and enzymology, the basis for modern biotechnology. These fields are developing at an extraordinary pace.

It is essential that the content of the courses reflect the latest discoveries. Consequently, I continuously consult the current literature on these subjects. Because the subjects cover a large amount of information, electronic searching and retrieval is the only way to carry this out. OhioLINK is the means by which this is possible. I access the literature through OhioLINK several dozen times on a daily basis. In a similar fashion, OhioLINK is an essential component of my NIH funded research program. My students and I are in constant contact with the literature through OhioLINK databases and electronic subscriptions. Any diminution in service would have significant negative consequences for our research productivity.

When we recruit new faculty members, the candidates always ask about the library. It has been my pleasure to describe the valuable resource we have in access to OhioLINK. In fact, this has become an important ‘selling point’ in the recruitment process. If OhioLINK does not continue to receive appropriate levels of support, we will lose this important attribute when we are trying to attract the most promising scholars to conduct their careers in Ohio. Clearly, OhioLINK is a superb resource that needs to be fostered. The value of OhioLINK to the scientific enterprise in Ohio can not be overstated.”

“Athens is a wonderful place to live but it does not house the vast array of public and academic libraries that big cities like Cleveland or Chicago do. This can make academic research exceedingly difficult. Enter OhioLINK. As long as faculty at Ohio University have access to OhioLINK we have all the advantages of small town living and access to most of what is housed in the best libraries in the state of Ohio to boot. My current project, a book-length social history of obstetric anesthesia and changing views of labor pain, has been helped immeasurably by OhioLINK. I have ready access to every edition of every obstetric textbook housed in OhioLINK libraries. OhioLINK is a big part of what makes Ohio universities great and is critical for attracting world-class faculty. We couldn't do our research without it.”

Yang Xiao, Assistant Professor, Philosophy Department, Kenyon College

“Before I came to Kenyon, I was a postdoc at UC Berkeley and Harvard, which are institutions with enormous library resources. Naturally, I worried about continuing my research when I moved to Ohio. To my great relief and delight, I discovered that we have OhioLINK, which makes getting books from other libraries extremely easy. It’s not like the old-fashioned interlibrary loan, which normally takes at least a week.

OhioLINK is very efficient, an excellent alternative to having a huge research library on one single campus. I cannot even begin to imagine how I could continue my research projects without the books provided by the system. Also, OhioLINK offers great online resources that aren’t available at Kenyon.

Please, please do not take OhioLINK away from us. I think with one of these pleading emails, there are at least 50 college teachers who are counting on the service of OhioLINK for their research and teaching needs. We cannot be good researchers and teachers without the support of a library service like OhioLINK.”

Paul Rycik, Junior Student Majoring in Theatre, Ashland University

“I am a junior theatre major. I was assigned a project where I was to do research on an ancient myth and find modern adaptations of that myth; the catch was that everything that I found had to be scholarly and well attributed. I tried every trick that I knew to find scholarly sources: I searched my whole school library from top to bottom, I Googled the name of the story at least seven times, I even went through every journal that I could find on arts and humanities and I got nowhere! Finally, my librarian taught me how to find sources on OhioLINK and within a few minutes I found the perfect source: a college dissertation that had all the data I could ever need.

Without OhioLINK, I might have been searching for days or be forced to change my entire assignment. I would urge that every taxpayer do what he or she can to keep this program in operation so that students like me can benefit from the information that it provides.”

David Gansz, Director, Watson Library, Wilmington College

“In 2003 the North Central Association (NCA) re-accredited Wilmington College for another decade. As evidence that "The institution is accomplishing its educational and other purposes", they cited first and foremost, "The library at Wilmington College is now affiliated with OhioLINK. This integrated electronic retrieval system allows students and faculty excellent access to learning support materials."

Kenyon Student Uses OhioLINK for Each and Every Paper

Jacob Otting, Kenyon College

“I've used OhioLINK for every single research paper I've written as an undergraduate at Kenyon. Its leisurely offerings are just as vital. OhioLINK is an indispensable service to this college and community.”

David Drabold, Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ohio University

“OhioLINK is absolutely essential to the teaching, research and high tech activities of Higher Education in Ohio. Speaking as a Professor of Physics at Ohio University, I cannot imagine continuing my research program (which is externally funded at approximately $200K/year) without the resources OhioLINK provides. Beside its obvious utility for ‘keeping up’ on work elsewhere in the world, it is critically useful for proposal preparation. It is a first rate program and I value it very much. If Ohio is serious about education and the development of high tech industry, I can think of no more shortsighted action than eliminating OhioLINK.”

Suzanne Boyce, Associate Professor, Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Cincinnati

“I teach a journal club class where students read articles about hot topics in the field of speech, language and hearing disorders. Our field requires that we stay on top of new knowledge in the linguistics, engineering, medical, and educational fields as well as speech language pathology and audiology. Further, we have two doctoral students who are studying via a distance program with the University of Cincinnati.

The beauty of OhioLINK is that I can assign up-to-the-minute articles from any one of a number of databases and the full text option means that students in Hawaii as well as Ohio can read them immediately. I can react immediately to new developments in the field on an almost weekly basis. The laborious process of requesting articles via interlibrary loan, making paper copies or scanning and then delivering the content to students has been eliminated. As a consequence, we are not 6-9 months behind the publication cycle, but right on top of it. Thank you for OhioLINK.”

Pam Hunt, Ph.D. Student, Kent State University

“I've been using OhioLINK since I started college in 1992. It is one of the tools that has helped me continue through my career. I started in a community college in Piqua, Ohio. There, the librarians taught me the usefulness of this tool and the ease with which I could get access to resources I needed to complete class projects. Believe me in a community college OhioLINK is a necessary tool because often these libraries are limited.

