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G2S Project Code: 2017-OK-79122
State: Oklahoma
Fiscal Year: 2017
Grantee
OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES

Project Director
Director Name: Arlene Paschel
Director Phone: 405-522-3578
Director Email: arlene.paschel@libraries.ok.gov
General Information
Title: Statewide Databases
State Project Code: 171101
Start Date: 10/01/2017
End Date: 09/30/2018
Abstract: The Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) provided statewide databases for Oklahoma residents. Access to reliable information was available for all socioeconomic groups and ages for work or play.  Participating libraries gained access  by  IP registration or users were recognized through ODL's Research and Discovery web page by geolocation. This group of high-quality digital resources was available to public and special libraries, public and private school libraries, academic, law, tribal, government and medical libraries, as well as other state agencies through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funding.  



State Goal: Goal 1: Information Access
Budget Information
LSTA
MATCH-State
MATCH-Other
Total
$560,478.00
$0.00
$0.00
$560,478.00
Intent(s)
Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.
Education
Health & WellnessImprove users’ ability to discover information resources.
General (select only for electronic databases or other data sources)
Activities
Activity Details
Title: Statewide Databases Acquisition
Narrative: The Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) coordinated the procurement effort and worked with database vendors to enhance online information, online support, and timely updates for users. The statewide database portfolio included EBSCO, Britannica School (elementary and middle school), with a Spanish Reference Center.



Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Acquisition
Format: Digital


Quantity
Number of hardware acquired: 0
Number of software acquired: 0
Number of licensed databases acquired: 2
Number of print materials (books & government documents) acquired: 0
Number of electronic materials acquired: 0
Number of audio/visual units (audio discs, talking books, other recordings) acquired: 0


Partner Information
Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: No
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No


Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No


Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: General


Locale
Is the activity state-wide: Yes
Specific Locations: No
Library Types
Public Libraries: 214
Academic Libraries: 58
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 98
School Libraries: 1381
Other: 0
Activity Details
Title: Statewide Databases Awareness Campaign
Narrative: The Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) Statewide Databases are for public, special, and school libraries to assist their local customers and students.  The ODL regularly promotes the Statewide Databases at the Oklahoma Library Association's (OLA) annual conference and Encyclomedia (a teacher's conference).  ODL, as well as EBSCO and Britannica, the licensed database providers, had booths at these conferences and provided programs to assist Oklahoma librarians and teachers learn how to easily access the databases and what was available within the databases.

ODL also promoted the Statewide Databases at a Back to School Bash for teachers and a Home School Day at the Oklahoma History Center. The ODL used an iPad to demonstrate how to: set up journal alerts; locate the databases in their respective libraries; insert a desktop shortcut; provide a link on their library/school web-page; use the teacher/school code;  browse the lesson plans and search publication title lists. Many positive comments were received regarding the availability and ease of use of both EBSCO and Britannica.


A statewide scavenger hunt was used to promote Britannica School database.  The ODL's Public Information Officer composed two sets of questions, one for elementary school students and another for middle school students, as these are the two levels of Britannica offered by ODL. These scavenger hunt questions were featured in the Sunday Oklahoman newspaper.  The students relied on their teacher or librarian for assistance in finding their school's web portal and/or link to Britannica. Students searched the database and answered the questions.  This year the vendor awarded two lucky students a $50 gift card. Eighteen runners-up winners received a $15 gift card. Plus, the schools of the two grand prize winners received  a free one-year subscription to Britannica ImageQuest from Encyclopaedia Britannica.  This was the most successful Scavenger Hunt for this project! Following are the 2018 stats:  • 54 schools participated (15 more than last year). Schools were from all over the state, and so were the winners—from Guymon in the high plains Panhandle to Idabel in the forested  southeast corner; from Coweta in the east to Burns Flat in the west; from Kingston near the Texas border to Ponca City near the Kansas border.  • 5,045 students went on the hunt (486 more than last year).  • 2,569 students aced the hunt and were entered into the contest (776 more than last year). 



