OhioLINK access for all Ohio citizens

Former Coordinator, Marketing and Public Relations
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OhioLINK
Monday, January 25, 2016 - 1:00pm (updated Friday, June 3, 2016 - 10:19am)

Public library patrons are representative of many walks of life: students, job seekers, bookworms and insert-hobby-here enthusiasts. It’s no secret that public library resources are available to anyone, not just students and researchers. But did you know the same is true for OhioLINK resources? While you may have heard about the many benefits of OhioLINK, or even experienced them first-hand as a college student, you may not know they are available to you just by being a resident of Ohio.

All of OhioLINK’s 121 member institutions are required to provide an avenue for accessing OhioLINK’s online resources to any Ohio citizen. This allows you to visit your closest OhioLINK member library and search the online collections, including research databases, eJournals, and eBooks. The process may vary at each institution, so talk to your local OhioLINK library staff about how you can take advantage of these resources on site. This “walk-up” feature does not necessarily include the ability to immediately borrow physical resources from member libraries (that also varies by institution), but there are other ways to gain access to OhioLINK’s shared print collections.

Here are some tips on easily accessing both OhioLINK’s online and shared print collections:

  • Sign up for a State Library of Ohio card. Any Ohio resident can apply online, and with this card, you have access to OhioLINK’s circulating print materials. Any Ohio resident may also visit the State Library of Ohio in-person and access OhioLINK eResources. For more information, consult the State Library webpage.
  • Ask your closest OhioLINK institution library about a community membership. Many member libraries, especially public institutions, offer this for a nominal fee, providing you with borrowing privileges for print materials, which include OhioLINK's shared collection.
  • If your local public library is a member of SearchOhio, you also have access to OhioLINK print materials. Like OhioLINK, SearchOhio is a consortium of libraries, but instead of college and university libraries, its members are public libraries. If you have a library card for a SearchOhio library, you also have access to OhioLINK Shared Collections. Check out the SearchOhio website for a list of member libraries.
  • High school students in College Credit Plus classes whose dual-enrollment is with an OhioLINK institution have full access to OhioLINK as well through their enrollment as a college student. 

You don’t have to be in the depths of a doctoral thesis or researching the next medical breakthrough to make great use of all OhioLINK has to offer. Track down industry news in the research databases, read a book about your favorite period in history, or borrow a movie you’ve wanted to watch but could never find at your home library. As a citizen, there are many ways to access an entire state’s worth of articles, books, and audiovisual materials through OhioLINK without traveling too far from home.

 

As a state employee the State Library of Ohio provides resources for research and borrowing, to learn more check out our overview webpage and brochure.

Read about OhioLINK’s member library activities in our recent blog post, OhioLINK’s Best of 2015. For more information about OhioLINK access, connect with us on Twitter and Facebook.