Announcements

OhioLINK’s groundbreaking ETD Center turns 20 with a 3.0 release

The OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) Center has been updated with a major release that improves speed, reliability, security, and digital accessibility, and adds advanced search functions to help visitors easily find Ohio’s student research and scholarship. The ETD Center showcases more than 100,000 downloadable theses and dissertations from Ohio’s graduating scholars with no paywall or subscription, and has had more than 85 million views from 234 countries.

OhioLINK eTutoring program launches new online platform to support college student success

OhioLINK eTutoring has launched a new platform that offers college students convenient access to tutors who can provide assistance with a wide variety of academic subjects.

The service, which is free to undergraduate students enrolled in 20 participating colleges and universities in the state of Ohio, is supported by the Ohio Department of Higher Education. It has served more than 30,000 college students since 2010.

OhioLINK eTutoring has now partnered with TutorOcean, a global tutoring marketplace and supplemental learning platform, to provide expanded services and features.

“The new platform is user-friendly and offers a lot of options for the students,” said Karen Boyd, former coordinator of OhioLINK eTutoring.

Students can book one-on-one...

Recap: Communicating Your Library’s Value

As part of the ongoing OhioLINK Membership Summit, OhioLINK recently participated in the “Communicating Your Library’s Value” webinar panel, moderated by The University of Akron. This topic is a particularly important one for libraries as they navigate ongoing pandemic-related budget challenges and the continuing evolution of the library’s role in the higher education ecosystem.

Five panelists discussed their strategies for promoting their library’s value and impact and highlighted success stories, including identifying and working with stakeholders, the role of storytelling, utilizing usage data, the power of comparative data, and demonstrating value through strategic planning.

Sean Kennedy, collections and content strategies librarian at the University of Akron, began the talk by discussing the common...

Recap: What COVID-19 Taught Us About Affordable Course Materials

As part of its third annual OhioLINK Membership Summit, OhioLINK recently hosted the “What COVID-19 Taught Us About Affordable Course Materials” panel, which discussed lessons learned about using affordable course materials in the rapid transition to online learning during the pandemic.

Following a brief introduction from Anna Bendo, OhioLINK’s Director of Affordable Learning, panelists were each given time to discuss their experience working on affordable learning projects that were in part spurred on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Afterwards, speakers were asked several questions regarding how the pandemic affected their work, whether faculty and staff at their institutions became more agreeable to utilizing Open Educational Resources (OER) materials, and...

OhioLINK promotes three staff members with reorganization

COLUMBUS, Ohio – After an eventful year during which the organization changed leadership and assisted its member libraries as they dealt with unprecedented COVID-19 changes, OhioLINK announces a reorganization that promotes three long-time staff to leadership. Judy Cobb, Joanna Voss, and Theda Schwing will move into newly created Associate Director roles.

“Judy, Joanna, and Theda stepped up to guide OhioLINK and its member libraries through pandemic-created challenges with their technical expertise, strategic thinking, and empathy,” said OhioLINK Executive Director Amy Pawlowski, who assumed directorship in February after serving as Deputy Director since 2013. “I’m confident in their capacity...

OhioLINK brings its Electronic Book Center into the 21st century

COLUMBUS, Ohio – OhioLINK, Ohio’s statewide academic library consortium, has partnered with BiblioBoard to implement a major update to its electronic book platform. Released December 30th, the modernized Electronic Book Center (EBC) provides an improved user experience, including digital accessibility, and mobile compatibility. BiblioBoard technology supports user-friendly browsing, searching, list-making, note-taking, bookmarking, online reading, and downloading of e-books and e-chapters on a variety of devices. The EBC’s 180,000 e-books can be accessed via any web connection to support scholarly research, and also can be used by faculty as no-cost textbooks to reduce the financial burden of attending college. Students and faculty downloaded...

OhioLINK awarded Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funds to bridge COVID-created gaps in higher education instructional materials and library resources

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- OhioLINK, Ohio’s academic library consortium, has received $2.5 million from the Ohio Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funds through the Ohio Department of Higher Education. The funds will be used to purchase digital resources for Ohio colleges, such as streaming video and e-books, to supplement online research, as well as provide instructional support for a wide range of curriculum, including physical and applied science courses that traditionally have not been taught online. GEER is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which authorized federal economic aid in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act includes several funding streams, such as GEER, to support the education...

OhioLINK is awarded Ohio Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Competitive Grant

COLUMBUS, Ohio (December 15, 2020) — OhioLINK announces that the State Library of Ohio has awarded grant funding to support OhioLINK’s 2021-2022 effort to introduce the wide range of work done within the academic library to first-generation and economically challenged students. The program's objective is to to encourage students to consider a career in libraries by engaging them in paid, stimulating, experiential learning with 1-to-1 support and mentorship and to make academic libraries a more welcoming workplace.

OhioNET will be the program partner. Funding for the Ohio Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Competitive Grant comes from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).

See the State Library of Ohio’s announcement here.

 

Chancellor Gardner appoints Pawlowski as OhioLINK executive director

Ohio Department of Higher Education Chancellor Randy Gardner has named Amy Pawlowski executive director of OhioLINK, Ohio’s academic library consortium, effective immediately. Pawlowski joined OhioLINK in 2013 as deputy director for operations and e-licensing. She has served in an interim capacity since February.

Amy Pawlowski
Amy Pawlowski

“Amy has proven her leadership through this challenging pandemic environment,” said Chancellor Gardner. “Her valuable expertise in libraries and technology will ensure that OhioLINK continues to find innovative ways to make higher education more accessible and more affordable for Ohio’s students.”

In addition to her new role as executive director, she will continue to lead negotiations with publishers and information vendors to acquire shared electronic resources for OhioLINK’s...

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