Press Room
background vertical lines

April 3, 2008

The New York State Library is pleased to announce that it has renewed and enhanced its license agreements with Gale Cengage Learning (formerly Thomson/Gale) for NOVELNY databases in the areas of health, business and newspapers (see below for the list of specific databases). The agreements with Gale Cengage Learning will continue through March 31, 2009.

The Gale URL addresses for individual library accounts will not change. To obtain MARC records, any library can go to the www.gale.cengage.com web site, click on MARC Records in the left-hand column (third option), and then on the sub heading "eBook MARC records." Call the NOVELNY Help Desk if additional help is needed.

In renewing the Gale Cengage Learning contracts, New York State Librarian Janet M. Welch accepted the recommendation of NECAT (NOVELNY Electronic Collections Advisory Team). NECAT is the working group appointed by the NOVELNY Steering Committee and charged with recommending NOVELNY-supported electronic collections.

From previous feedback it has been determined that databases in the subject areas of health, business and newspapers are desirable for NOVELNY. The best option at this time was to renew the contracts for the products offered by Gale Cengage Learning in those 3 areas. In addition to the primary databases offered by Gale Cengage Learning in each of those subject areas, the agreements include content attached to the primary license agreements by the vendor. The additional content is not always in the same subject as the primary database. In the list below, primary content is typed in all capital letters and attached additional content is typed using lower case letters. New titles/databases are denoted with an asterisk (*). The agreements include the following:

Health:

  • HEALTH AND WELLNESS RESOURCE CENTER (with ALTERNATIVE HEALTH MODULE)
  • HEALTH REFERENCE CENTER ACADEMIC
  • NURSING AND ALLIED HEALTH COLLECTION*
  • Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine (2005)
  • Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer (2006)
  • Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders (2006)
  • Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine (2006)
  • Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health (2007)
  • Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy (2002)*
  • French and Indian War (2003)*
  • Harlem Renaissance (2001)*
  • Mexican American War (2003)*
  • St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture (2000)*
  • War of 1812 (2002)*

Business:

  • BUSINESS AND COMPANY RESOURCE CENTER
  • InfoTrac Junior Edition
  • American Civil War Reference Library (2000)
  • American Revolution Reference Library (2000)
  • Americans at War (2005)
  • Business Plans Handbook (Vols. 1-10) (1993-2004)
  • Encyclopedia of Small Business (2002)
  • Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa (2004)
  • Europe, 1450-1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World (2004)
  • Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations and Footwear through the Ages (2004)
  • History Behind the Headlines: The Origins of Conflict Worldwide (2003)
  • Major Acts of Congress (2004)
  • Gale Encyclopedia of E-Commerce (2002)*

Newspapers:

  • INFOTRAC CUSTOM NEWSPAPERS
  • NATIONAL NEWSPAPER INDEX
  • Twayne’s Authors Series
  • Informe Revistas en Español
  • Biology (2002)
  • Contemporary Novelists (2001)*
  • Contemporary Poets (2001)
  • Encyclopedia of Population (2003)*
  • Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America (2000)*
  • Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History (1999)*
  • International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers (2001)*
  • Renaissance: An Encyclopedia of Students*

If you have any questions on the resources described above, please send them to the NOVELNY Help Desk (nyslnovel@mail.nysed.gov). The NOVELNY Help Desk is available from 9:00am to 4:00pm Monday thru Friday by calling 877-277-0250.

NOVELNY is a pilot project for the Statewide Internet Library. It is a powerful virtual library that gives New Yorkers full computer access to thousands of national and international newspapers and magazines, health and medical magazines and resources, valuable business and investment information, and fun and educational material for adults and youngsters - all free via their local library. It connects New Yorkers in every community to state-of-the-art information without regard to economic, geographic, or physical barriers. The NOVELNY pilot opened a new era in library service, thanks to support from the LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) program and the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Over 5,000 libraries across the state have become subscribers.

October 16, 2007

New York State Library Releases Federated Search Pilot Report

Janet M. Welch, State Librarian and Assistant Commissioner for Libraries, announced today the availability of “Final Report of the New York State Federated Search Portal Pilot Project” on the New York State Library’s web site at www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/news/portal.htm. This report summarizes the results of a two-year pilot testing the application of WebFeat federated search software for the online collections of the New York State Library and the collections of the NOVELny pilot project.

Upon the recommendation of the NOVELny Steering Committee, the New York State Library implemented a pilot program in 2005 to test federated search software. Federated search software allows users to simultaneously search across multiple online resources including databases and web sites. The pilot program used the software developed by WebFeat to test the application of federated search to the NOVELny collection of resources. Fourteen libraries and library systems participated in Phase 1 of the pilot, and four members of the Phase 1 group continued in Phase 2 to further test integration of their locally subscribed online resources with NOVELny databases in a single search. The Portal Pilot Project ended on August 31, 2007.

