Update from ProQuest

A letter from ProQuest:

Dear Colleague:
You offer expert help and the most relevant information resources, just when people need them the most. So, make sure you’re getting the word out. Download your free library marketing toolkit today for helpful tips and tools.

When you need to offer the most relevant, local news, look no further than ProQuest. Our California News solutions are easy to search, whether your users are beginners or experienced researchers. And, these databases are available to visitors in your library or from home, 24x7. Click here to test them for yourself.

ProQuest California News SolutionsWhether your users need current information or historical background, ProQuest can help you support their news needs:

ProQuest California Newsstand: More than 25 current, full-text local titles from across the state, in ASCII format. Many are available with more than 15 years of easily searchable backfile.
Library PressDisplay: A complement to California Newsstand, PressDisplay offers today’s full-image newspapers online, in their language of origin. Titles include the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, La Opinion, El Universal, El Mensajero, Sonoma Index-Tribune, Hollywood Reporter, and hundreds of others from around the world, helping you serve your multicultural community.

ProQuest Historical Newspapers™: Help your visitors explore regional and world events and opinions with this definitive digital collection. Continuous runs of more than 30 U.S., international, and historical black newspaper titles are available, including the Los Angeles Sentinel (1934-2005), the Los Angeles Times (1881-1986), the San Francisco Chronicle (1865-1922), and The New York Times (1851-2005) with Index (1851-1993). These newspapers are cross-searchable with one another, providing an enlightening look at how information spread from coast to coast and beyond.

And, only from ProQuest: Los Angeles Times (1881-today). ProQuest is the exclusive provider of the full run of the Los Angeles Times, from the first issue forward. Full-image issues are available from 1881 to 1986, and ASCII format issues are available from 1986 through today.

FREE TRIAL: For your complimentary trial of ProQuest’s California News solutions, click here.

Upcoming Digital Resources Meeting

Califa has a quarterly meeting of folks interested in the Digital Resources and eBook/eAudio worlds - all Califa members are welcome to attend, whether you participate in any of our programs or not.

The next ones will be April 1 (San Jose) and April 8 (Downey). The agenda is below. Please RSVP if you plan on attending either one.

Thanks!

Califa Digital Resources Steering Committee
San Jose Public Library and Downey City Library
10 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
April 1, and April 8 2009
Introductions

Agenda:

Safari
Dan and Aimee from ProQuest will demonstrate the new subaccount features of Safari for libraries, explaining how to download the new marc records, get stats, and other new capabilities.

Quick overview of new ProQuest developments.

MyiLibrary Recap of overview of new shared collection and feedback from demo's.
Report of any libraries currently set up.
Launch collection information.

NetLibrary
Recorded Books subscription options, and possible shared collection with some DRM-free ipod titles.Legal Collection update
General Collection update

Database Package Negotiations Feedback from webinars, and updated information on current offers from Gale and Ebsco

Califa Offerings:Digital products: free DeskStats from Altarama until the end of the calendar year, Text-a-Librarian, Shoutbomb,
Physical products: New 3M order in the spring, AWE coming up in May.Next meeting: TBA

Text a Librarian order deadline reminder

If you are interested in ordering Text a Librarian, the service that allows patrons to send SMS reference questions, which the librarian can answer on their computer, our deadline is coming up on March 31. For pricing and information, email Heather. Thanks!

Change in Consulta subscriptions

We just received this from Oceano, one of our vendors:

Océano Digital, a division of Grupo Océano, announces that after June 30, 2009, the Spanish-language reference database Consulta will no longer be represented and sold exclusively by Thomson Gale. Previously, Consulta was represented by Gale and that agreement will dissolve at the end of June this year. Océano Digital has developed a new partnership with the Califa Library Group to represent and sell Consulta in the California public, school, and academic library market. Consulta will still be accessed in the same manner as it is currently, only the administration of subscription sales will change. Libraries with current subscriptions to Consulta are asked to contact Heather Teysko (email: hteysko@califa.org) of Califa to arrange for renewal information and pricing.

Consulta is a Spanish-language electronic database which offers a tremendous amount of reference information in a very simple and efficient way. With extensive full text articles, documents, maps, images, historical documents, anatomy charts, and entries culled from more than 100 encyclopedic works, Consulta provides the user online content in Spanish, plus it is useful for those patrons wanting to learn Spanish as a second language.

Califa and Océano Digital are committed to keeping renewal costs flat – there will be no increase in renewal costs for current subscribers for the 2009-2010 subscription period. Furthermore, libraries will be offered two additional databases from Océano Digital at no additional cost upon renewing Consulta. Océano Digital is the publisher of the databases: Aula de Padres (parenting, childcare database), Saber (general referenced database), Universitas (student reference database), Escolar (elementary level reference database), Administración de Empresas (business database), and Medicina y Salud (healthcare database).

For more information, please contact Heather Teysko (email: hteysko@califa.org) of Califa or Alan Diehlmann (email: alan.diehlmann@oceanousa.com), sales director of Editorial Oceano, Inc./ Océano Digital.