ATHENS, Ohio -- All Ohio University students, faculty, and staff are invited to join Dean of Libraries Julia Zimmerman and the Ohio University Libraries staff in celebrating OhioLINK's first 10 years of successful operations on the north porch of Alden Library from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, October 11. Refreshments, entertainment, and prizes will be offered.

OhioLINK, the Ohio Library and Information Network, is a cooperative venture of university libraries and the Ohio Board of Regents. A consortium of all 78 Ohio post-secondary educational institutions (and the State Library), OhioLINK makes borrowing library resources within the state fast and easy and delivers a wide-range of information and media resources.

OhioLINK purchases statewide licenses for more than 90 databases, 4,000 e-journals and a variety of electronic media collections. Ohio University students and faculty rely upon OhioLINK resources; they performed nearly 500,000 searches on OhioLINK databases and retrieved more than 100,000 articles from OhioLINK's Electronic Journal Center during the past academic year.

The consortium also encourages statewide sharing and cooperation in the development and use of library resources. Ohio University users borrow materials from other OhioLINK library members, making requests online through the OhioLINK Central Catalog (http://olc1.ohiolink.edu/search/). The delivery of requested items to a specified library within three to four business days is quick and convenient. During the 2001-2002 academic year, Ohio University students and faculty requested and received more than 42,000 library items from other OhioLINK libraries. In turn, the Ohio University Libraries loaned more than 30,000 for use by students and faculty elsewhere in the state.

The Ohio University Libraries are ranked among the top research libraries in North America and hold membership in the prestigious Association of Research Libraries. The Libraries offer personalized service, an extensive electronic library, and more than 2.4 million volumes, and include the Vernon R. Alden Library, the Music/Dance Library, the Hwa-Wei Lee Annex at the Athens campus, as well as libraries on the five regional campuses. For more information, visit the Ohio University Libraries online at: www.library.ohiou.edu.