Then, I went on to the University of Dayton to complete my bachelor degree and next to Ohio University to complete my master's degree. Without OhioLINK I would not have been able to get all the resources I needed to start and complete my thesis. I'm now at Kent State University completing my Ph.D. and I could never imagine working or studying without the use of OhioLINK. It has become a taken-for-granted tool that students at all levels need.

If our libraries themselves are facing budget cuts, how are we as students supposed to gain access to needed materials that our libraries may not be able to afford? We need OhioLINK to connect us instantly to available resources in other universities across the state. I know of no other state who is lucky enough to have such a great resource, and I think we should be proud enough to keep such a great representation of the love of knowledge in the state of Ohio.”

Ray English, Azariah Smith Root Director of Libraries, Oberlin College

“OhioLINK has been of enormous value to the Oberlin College Library and the faculty and students who use it. While there are numerous benefits that OhioLINK provides to the entire state, the cost-effectiveness of the Electronic Journal Center, which makes available journals from major publishers through state-wide licenses, has been especially impressive. I hope the following example involving one major publisher illustrates the special status of OhioLINK and why it is consider such and outstanding model both in this country and abroad.

When the Electronic Journal Center was first established, Oberlin had subscriptions to approximately 30 journals from Elsevier Science, the world’s largest scientific publisher. Our subscription prices for those journals were increasing at alarming double-digit rates of inflation, in the range of 15 percent annually for several years.

The OhioLINK statewide license enabled us to have access in electronic form to over 1,100 Elsevier journals, including many titles that we cancelled in previous years due to the company’s relentless price increases. In effect, our access increased almost forty fold. By leveraging the buying power of virtually all academic libraries in the state, the OhioLINK agreement also substantially reduced the rate of cost increase of Elsevier journals. Our costs for Elsevier titles have increased by an average of approximately 3 percent annually since the EJC was established.

The OhioLINK electronic journal agreements have been instrumental in addressing the most serious problem facing academic libraries. Instead of rapidly increasing scholarly journal costs and declining access, the OhioLINK agreements have produced markedly increased access and magnificent cost control. By pooling modest amounts of state funding, together with acquisitions dollars in the periodicals budgets of the participating libraries, OhioLINK provides resources that it would be impossible for individual libraries to have on their own. OhioLINK is a shining example of a private public partnership that has worked to the benefit of all participating libraries and the state of Ohio itself.

The OhioLINK electronic journal agreements, however, depend upon the ability of individual libraries and OhioLINK itself to contribute their share to the statewide license agreements. The lack of adequate increases for OhioLINK’s budget in recent years is clearly bringing us to the point where the cost-effectiveness of the licensing arrangements that have been established is seriously threatened. We are already losing important content from the Electronic Journal Center licenses. It will not take a great deal of additional state funding to keep OhioLINK functioning in a cost effective manner. But without those modest increases, we will revert to where we were before – decreasing access coupled with increasing costs.

I could tell you many other ways in which OhioLINK benefits our faculty and students and the greater economy of the state of Ohio. It helps us attract the very best faculty to Oberlin and it aids our recruiting of prospective students. OhioLINK is a positive economic force for all colleges and universities in Ohio. Most importantly, it provides critical resources for teaching, learning, and research.”

Henry “Skip” Lewandowski, Director, Engineering Technologies Division and the Nord Advanced Technologies Center and Distributed Learning, Lorain County Community College

“I doubt that many people connect OhioLINK with economic development, but in my situation the two are inseparable. A medium-sized area manufacturing company requested assistance from Lorain County Community College to help them plot out the company’s future. Although they possessed technology and knowledge that was superior to their competitors, the company was very concerned about foreign competition.

Because of OhioLINK, we were able to quickly research the trends and changes that the company would have to make in order for them to remain competitive. The findings were presented to the company’s top management and we are currently working on the required action steps. Without the ability to perform the necessary research quickly, it is quite possible that one hundred good paying jobs would have been lost.”

Maria L. Rizzo, Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics, Ohio University

“My research area is statistics, but I work in the Department of Mathematics, and there are very limited library resources in statistics at my institution. It would be impossible for me to conduct my research without the help of OhioLINK.

Recently I had a paper accepted in the prestigious Journal of Classification, which is rated in the top 10 in impact factor among all mathematics journals. To my complete shock, when I went to view the journal online, I found that the Journal subscription was cancelled in 2005. It is almost impossible to believe that our institutions and government expect that we can conduct research without access to these most important journals. No reviewer will accept a paper when the author is years out of date, especially in an area like statistics. Please restore the funding so that we can do the quality research our institutions expect and value.”

Peggy Lindsey, Instructor, English Language & Literatures, Wright State University

“OhioLINK has been a godsend. While my institution's library has its strengths, it is not a great source for some of my primary research and teaching interests. Without OhioLINK, I would not have access to films I have shown in class, research I have read to improve my teaching, materials for finishing my dissertation. In several cases, my students would not have had crucial journal articles or books that give their research writing the depth required for college level work.

From a financial standpoint, OhioLINK has got to be one of the most practical programs out there--instead of every library requiring a copy of a text, only one or two need own it because thanks to OhioLINK, everyone in the state has access to that single copy. With public libraries already cut to the bone, OhioLINK has become an even more important source of materials. They still get the new stuff, the more scholarly stuff, the stuff very specific to a field that may not appeal to everyone, but is absolutely necessary for keeping current in one's own profession.

