New resources and new search engine highlight Winter 2004 changes

A new button is the least of the improvements to Literature Online from Chadwyck-Healey a collection of full-text, searchable works of literature available online to supplement your library's print collections. The enhancements are being phased in during December 2003 and January/February 2004. Five new databases have been added to the resource, and a new search interface is being used with some of the databases. Another time-saving feature is the ability to search most the 13 databases simultaneously.

Five new databases (descriptions from the resource's Help / Guides and Documentation section)

• 20th Century African-American Poetry - 12,000 poems and with biographical profiles by more than 100 African-American poets.
• 20th Century American Poetry - Collected works and individual volumes of poetry covering the works of most major twentieth-century American poets, including over 52,000 works from more than 316 poets.
• Bibliography of American Literature - A comprehensive bibliographic guide, providing nearly 40,000 records of the literary works of approximately 300 American writers from the American Revolution to 1930. Includes or has links to full text.
• Twentieth Century of English Poetry - Over 44,000 poems by 288 poets, incorporating the Modern Poetry Collection and The Faber Poetry Library. The complete text of each poem is included, and any integral images are also scanned. Introductions and prefaces to the volumes are included, as are all notes and any prose sections.
• William Butler Yeats Collection - The complete work of W.B. Yeats, bringing together 22 printed volumes and including critical and fictional prose, poetry, plays, and autobiographical works.

One of the older databases, English Poetry, has been renamed as English Poetry 600-1900 on Literature Online's main search menu.

New search engine

Sporting streamlined, less cluttered screens, the search interface for Literature Online is easier to use and more intuitive. The new search engine shares a common look-and-feel, with a few variations for specific database characteristics. Links to Boolean, proximity, bibliographic and search history searches are located conveniently at the bottom of the main search window. Search types are also available from the menu bar. Results lists no longer have a direct link to print entire collections, so accidental excess printing will be easier to avoid.

The new interface provides for two Multiple Collection Searches, using a link in the top menu bar. All Collections searches all the databases, except The Bible in English and Editions and Adaptations of Shakespeare. Group for Poetry Collections searches all sever poetry databases

All of the new databases, as well as African American Poetry [1760-1900], American Poetry [1600-1900], and Eighteenth Century Fiction, are using the new search interface.

When all the databases have been converted to the new search engine and other changes are complete, INFOhio's Help Resources for Literature Online, including the Getting Started Guide and a PowerPoint presentation, will be revised.

Literature Online from Chadwyck-Healey is brought to you by Libraries Connect Ohio, INFOhio working with Ohio's other library networks, OhioLINK and OPLIN. Access to this resource is funded in part through an Institute of Museum and Library Services LSTA grant awarded by the State Library of Ohio.