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Internet databases open new windows for area students By Vicki Guarino A statewide pilot research project that involved six Jackson County schools has become a learning resource for thousands of students. Working through grants, the state has plugged school computers into large Internet databases that are far too expensive for schools to subscribe to on their own. And because research is available through the Oregon School Library Information System, students also can gain data access on home computers hooked to the Internet. "This is big," said Medford�s Abraham Lincoln Elementary School media specialist Char Wisely. "This is something that is really wonderful for students." Abraham Lincoln, along with South Medford, Crater, Eagle Point and Phoenix high schools, participated in the pilot project to make more information available to students without busting school budgets. The pilot schools worked with various Internet databases to identify the sources most useful to students and teachers. The Oregon Department of Education analyzed the reports from schools and selected the best sites for statewide distribution on the Oregon School Library Information System. Through OSLIS and the newly available set of databases, students working online have access to full-text versions of thousands of magazines, more that 1,000 essential documents of American history, 150 newspapers, and other reference materials containing the most up-to-date research. They all are resources that have been beyond the financial reach of many school districts. Even the Medford School District, with more than 12,000 students, has struggled to pay the cost to subscribe on its own. Medford media specialists say a subscription to just one of the new OSLIS databases can cost $3,000 or more a year. A cheaper alternative for school libraries has been to buy the information on CD-ROM, but there are delays before discs are available, and more delays for information revisions and updates. "In theory, the more libraries you can get together, the stronger their purchasing power and the lower the price for these electronic resources," said Margo Jensen, the president of a state school librarians� association. "The theory proved correct in the case of OSLIS. We are saving school districts hundreds of thousands of dollars by working together and with other libraries." In addition to the information, the new service includes lessons on conducting Web searches. Also the data is organized in a way that is accessible to youngsters. Typically, when students do Internet research, they pull up thousands of irrelevant, unsubstantiated sources of information. The OSLIS subscription magazine and reference databases have been reviewed for age-appropriate and curriculum-related content. On the Internet: www.oslis.k12.or.us/. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.