To cut funding for OhioLINK would truly hasten the brain drain in Ohio. Why stay in or move to a state that actively reduces and even eliminates the public's access to current knowledge? Without broad access to books, journals and film, no researcher--whether a college professor, a first year college student, or a member of the general public pursuing a topic for personal interest--can hope to truly understand a subject. OhioLINK helps keep Ohio learning. Period.”

I think it safe to say that Ashland University is able to provide a set of databases comparable to those held by non-Ohio members of the affinity group. And Ashland is able to do if with a budget half the average size of libraries with less developed consortial arrangements. OhioLINK saves money for Ohio college and university libraries. OhioLINK is an economic green spot and, in my opinion, it should be properly watered.”

Jennifer Sader, Doctoral Student, Higher Education Administration, Bowling Green State University

“As a higher education doctoral student at a mid-sized university, I simply could not find the resources I need for specialized research papers without OhioLINK. With OhioLINK, it is as if I have access to a world-class research library—this is a real resource for students at Ohio's mid-sized and small colleges and universities that makes it possible for schools to make the most of their library investments. Individual libraries would not be able to afford to purchase the same resources for themselves that are available through OhioLINK.
OhioLINK is one of Ohio's most valuable educational resources.”

Ann Sherif, Associate Professor, East Asian Studies, Oberlin College

“During the faculty recruiting process, we always make a point of boasting about the efficiency and rich resources offered by OhioLINK. Some people are hesitant about moving to Ohio. OhioLINK is one of the ways we promote our state, especially to east and west coasters.

I have also heard that few states have such well-run, excellent systems. Ohio should be proud of OhioLINK!

If OhioLINK were cut, I would strongly consider leaving Ohio.”

Jeff Walker, Adjunct Professor, Department of Mass Media, Marietta College

“I am an adjunct in the mass media and communication department at Marietta College. My particular interest is in how communication shapes our religious imagination and understanding; however, we do not offer a major in religious studies. Our library must purchase materials based on those disciplines that have majors, and thus we face a dearth of religious studies books and periodicals.

The library staff at Dawes Memorial Library could tell you how much I rely on OhioLINK to keep abreast of new publications in my field and to conduct research. Without OhioLINK, the nearest collection of books I need would be the Methodist Theological Seminary of Ohio, located north of Columbus! Specialty periodicals that deal with the arts and architecture and religion also would remain inaccessible if not for OhioLINK.

Sometimes I take this service for granted. I realize now that OhioLINK needs our support more than ever. Thank you, OhioLINK, for providing a small college with a supplemental library that gives us large-university resources.”

Lena Welch, Graduate student, Occupational Therapy, The Ohio State University

“Paper writing. It is something most college students are asked to do. In college this often means accessing journals for research based articles. Some journals are obscure and few people have them, some are expensive and colleges don't have the money to pay, some are not in areas the college teaches, but are still useful. Without OhioLINK these articles would be difficult to find. OhioLINK has gotten me articles instantaneously from libraries all over the place. If I had to wait 3-6 weeks to get an article or if I had to drive to the library I wouldn't be able to access the articles in time to complete assignments. Quarters are short. You need the materials now!

Another use of OhioLINK is books. I have gotten books from other colleges in Ohio. These books supplement my texts and help me learn about topics that we see in clinicals. I know many of my friends who have family and children and therefore low budgets have helped defray college costs by obtaining class textbooks through OhioLINK.

OhioLINK is something I have used every quarter for some project or research. Please continue the funding. Money that goes to OhioLINK is accessible to many, many people. Libraries are accessible to people from all walks of life. The information I learn through OhioLINK will make me a better practitioner and therefore will affect thousands of people.”

Noelle Bowles, Assistant Professor, Department of English Kent State University Trumbull

“As a tenure-track professor at a regional campus of Kent State University, I rely on OhioLINK online databases for most of my research (both for initial searches and loan materials). Because of regional campus locations and teaching loads, RC professors who are working on research and publication would be effectively ham-strung were our OhioLINK resources diminished in any way.

Moreover, our students - whose work-loads and family responsibilities typically far exceed those of 'traditional' students - need to have easy access to scholarly information or they are deprived of quality research that enhances their understanding of academic fields and cutting edge research. Our students often lack the time and/or transportation to peruse 'main' campus libraries.

Reduced funding for OhioLINK will result in diminishing educational and professional opportunities for both university faculty and students and leave Ohio residents further behind in their quest for improved employment as we will all lack the tools necessary to compete in a world driven by timely access to pertinent information.”

Jeremy Strayer, Assistant Professor, Mathematics, Mount Vernon Nazarene University

“I use OhioLINK multiple times each week as a professor. I use the Electronic Journal Center to look up information that helps me be a better professor in the classroom. I frequently request and receive cutting-edge books from other educational institutions in Ohio. I use educational videos that are available in the classroom to challenge students to learn in new ways. I also use videos for projects outside the classroom. I love telling my students about a resource and then saying with confidence, ‘If our library doesn’t have it, I’m sure you will be able to find it on OhioLINK.’

In this information age, it is imperative that we commit our financial resources to use technology to support learning. OhioLINK expands the opportunities available to our
students and keeps them from being left further behind.”

Glenda Thornton, Director, University Library, Cleveland State University

“As one of the smaller public university libraries in Ohio, Cleveland State University Library could never supply its faculty and students with the quality and quantity of resources it has now, without the support of OhioLINK. That relates not only to the actual materials, but also to the labor and infrastructure necessary to make those materials available. I would never be able to afford the expertise and equipment that would be necessary to make even a small portion of the OhioLINK portfolio of resources available to this campus.

