January/February 2000
ALABAMA GOES VIRTUAL
Yes, Alabama really has gone virtual. This past spring, after
intense grass-roots efforts, the Alabama State Legislature provided
$3,000,000 toward establishing the Alabama Virtual Library (AVL).
What is the AVL? It provides statewide access to essential library
and information resources. This means that an equitable core of information
sources will be available to every student and citizen in Alabama.
Current databases include EBSCOHost, Electric Library, OCLC's First Search,
Proquest, SIRS Knowledge Source, Encyclopedia Britannica and Grolier Online.
ALL of these databases have health information. To learn more about
these databases, go to the AVL homepage at http://www.avl.lib.al.us
and click on the DATABASES button. You can also find links to the
AVL from Sterne Library's homepage at http://www.mhsl.uab.edu
or from Lister Hill Library's homepage at http://www.uab.edu/lister.
Sterne Library and Lister Hill Library provide the UAB community with access
to the AVL. Public libraries and schools throughout the state are
contacting the database vendors and setting up access.
Why are we so excited about the AVL?
Naturally, libraries believe that information is a vital part of education
at any grade or educational level. All Alabama students deserve accurate
and current information for their education. Too many schools in
our state have been unable to fund adequate information resources.
Consequently, their students suffer. However, the AVL puts an end
to all of that. Now students, teachers, and citizens will be able
to research topics across thousands of magazine and journal articles -
many of them full-text! Hundreds of thousand of articles and books
will also be available through statewide lending programs using the resources
owned by Alabama libraries. Acting together, the state received substantial
discounts by contracting for information databases on a statewide basis
because the per student cost is less for the state as a whole that it is
for small, individual contracts. The AVL is also the fastest, most
realistic plan to achieve significant equity for students and teachers
in public schools across the state.
Who is involved? A variety of educational
agencies. They include the Alabama Commission on Higher Education,
the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education, the Alabama State Department
of Education, the Alabama Public Library Service and the Alabama Supercomputer
Authority. Each agency appoints 3 members to the AVL Board which
oversees database selection.
What can you do? Help us spread the
word about the AVL and its resources. Several academic, public and
school librarians have attended database workshop offered by the database
vendors on how to use these resources. This core of trainers will
go out and train others. If you are interested in having a trainer
come to your school or group, call Lister Hill Library (934-2230) or Sterne
Library (934-6364). Next, use these resources as an individual or
a family to answer all kinds of questions on any topic. Most importantly,
write to your state representative and senator and thank them for making
the AVL a reality. This resource must be funded yearly and our representatives
need to know that this money is well spent. Let them hear from you.
Last, but not least, if you have any questions
about the AVL, call Lister Hill Library or Sterne Library. We will
be glad to talk to you.
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