NOVEL Databases Overview

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NOVEL Databases Overview
4/7/2005
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What is NOVEL?

• New York Online Virtual Electronic Library
  (NOVEL) is an electronic database access project
  that enables libraries across New York State to
  give their communities online access to the full
  text of hundreds of journals, newspapers and
  other references.
• Website http//www.nysl.nysed.gov/library/novel/d
  atabase/index.html

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Purpose

• To be a source of high-quality, reliable,
  up-to-date information
  
• To facilitate a program of statewide
  purchasing/licensing of resources that permits
  great savings through economies of scale
  
• To level the playing field for all New Yorkers by
  permitting individuals to share access to the
  same resources

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Funding

• NOVEL is funded through a Library Services and
  Technology Act (LSTA) grant to the NYS Library
  from the Federal Institute of Museum and Library
  Services (IMLS)
• New Century Libraries is a statewide funding
  initiative that proposes permanent state funding
  for NOVEL

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NOVEL and New Century Libraries

• Expand library services to all New Yorkers
• Help upgrade public library facilities
• Support libraries in needy communities
• Support reading and literacy programs

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Accessing Databases

• You need to be a registered borrower of your
  local public, academic or school library and have
  a borrower and/or PIN number.

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Database Vendors

• Gale Group
• Ebsco

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Gale Group Databases

• Business Company Resource Center
• Custom Newspapers
• Gale Virtual Reference Library
• Health Wellness Resource Center
• Informe! (Revistas en Español)
• Junior Edition
• National Newspaper Index
• New York State Newspapers (subset of Custom
  Newpapers)
  
• Twayne's Author Series

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Business Company Resource Center

• Contains detailed company and industry news and
  information, including company profiles, brand
  information, rankings, investment reports,
  company histories, chronologies and periodicals.

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Custom Newspapers

• Full-text newspaper database that lets you search
  newspapers electronically by title, headline,
  date, author, section or other assigned fields.

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Gale Virtual Reference Library

• A database of encyclopedias, almanacs, and
  specialized reference sources for
  multidisciplinary research.

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Health Wellness Resource Center

• A fully-integrated, ever-growing electronic
  resource center for all levels of health
  research. Includes more than 700 health/medical
  journals and health-related articles from 2200
  general interest publications.

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Informe

• Contains full-text articles from the most popular
  Spanish-language and bilingual periodicals.
  Designed for both Spanish and English speaking
  users.

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Junior Edition

• This periodical database is designed for students
  in junior high and middle school, with magazines,
  newspapers and reference books for information on
  current events, the arts, science, popular
  culture, health, people, government, history,
  sports and more.

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National Newspaper Index

• Gives quick access to indexed articles from
  America's top five newspapers the New York
  Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Christian
  Science Monitor, the Washington Post, and the Los
  Angeles Times.

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New York State Newspapers

• New York State Newspaper database contains
  Buffalo News Herald American (Syracuse)
  Herald-Journal (Syracuse) Journal News
  (Westchester) New York Observer New York Post
  New York Times Post-Standard (Syracuse) Press
  Sun-Bulletin (Binghamton) Rochester Democrat and
  Chronicle.

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Twayne Authors Series

• Browse an alphabetical list of authors to view
  biographical information or search by authors
  name, genre, period, etc.

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Ebsco Databases

• MasterFILE Select
• General Science Collection
• Primary Search via Searchasaurus
• Topic Search

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MasterFILE Select

• Provides full-text from over 750 periodicals
  covering nearly all subjects including general
  reference, business, health and much more. 

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General Science Collection

• Provides information on all aspects of the
  scientific world and offers full text coverage
  for more than 60 of the most popular science
  publications.

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Primary Search

• Designed for the elementary school student,
  provides full text from over 50 children's
  magazines and over 100 pamphlets. A general
  encyclopedia and an encyclopedia of animals are
  also available. 

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Topic Search

• Explore social, political, economic, scientific
  and other popular issues with full-text content
  from magazines and journals, newspapers,
  pamphlets, biographies, book reviews and public
  opinion polls.

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NOVEL vs. Free Web

• Material evaluated (quality)
• Restricted access
• More sophisticated searching

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Future Goals

• NOVEL Portal (federated searching)
• Digitize unique and fragile materials and
  available online
  
• Direct borrowing among NY libraries

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Questions?

• Email Al Oliveras (Electronic Services
  Librarian) oliverasa_at_stls.org