Accordingly, I encourage CSU administrators and faculty to use OhioLINK as a recruiting tool for both students and new faculty members. When I attend on-campus interview sessions for new faculty, I always discuss OhioLINK.

Invariably faculty members offer their own stories of how important OhioLINK is to their teaching and research and how this service was simply not available at other institutions elsewhere. I think that OhioLINK plays an important role in helping us recruit the best and the brightest from other states."

Martin Wainwright, Associate Professor, History Department and Director, World Civilizations Program, The University of Akron

“I am a historian specializing in 19th and 20th century Britain and India. Without OhioLINK I could neither conduct my own research nor teach my upper level courses. Every semester I check out scores of books through OhioLINK and expect my students to do the same. Our library can't afford to stock the books needed for students to write their research papers. Without OhioLINK their learning experience will diminish considerably in two ways. First they will not have access to books in the field. Second, because I won't have access either, I will not be able to expose them, through lecture and discussion, to the latest research in the field.

For instance, when I teach Historical Methods, which teaches research skills to history majors and education majors with social studies concentrations, we meet for half the semester in a computer lab and go through exercises using OhioLINK's main catalog, American History and Life, Historical Abstracts,and WorldCat. Moreover, many of the sources these databases lead my students to are available through OhioLINK's partnerships with electronic journals. Let me stress that almost ALL the resources we consult in these training session are provided through OhioLINK.

Far from being willing to see access to these resources contract, I'm hoping for an expansion in their availability. For instance, the new Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, an essential reference in my field, is available online, and OhioLINK has signed up for a trial period. I used its print predecessor extensively in my own research and encouraged students to do so in theirs. Indeed, much of my own research, which determines my ability to bring the latest historical scholarship into my lectures and class discussions, relies on the same OhioLINK sources I teach my students to use.

Equally important is the effect that OhioLINK has on our ability to compete with universities in other states for hiring the most talented faculty available. Two new assistant professors are joining us in the fall as a result of competitive searches in which other universities were interested in hiring them. During their job interviews both candidates asked about our library resources. Although our university library is modest, even inadequate, for the programs we run, we were able to point to OhioLINK as a big plus for these candidate's research and teaching agendas. Its presence is a major advantage in national job searches such as these.

OhioLINK is the saving grace of Ohio's declining university system. To abandon it or cut its resources will be to acknowledge that we don't care about education in this state.”

Ann-Marie Brown, RN, MSN, CCRN, CPNP, Critical Care Nurse Practitioner, Division of Critical Care, Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron

“I have found OhioLINK to be a valuable asset both during graduate school and in my current practice as a nurse practitioner. It extends my reach to pertinent literature far beyond my normal geographic means in a very cost effective manner. Information in nursing and health care is exploding, and the ability to search through the various OhioLINK participating institutions is critical to timely and up to date access to evidenced-based practice.”

Traci Takacs, Student, Bowling Green State University – Firelands

“I have been using OhioLINK during my entire undergraduate career to obtain books and videos and music not available in my branch campus' modest collection. The cost of gas to drive hours just to pick up a book from a university far away that has it is simply not an option for me.

OhioLINK materials are necessary sources for writing most papers, especially in upper-level classes. If it was not for OhioLINK, I would have had to buy every book I needed online and paid for shipping to arrive. University libraries have a responsibility to their students to make a wide variety of materials readily available for research. Without OhioLINK, each university's resources would be meager. OhioLINK allows universities to share resources, which saves institutions money and helps eliminate space/storage issues.

We students have a better educational experience because of OhioLINK, but that is not as important as the fact that the service is crucial to our educations. In womens' studies, for example, rare primary resources such as monthly journals from the Civil War era cost upwards of $200 for one year bound together as a volume. Such a valuable resource would offer a first-hand glimpse into the life of Victorian women, but cost prohibits most students from accessing such materials. I can request the same book (or a reprint) through OhioLINK at no cost and have a unique high-quality reference for a paper as a result. OhioLINK deserves to be a priority in educational funding because, unlike some well-intended but ineffective educational programs, OhioLINK does something necessary and concrete results."

Tracy Koenig, Director, Eugene H. Maly Library, Athenaeum of Ohio

“We are a very small seminary library in Cincinnati which prepares men and women for ministry in the Catholic Church and their communities. The library collection is quite specialized and, for our size, we loan a large number of items to other Ohio libraries, sometimes as many as 900 in a month.

Our students are largely seeking second careers and can attend classes only in the evenings. Many live at quite a distance from our campus. During the past year we have begun satellite programs in two northern areas of Hamilton County. If we were not part of OhioLINK, we would have no way to afford or deliver the library resources needed for these programs. We hold basic instruction in using the OhioLINK catalog and databases to these students when they come for orientation and they are both relieved and excited that we can support their class work.

Between pickup anywhere service and remote access to our OhioLINK databases, these students are enabled to find and access resources that would otherwise be totally unavailable to them. Without OhioLINK we could not afford these resources even for our campus, much less for these satellite programs. OhioLINK is the only bridge between small libraries and remote communities.”

W. Todd Rainey, Professor of Biology, Science Department, Bluffton University.

“OhioLINK has been a very helpful resource for keeping up with current research in the fields of biology I teach about. My small liberal arts university could not afford subscriptions to the wide range of scientific books and journals that I can readily access through OhioLINK. This system aids interlibrary loans substantially, and provides extensive and timely access to journal articles that are published on the web. Furthermore, this service is very effective as a database for searching the enormously growing scientific literature of biology.”

Cassie Fenstermaker, Senior Student Majoring in English, Mount Vernon Nazarene University

“OhioLINK opens up infinite research possibilities--no one library can contain all that is needed for every discipline (at least not on campuses of small and medium stature; this is possibly true even for larger campuses). To cut off the connections between libraries is to deplete much needed resources for students and faculty alike.

