May 14, 2010

Hi,

You may recall the late April announcement that Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center (OVRC) will be added to our statewide suite of Gale databases.  As of today, OVRC is available on OSLIS.

What is it?
Opposing Viewpoints is a popular Gale database that pulls together background information and pros & cons viewpoints about current social issues.  It’s an especially useful tool for middle schoolers through college students as they do research.  

Access
There are two ways to access this database on OSLIS.  One is to go to the secondary student Find Information page.  OVRC is featured in the center of the top row.  Or, when you are logged into any statewide Gale database, click on Change Databases, a choice in the toolbar at the top of the screen.  Clicking on Change Databases takes you to the Gale common menu, and Opposing Viewpoints is the 6^th choice in the list.  We did not highlight OVRC on the elementary Find Information page, but you can access it, and any statewide Gale database, through the Change Databases link as just described.  See the attachment for specific directions and screenshots.

Think Interface
If you have used OVRC before, you know that the interface is like the one used in Student Resource Center Gold.  By early June, Gale plans to unveil Think, a new interface for OVRC.  It will be a portal page that features a quick overview of a topic, related multimedia, links to “editorially reviewed” websites, and more.  Content that used to be available in tabs at the top of the page will appear in buckets at the bottom of the page.  Extra features like ReadSpeaker and translation will still be available.  Eventually, SRC Gold will change to the Think interface, too. 

Training
You will have several opportunities to participate in a 1-hour Gale webinar to learn more about Opposing Viewpoints.  Because of the upcoming transition to a new interface and because many folks will soon be on vacation, we pushed back the training timeline.  We’ll offer two sessions in June and multiple sessions in August and late September or early October.  These are the webinar dates so far:  June 16 & 17 and August 24 & 26.  The times and the September or October dates have not been confirmed yet.  Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information.  If you want to get familiar with the current interface, explore the resources that Gale added to our support site.  You can’t miss the big OVRC bubble on the top right.

If your library or district already subscribes to Opposing Viewpoints, you are eligible for a credit to apply toward the purchase of new databases and/or eBooks.  Within the next few weeks, Lindsay Smith, the in-office counterpart to Jeff Jensen (who no longer works for Gale), should be contacting those who are due a credit.  Or, you are welcome to contact her: Lindsay.smith@cengage.com or 800-877-4253 ext 8374. 

If you have questions, please ask.  Have a great weekend.

Jen

Jennifer Maurer
School Library Consultant
Library Development
Oregon State Library
250 Winter Street NE
Salem, OR  97301-3950
503-378-5011
jennifer.maurer@state.or.us