EBSCO training hosted over the last year and number of attendees for 8 online sessions:

10/25/17 “Overview of EBSCO Resources (perfect for new school librarians!)” – 20 attendees

10/25/17 “Poetry & Short Story Reference Center (High School)” – 7 attendees

10/26/17 “Maker Space Activities in Hobbies & Crafts Reference Center” – 8 attendees

11/6/17 “Psychology & Behavioral Science Resources (High School)” – 4 attendees

12/11/17 “Integrate EBSCO content with Google Classroom” – 5 attendees

12/11/17 “EBSCOadmin – Retrieving Statistics and Scheduling Reports” – 1 attendee

1/23/18 “EBSCOadmin – Top Customization Features for K-12 Resources” – 4 attendees

1/25/18 “Computer Source Overview (High School)” – 3 attendees







 








 



Intent: Improve users’ ability to discover information resources.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Presentation/performance
Format: Combined in-person & virtual


Quantity
Presentation/performance length (minutes): 60
Number of presentations/performances administered: 16
Average number in attendance per session: 24


Partner Information
Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: No
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No


Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No


Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: General


Locale
Is the activity state-wide: Yes
Specific Locations: No
Library Types
Public Libraries: 214
Academic Libraries: 58
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 98
School Libraries: 1381
Other: 0
Project Outcomes
Project Outcomes
List any important outcomes or findings not previously reported:
The phrase "knowledge is power" is often attributed to Francis Bacon, from his Meditationes Sacrae (1597). When it comes to medical, legal issues, how to start a new business and many other vital inquiries, users need to access quality information. The implementation of geolocation, the identification of a geographic location or computing device, and the feature Ask a Librarian for assistance make the databases information available in more places and easier to locate. Usage has increased for both EBSCO and Britannica. EBSCO reported 1,937,923 logins and 100,921,045 database sessions with 129,950,034 searches, as individuals selected from peer reviewed full-text journal articles, topic overviews and Associated Press videos. Britannica reported 391,489 total sessions. The ODL Consultant in charge of the LSTA Website Development project for public libraries' placed direct links to Explora and Britannica on library websites, which made it easier for users to locate the statewide resources.
Please briefly describe the importance of these outcomes and findings for future program planning:
The need for ODL statewide databases has been expressed time and time again from public, school, special and academic librarians. Oklahoma municipal libraries depend on local sales tax to fund their libraries and taxes are flat or dropping in many locations. Most libraries would not be able to offer their customers databases if they were not provided by this grant. Three million nine hundred residents of Oklahoma have access to these databases through their local libraries. Larger municipal, systems, or university libraries are able to use this selection of databases as a starting point. They are able to add additional databases that benefit local community or student demands. EBSCO reported 1,937,923 logins as individuals selected from peer reviewed full-text journal articles, topic overviews and Associated Press videos. Britannica reported 391,489 total sessions, with a total of 553,702 documents, 2,639,406 total queries, 289,112 total media, and total hits equaling 3,873,709.
Explain one or two of the most significant lessons learned for others wanting to adopt any facets of this project:
The Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) staff helped librarians run EBSCO Eadmin to obtain information for the annual reports required by ODL for the Institute of Museum and Library Services public libraries survey. In addition, local librarians sometimes struggled to help users access the databases on different devices and called on ODL for assistance. Also, ODL routinely received emails and phone calls for forgotten usernames and passwords. Utilizing geolocation will help with that issue. Another hurdle ODL faced was librarians thinking that signing up for one database in ODL's Digital Prairie automatically gave them the other resources.
Do you anticipate continuing this project after the current reporting period ends:
Yes
Do you anticipate any change in level of effort in managing this project:
No
Explain:

Do you anticipate changing the types of activities and objectives addressed by the project:
No
Explain:

Was an evaluation conducted for this project:
No
Was a final written evaluation report produced:
No
Can the final written evaluation report be shared publicly on the IMLS website:
No
Was the evaluation conducted by project staff (either SLAA or local library) or by a third-party evaluator:
Third-Party
What data collection tools were used for any report outcomes and outputs:
Did you collect any media for the data:
What types of methods were used to analyze collected data:
Other:
How were participants (or items) selected:
What type of research design did you use to compare the value for any reported output or outcome:
Exemplary: No
Exemplary Narrative
Project Tags: statewide, databases