If one were to do a study, one might find a correlation between the presence of OhioLINK and the standard of education, referring to the actual knowledge and know-how one acquires during college matriculation--but to measure this might be impossible. OhioLINK promotes equality in terms of the information available to students--whether one can afford an education at a distinguished school or a community college, the same information is available to both.

In this manner, it is the motivation of the student and not the resources available to the school that becomes the variable. To use an analogy, in the Medieval open-field system of farming, all peasants had available to them a commons. This consisted of a pasture, a pond, and some woods. When the enclosure movement swept through, the peasants lost access to the commons; consequently, those who were not wealthy enough to own land lost every means available to subsist. OhioLINK, like the commons, can make the difference between adequate living and subsistence. Please don't enclose our knowledge by cutting the OhioLINK funding.”

Thuong T. Le, Professor, Marketing and International Business Department,, University of Toledo

“In the last few years, I have developed and taught several courses in the field of electronic commerce. This is an emerging, constantly evolving, field. In many cases, it is not possible to find a suitable textbook for these courses. Articles from OhioLINK (particularly the Electronic Journal Center and the Business Sources Premier database) make it possible to offer these courses and keep their content on the cutting edge…Students not only benefit from having current content and but also save countless sum of money for not having to pay for outdated, sloppily written textbooks.

Cutting back funding for OhioLINK may save some amount on the state budget but will certainly push the cost (many times higher for worthless textbooks) onto several hundred students each year. That's a big cost increase for them who are also taxpayers. Where's the savings?"

Austina McFarland, Residence Hall Campus Minister, Office of Campus Ministry, Ohio Dominican University

“I currently work for Ohio Dominican University in the office of Campus Ministry. When I was a graduate student at Kent State University I used OhioLINK at least half a dozen times a day, whether it was to look up and request a book or do an article search.

And even now as I work at Ohio Dominican University I continue to use the valuable services of OhioLINK, whether it's to request a movie I want to share with a student or if I need to do some research on a topic I want to share with student. The OhioLINK services are invaluable and by far one of the best in the nation. It would certainly be a loss to the academic community if
any of the services were cut.”

Julia Zimmerman, Dean, University Libraries, Ohio University

“OhioLINK is particularly valuable to Ohio University because of our remote location. Without OhioLINK the burden would be on our library (and limited OU dollars) to purchase everything our faculty and students needed, unless they have the patience for traditional interlibrary loan. The millions of books, periodical articles, reference works, etc., available with a few keystrokes are an incredible resource for our campus. It's a great recruiting tool and more than a few faculty members have been reluctant to leave OU because they know they won't have anywhere near the scholarly information if they move to another state.”

Michael Mooradian Lupro, Ph.D. Student, American Cultural Studies; and Graduate Assistant, Popular Culture; Bowling Green State University

“OhioLINK is the most valuable research resource I have ever used. The availability of such a vast array of materials improved my research by allowing me to conduct comprehensive literature reviews for my papers and proposals. Without OhioLINK, I would not have nearly as good a grasp on my topics, nor would I be able to get all the information I need to finish seminar papers on time. The availability of OhioLINK should be promoted to prospective students and professors as the excellent resource it is.

I have experienced research without OhioLINK and would dread a return to the old, slow, cumbersome ILL system.”

Mortimer Martin Guiney, Professor of French and Chair, Dept. of Modern Languages and Literatures, Kenyon College

“Given the particular situation we face (reduction in number of journals available online, and increase in cost to individual institutions), the question is whether users of OhioLINK can live with a 'reduced' OhioLINK service. After all, the State of Ohio does not seem ready to eliminate it altogether, at least not yet. I think that any reduction in availability of information would be a severe loss, however, for the following reason: it may very well be that I am not personally affected if the 500 titles with the fewest downloads are removed from the list of available resources. However, it is in the nature of advanced research that progress in the field is made when an individual reads an article that maybe only a handful of other people have read. At a time when many smaller Colleges in Ohio are placing more emphasis on the need for faculty to be productive scholars who make significant contributions to their fields, this is a very serious matter.

For me and my colleagues, OhioLINK has closed the resource gap between small colleges and research universities to an amazing extent. I depend more and more on the delivery of books to my campus from other locations, and have used at one time or another almost every kind of information delivery service made possible by OhioLINK. It has made working in higher education in Ohio a real privilege."

Steven Harrod, Third Year Ph.D. Student, Operations Management, University of Cincinnati

“My personal education and the reputation of the University of Cincinnati are greatly enhanced by OhioLINK. OhioLINK has allowed me to find rare texts, including electronic online texts, that have improved the quality of the research and writing I accomplish. I have won a national honorable mention and a regional third place prize with two papers I have written in the last two years. Each of these papers was enhanced by the quality of publications I was able to research through OhioLINK.

The quality of library resources is also a factor in attracting superior students. The quality of the University of Cincinnati’s library facilities, including the added resources of OhioLINK, is a factor in my recommending UC to other prospective students. OhioLINK benefits the reputations of Ohio colleges and universities long into the future.”

Karen Given Larwin, Graduate, Master’s of Arts, Evaluation & Measurement, Kent State University

“At the beginning of the fall 2004 semester, I found out that I had only half of the semester to write and defend my thesis, rather than the entire semester as I supposed. I had been working on gathering information for a meta-analysis on how computer-assisted instruction impacts student achievement.