The NOVELny Steering Committee reviewed evaluation reports from the two phases of the Portal Pilot in August and concluded that the Portal Pilot was a successful demonstration of the application of federated search technology. Federated search will continue at the New York State Library and on the NOVELny site www.novelnewyork.org.  While cost considerations may limit its widespread adoption, the findings of the pilot program may be of interest to other libraries using, or considering implementation of, federated search.

For more information and background on the report or the pilot project contact Liza Duncan, Principal Librarian Technical Services and Systems at lduncan@mail.nysed.gov.

June 21, 2007

The New York State Library is pleased to announce that it has renewed and enhanced its contract with EBSCO for the NOVELNY database MasterFile Select.

This contract also includes General Science Collection, TopicSearch, Primary Search, Encyclopedia of Animals and Funk & Wagnall's New World Encyclopedia, plus the addition of Science Reference Center. The contract begins September 1, 2007 and ends August 31, 2008.

The newly added Science Reference Center contains full text articles on topics including: biology, chemistry, earth & space science, environmental science, health & medicine, history of science, physics, science & society, scientists, technology and wildlife. Science Reference Center also assists teachers and librarians with articles correlated to state and national curriculum standards.

The EBSCO password and URL address for individual library accounts will not change.

In renewing the EBSCO contract, New York State Librarian Janet M. Welch accepted the recommendation of NECAT (NOVELNY Electronic Collections Advisory Team). NECAT is the working group appointed by the NOVELNY Steering Committee and charged with recommending NOVELNY-supported electronic collections. The State Library also continues to consult with other organizations involved with the selection and group licensing of electronic collections.

NOVELNY, the New York Online Virtual Electronic Library, is a powerful virtual library that gives New Yorkers full computer access to thousands of national and international newspapers and magazines, health and medical magazines and resources, valuable business and investment information, and fun and educational material for adults and youngsters - all free via their local library. NOVELNY opened a new era in library service, thanks to support from the LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) program and the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). NOVELNY is a "virtual library" that connects New Yorkers in every community to state-of-the-art information without regard to economic, geographic, or physical barriers. Over 5,000 libraries across the state have already become subscribers.


April 12, 2007

The New York State Library is pleased to announce that it has renewed and enhanced its contract with Thomson/Gale regarding the NOVELNY database InfoTrac Custom Newspapers. This contract also includes National Newspaper Index, Informe, Twayne Authors, plus two new Gale Virtual Reference titles. The renewal contract begins April 1, 2007 and ends March 31, 2008.

The two new virtual reference titles are: Contemporary Poetry, 7th ed. and Biology: Macmillan Science Library.

The contract with Thomson/Gale for the Business & Company Resources Center will continue through March, 2008.

The Gale individual URL address for individual library accounts will not change.

In renewing the Gale contract, New York State Librarian Janet M. Welch accepted the recommendation of NECAT (NOVELNY Electronic Collections Advisory Team). NECAT is the working group appointed by the NOVELNY Steering Committee and charged with recommending NOVELNY -supported electronic collections. The State Library also continues to consult with other organizations involved with the selection and group licensing of electronic collections.


February 27, 2007

Charter School Registration for NOVELNY Databases

As of January 27, 2007, Charter Schools in New York State may register for the NOVELNY databases program. NOVELNY gives New York State residents online access to the full text of thousands of journals, reference books, newspapers and other sources. New Yorkers can use NOVELNY databases from home, school or work.

In order to participate in the NOVELNY program, Charter Schools are expected to meet the criteria listed below. You, as chief administrator of your charter school, should submit a signed letter on your school's letterhead to:

Janet Welch, State Librarian and Assistant Commissioner for Libraries
New York State Library
10C34 CEC
Albany NY 12230.

Once the letter is received, you may register for the NOVELNY program.

The letter should attest that the following eligibility criteria have been met (the same criteria as those required of nonpublic schools):

  • Charter Schools must have a collection of materials designated as a library collection and a designated space in the school that is considered the school library or media center.
  • A Charter School must have the minimum library collection as follows:
    • under 200 pupils, 1,000 volumes
    • 200-500 pupils, 3,000 volumes
    • 501-1,000 pupils, 5,000 volumes
    • over 1,000 pupils, 8,000 volumes
  • A Charter School must have a certified school media specialist or a designated staff member who is responsible for the school library and the library collection.

If you have any questions regarding the NOVELNY program and the registration procedures, please contact the NOVELNY Help Desk by email at nyslnovel@mail.nysed.gov or by calling the NOVELNY Help Desk from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday - Friday at 877-277-0250.