OSLIS Fact Sheet

OSLIS Fact Sheet

 RTF version (17 KB)

July, 2005

What is OSLIS? (Oregon School Library Information System)

OSLIS is a gateway to the Internet designed for Oregon students and teachers while maintaining the school library at the heart of student research. OSLIS was established and has operated since 1998 with a variety of partners.

Currently OSLIS is a partnership between:

• OASL (Oregon Association of School Libraries), formerly called OEMA (Oregon Educational Media Association)
• OSL (Oregon State Library)
• ODE (Oregon Department of Education)
• UW (iSchool at University of Washington)

In 2004 the OASL board initiated a partnership with the University of Washington iSchool to host OSLIS. OASL's partnership with the iSchool includes the development of a 3-year plan for continuing to enhance and improve OSLIS.

Statewide access to EBSCOhost and the Oregonian for ALL Oregon K-12 public and private schools is being provided with funds granted to the Oregon State Library under the Library Services and Technology Act, and funds from the Oregon Department of Education.

Providing this service statewide helps to reduce resource and access inequities between students in different economic areas. It gives all kids equal opportunity. Large, medium, and small districts all benefit.

OSLIS was developed with two goals:

1. provide low-cost access to high quality information resources
2. provide information literacy curriculum for students, teachers, librarians, and other educators

OSLIS makes a difference in student achievement:

• OSLIS is a SAFE environment for kids to do Internet-based research.
• Quality licensed online databases are now accessible to all K-12 Oregon schools.
• There are a large variety of reliable information resources available at one location.
• Online tutorials and access to information resources help Oregon?s students learn.
• There are age appropriate articles with reading levels defined for K-12 (lexiles).
• Information skills practice provided by information literacy curriculum framework.
• It provides the resources to instruct students on citing work and how to research.
• Home-schooled and private school students can use OSLIS and EBSCOhost from home.
• Content is varied and includes a multitude of magazine, encyclopedia and newspaper resources that most school libraries are unable to afford.
• It provides the most current and constantly updated information.
• All Oregonians have equitable access to OSLIS through their schools.
• Access from home is available so students can do research at night and on weekends.
• Student achievement improves on the Oregon statewide assessment in schools where OSLIS is used.
• Fosters habits of scholarly research.