With only six weeks to work, my advisor requested that I finish a 40-page literature review in two weeks time. The rest of the thesis was due two weeks later. Without OhioLINK, this situation would have been impossible. I would have had to live at the library, searching and copying, and it would have taken me weeks just to get the information I needed. I know because that is the way my husband had to do it when he was working on his thesis.

Instead, with all the wonderful people and technology of OhioLINK working with me, I read all the information and started writing within days. This is because the OhioLINK system works very quickly and efficiently.

Three and one half weeks later, I had pulled together a 140-page thesis because of the efficiency offered to students like me through OhioLINK. My thesis is being nominated for outstanding university thesis and I graduated in December with my master’s degree. Thanks OhioLINK!”

Jean P. Kelly, Assistant Professor, Communication, Otterbein College

“I am currently teaching a service learning course in which students are redesigning a publication for a community partner. In this case, it is the Westerville Chamber of Commerce, which promotes and protects the health of businesses in the area around our campus. In an effort to best serve that community, my students conducted a focus group with local business owners. Without access to OhioLINK electronic databases of articles, I would not have been able to instruct them about how to prepare and manage a design-oriented focus group. Our library contained no texts on the subject, but I was also able to find several from other Ohio libraries. My students did the same in order to complete their assignments. The result? The students conducted a highly professional, effective town/gown interaction that will ultimately improve the economic health of this area.”

Mary Ann Beman-Nething, Graduate Student, Special Education, University of Akron

“I am a full-time teacher, and graduate student in special education. We have 3 generations living in our home.

In Ohio, teachers are under constant requirements to met ever-changing standards, which require college courses, such as those for the NCLB legislation.

For me, having the OhioLINK’s services means I can do my work from home. My family time is less interrupted and my study time is less fragmented. I simply could not spend all the hours in a library that would be required to meet my obligations without a serious detriment to one of my major responsibilities.

Because of OhioLINK, I can spend my time in the research, not the travel. And my children can see the process that smart learners use--finding the facts and basing decisions on the research.

I have the advantage of living an easy commute from several major university libraries. But for my former colleagues and students in SE Ohio, distance is a significant block to educational opportunity. It is for them that I most strongly urge the continued funding of OhioLINK. To spend the money to keep the technology working for our students and educators is money well spent. To let geography, distance, gas prices and bond levies limit our student's access to the world's fact-base cannot strengthen our school, support our state, or keep our democracy strong. OhioLINK can be the great equalizer between rich and poor schools, urban and rural citizens, and I support its continued funding."

Gerald George, Designer & Technical Director, Theatre Department, Capital University

“My family and I had occasion, two and a half years ago, to move to Kansas. Prior to the move I was a graduate student at Bowling Green State University. This is where I became familiar with OhioLINK. As an A.B.D. in a tenure track faculty position I was expected to continue work on my dissertation. Unfortunately, the library at my new campus had few resources that I could make use of, and the closest thing to OhioLINK in Kansas is interlibrary loan. That is hit-or-miss at best and quite slow as well. Now that we’re back in Ohio, I have access to the resources that I need in a timely manner through OhioLINK. It is a system that is very much taken for granted by Ohio students, but whose worth cannot be overstated.”

Christine Ehrbar, Graduate Student, Psychology, Xavier University

“I am almost finished with my Master's degree in I-O psychology at Xavier University. A requirement within the Master's curriculum is to complete a thesis, which requires an intensive amount of reading of empirical literature. Throughout the course of perusing the available literature, I came upon a variety of books and journal articles which were not readily available at my present educational institution. Without these resources, I would NOT have been able to adequately write and have a backing for my thesis, which I have since successfully proposed. By using OhioLINK's resources (who has always provided materials to me in a timely fashion) I have been able to enhance my knowledge, complete a degree (one is on the way), and contribute to the betterment of our society as well as enhance personal and public understanding of various psychological propositions.

As an undergraduate several years back at a public university (also an OhioLINK affiliate - the University of Akron), I also engaged in intensive research which involved obtaining books, journal articles, and other printed paraphernalia from various schools. As aforementioned, I was able to complete my curriculum in largely attributable the access of printed material not readily available at my university.

OhioLINK has been a valued resource for me throughout the course of my education, as well as a valued resource of my educational cohorts. To do without OhioLINK would be a serious detriment to the education of the state of Ohio, thus curtailing the potential of so many individuals making the sacrifice for a quality, stimulating education.”

Alexis Shuler, Graduate Assistant for Assessment, Benchmarking & Technology Graduate Instructor, Student Success Seminar, The University of Akron

“OhioLINK is extremely important to me both as a student and as an instructor. As a graduate student it is extremely important for me to be able to access the most current information in my field. Theories are constantly being updated and researched. New ideas are what drives any field to continue and I know that if I am not at least exposed to the most current information in my field, it will hurt me both in terms of research and in my professional work.

As an instructor, OhioLINK has become invaluable because I am constantly trying to find new ways to present materials to my students. It is also helpful because it allows students access to a wider array of information on any topic than could be housed at any one institution…”

Judith Cerqua, Master's Candidate, Library Science, Kent State University

“I utilize the resources available via OhioLINK to research topics, to keep current on topics of interest and to locate materials not available in my local library. As a distance education student, OhioLINK resources are invaluable to the quality of my education and the quality of my work. Without OhioLINK, I would not have a 3.8 GPA and would likely spend every night and weekend in the library, instead of spending time with my family, especially with my daughter.”

Emily Frazier, Senior Student, Middle Childhood Education, Miami University

“OhioLINK has been an invaluable resource for me during my undergraduate tenure at Miami. I have had access to a wealth of great resources for doing my undergraduate papers. I've also used OhioLINK to help me out when I've needed resources for student teaching!”

Rick L. Williamson, Associate Professor of Religion, Chaplain for Adult and Graduate Studies, Mount Vernon Nazarene University

“I'm a regular user of OhioLINK materials for scholarly research. While our library has much to commend it, oftentimes I find that some of the most current books and articles in my field are not available in our local resources. For preparation of papers to be presented at regional and national conferences in biblical literature, access to such a resource is invaluable. One example: A couple of years ago I presented a paper at a conference at Messiah College. The research required gathering from several disciplines and OhioLINK greatly assisted me in the work. That paper is now becoming a chapter in a forthcoming book that developed from the conference. Both the initial paper as well as significant adaptations and additions to the paper drew heavily from materials brought to my desk via OhioLINK. Support to the libraries keeps faculty members like me on the cutting edge.”

Deborah Ehrick, Student, Bowling Green State University

“I had a 10 page paper due after Spring Break - but I forgot to get resources while I was at school. Without OhioLINK, I would have never been able to access research journals from my home. Even if I had gone to the library, using journals on OhioLINK provides for much more current sources, which my professors prefer.”

Abelardo Garza, Research Assistant, Industrial, Welding and Systems Engineering, The Ohio State University

“…Ever since I came here to get my master's degree, my research and classwork has been backed up by the information I have found with this extraordinary tool. OhioLINK has helped me substantially and it has improved the level of my research.”

Timothy Chenette, Student, Kenyon College

“I wrote my comprehensive exercise paper on a piece by Frederic Chopin. Despite the fact that he is a very famous composer, Kenyon's library had very limited resources. Fortunately, I used our more limited library sharing system—Consort—and virtually doubled the number of relevant books I was able to get. And, finally, I turned to OhioLINK, which once again doubled my resources. I truly could not have written that paper without OhioLINK.”

Christina Partee, Student, Mount Union Vernon Nazarene University

“Through out the years here at MVNU I have had to do many papers and OhioLINK has helped me to get the newest resources to complete my papers or projects. It is so nice to be able to get books shipped from other larger libraries. Libraries should share their resources-for everyone to use I have benefited from the information of many OhioLINK books and I know I would not have been able to receive the good grades that I have on my papers and projects without the use of OhioLINK. I love OhioLINK and would hate for anything to hinder future students from being able to use this great resource.”

Jacqueline Giordano, Student, Kenyon College

“This past year I was accepted into the political science honors program at Kenyon College. Terrorism has become an increasingly relevant issue and I wanted to explore some aspect of terrorism for my year-long project. The department approved my topic and I started my research.

Unfortunately, I soon discovered that the type of information I needed for my project tended to not be available at my own library. Luckily, with a bit of research, OhioLINK had many of the books and articles I needed easily available.

Terrorism is something that is developing and information regarding terrorism is constantly expanding and deepening. Without OhioLINK, I would not have had the information I needed to do my research. I am very thankful that OhioLINK exists, and continues to purchase new sources, so that I could explore a topic that I find incredibly interesting.”

Lauren Collister, Undergraduate Student Majoring in Music, Linguistics, and Classics, The Ohio State University

“Each quarter of the academic school year, OhioLINK helps me not only save money on textbooks and reading materials, but the use of this system really helps me when I need to do research! There's nothing like finding the perfect book for a research paper on a topic like Farsi Plural Phonology and having it sent from across the state so you can have it to add to your paper. All the resources that would be lost if OhioLINK funding was to be cut would substantially influence the quality of the research papers written at institutions like Ohio State. Sometimes, OhioLINK is the only resource we have for many publications, and if we were to lose these resources then valuable information and insight would be cut from our works.”

Cheryl Furniss, Academic Specialist, Adult and Graduate Studies, Mount Vernon Nazarene University

“Instructor Mark Nielson showed us how to use OhioLINK in our Research Writing class. Some of us had questions after we actually got to the site, but Dr. Nielson also helped us through that part. He showed us several ways to sort for our sources and our choices seemed to be unlimited (so many books, so little time).

OhioLINK is very helpful! I ordered several books and the service is very convenient here on campus. The books were here in two days. Your students had them waiting at the desk when I came for them. With this service, students do not need to go elsewhere for their books. There are several students, from the Ashland area and one student from the Delaware area that picked up books from libraries closer to them.”

Tracie Parker, Graduate Student, Ohio State University

“As a graduate student OhioLINK is essential to my research. I can not narrow it to one specific story because it has been a major tool in my research since I have started my graduate studies. At certain points while balancing research for my thesis, class work, or classes that I teach I can have up to 5 or 6 OhioLINK books within my possession. I am also often thrilled when I am available to find a rare source through OhioLINK, and I prefer the OhioLINK Library Catalog to WorldCat.”

Chad Collins, Student, Ashland University

“The library is the center of education. Books provide the greatest service for individuals, in regard to moral, ethical, and indeed self-development. Picking up a classic text can and will change a person's life.

As a prolific reader myself, (8-12 books a week), I have found OhioLINK to be an indispensable resource in my self-education process; so much so that without OhioLINK, my college experience would not have been the enlightening experience that it has been.

College isn't all about classes. The library should be more of a focus because all the knowledge is there, waiting to be found.

I request at least 10 OhioLINK books every week because of an utter need for more knowledge, on everything from philosophy to history.

One page of writing can be powerful enough to change the course of history, and, not only that, but it has the power to change your life: What better place is there to start an examination of life than by going to the place that has the most excellent resources to do so--the library?
OhioLINK provides the resources each person needs in being able to obtain the necessary books in his/her examinations of life and other very important questions. Indeed, OhioLINK has the power to change peoples' lives.

Now, I ask you: Do you want to take that power away?”

Robin York, Junior Student Majoring in Theatre, The College of Wooster

“As you probably know, Wooster has an Independent Study program that students participate in during their Junior and Senior years at the college. This past fall, I was working on my I.S. in the Theatre Department. I was studying Drama Therapy and its possible benefits to ADHD patients, but this is not a field that has a large amount of material present, and certainly not much was located in Wooster's libraries. It was spread throughout Ohio, and, sadly, most of it was not at Consort Colleges. OhioLINK was my saving grace. I would say a majority of my materials came from OhioLINK, and I could not have written my thesis without them. Not only did I get many helpful and essential materials from OhioLINK, but it all arrived in a very timely manner, and I was also able to benefit from their online journals.

OhioLINK was an essential part of my success during the writing of my I.S., and, as I still have my Senior I.S. in front of me, I hope and pray that it can continue to be. Otherwise, I don't know where I'll get my books.”

Cathy Crum, Marion Technical College

“Being an educator at Marion Technical College in the nursing field, I have utilized OhioLINK many times. In addition to finding the research that is stated in our textbooks, I have used the OhioLINK countless times in my master's degree program. In order for me to utilize what I have learned in my higher education program I need the OhioLINK to continue in my educational teaching and keep current with research.”

Alicia Miller, Senior Student Majoring in History, University of Toledo

“I am a senior majoring in History at the University of Toledo. Many times, I have had a research paper that required many books on a certain subject. Most of the time, I would check the UT catalog and use some of those books, but a lot of time it helped to be able to order books from the other universities' libraries in Ohio. They would arrive in a timely fashion and help me to write my papers. I would often need a book that University of Toledo did not own so I was able to order it and use it without having to go downtown or to the bookstore. Sometimes, instead of buying a book that we would only use for a short time, I would just order it over OhioLINK, that way I saved money on my books and they usually arrived in a couple of days which made it easy to use.”

Laura Honigford, Student Majoring in English, Mount Vernon Nazarene University

“I'm an English major so I can't cite statistics demonstrating OhioLINK's usefulness. I can, however, tell you that it has been an invaluable tool I've utilized when researching for numerous papers and projects in the three years I've been a student. I'm grateful to have such a resource available and encourage it's continuance for future students' use.”

Dave Duncan, Mount Vernon Nazarene University

“Please continue funding OhioLINK! It has been a tremendous help to me in my genealogy research. Through the use of OhioLINK here at Mount Vernon Nazarene University, I have been able to access some very hard-to-get materials which have been extremely helpful. It would be a great loss to me, and many others here who rely on this great resource, if funding were to be discontinued.”

Nikela Owens, Graduate Student, College of Mount St. Joseph

“OhioLINK is an awesome service. As a graduate student, I have benefited tremendously from OhioLINK in conducting my research.”

Marie Sullivan, Graduate Student, Master of Liberal Studies Program; and Student employee, Libraries & Media Services; Kent State University

“I work at the Periodical and Information Desk on the 2nd floor of Kent State University’s main library. I have found OhioLINK's Electronic Journal Center to be an excellent electronic site to locate journals online and most of them are in PDF full text. Often, current periodicals go to the bindery to be placed into bound volumes and in the meantime, library patrons do not have access to these volumes. This electronic site offers library users, providing the journal article that they are searching for is included in the Electronic Journal Center, the opportunity to search for the article and print it out. Thus, they do not have to wait about two weeks for the bound volume to return to the library or order the article that they need through interlibrary loan.

I help patrons here at the Periodical Desk and know the importance of locating a journal online that we do not have physically. The Electronic Journal Center is an excellent e- reference site for any library to offer from their home page. KSU's library has a link to it under 'Articles in Journals' from its home page. I highly recommend this Ohio Link electronic site to librarians and patrons."

Yasho Kote, MBA Student, Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University

“Recently, I have had the opportunity of using the services of the library, especially OhioLINK. Being from India where institutions do not have links with other libraries (at least not in the place I studied), this service is rare to me.

I have been able to locate books in other libraries using OhioLINK, and this has been a source of great joy to me. I was able to read an extremely rare copy of Margaret Bourke-White’s book Halfway to Freedom, which was obtained from Kent State University. The ease of obtaining the book was memorable. I cannot imagine what lengths I would have had to go to in India to have the same pleasure. The icing on the cake was that the book had the author’s handwriting on the first page.

Please do accept my thanks for what seems to most people a routine service. I have benefited greatly from this.”

Celeste Dillworth, Graduate Student, University of Akron

“OhioLINK has helped me tremendously. As a single parent working on a master’s degree, I found that I could not afford all of my textbooks. I was able to find most of the text books that I needed thru OhioLINK. If it were not for OhioLINK, I would not have had the books I needed for classes.

OhioLINK also helped me through countless research efforts. Much of the materials that I needed were found at the Historically Black Colleges in Ohio.”

Ryan Long, Curriculum Specialist, Adult and Graduate Studies, Mount Vernon Nazarene University

“I recently took a course that (no joke) required 17 books. If I had purchased them all, it would have cost me over $200 in books for just ONE course. Being newly married, there was no way I could afford that.

Between friends and family, I was only able to round up six of the required 17 books. I found the remaining 11 through OhioLINK and was able to take the course (my last graduation requirement!) without using a month's rent to do it.”

Jessica Maloney, Student, Mount Union Vernon Nazarene University

“OhioLINK has been a huge help to me and my educational career at MVNU. If services are changed due to budget, I can guarantee you things will change academically. If there is any way to keep things as they are, I strongly suggest to put forth the measures necessary. It is sad when a price is put on education.”