...provided as a service to help VIVA institutions publicize VIVA resources and services on their local campuses
brought to you by the VIVA Outreach Committee
VIVA
The Virtual Library of Virginia
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Fairfax, Virginia 4/11/02
Encyclopaedia Britannica, the oldest continuously published reference work in the English language, is now available in electronic format at VIVA institutions.
College and university libraries participating in VIVA applaud the return of Britannica's powerful combination of online reference sources. With articles from the 32 volume print version of the encyclopedia, 130,000 web links, 10,000 illustrations, and a variety of multimedia items, Britannica Online offers an excellent starting point for research at all levels of study.
Virginia college students and faculty accessing Britannica Online have the option of searching by keyword in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, or the "Internet Guide" to web sites selected by Britannica's editors. Two additional search options are browsable A-Z lists of people, articles, images, maps, and flags and subject trees for art, history, society, religion, science, technology, mathematics, and philosophy. Appearing in the lower portion of the Britannica Online screen are the special features: country profiles and maps, superlatives (various top 10 rankings), biographies and historical events related to the current date, a recommended article for the day, and the "Britannica Classics." These classic articles from past editions, such as Sigmund Freud's "Pyschoanalysis" article and Albert Einstein's piece on "Space-Time," illustrate why the Encyclopaedia Britannica has had the reputation for publishing authoritative information since 1768.
To aid online researchers, Britannica Online provides a temporary "workspace" for holding encyclopedia articles for further review or printing. Teaching faculty, librarians and students will be delighted to see that complete citation information is automatically included at the bottom of every Britannica Online article. The "how to search" link is prominently displayed and provides tips on using:
Britannica Online is expected to be one of VIVA's most heavily used resources because it is where students will begin the research process to quickly locate definitions, reliable web sites, and the critical background information needed to understand a vast range of topics and develop a research strategy. The new Encyclopedia Britannica: http://search.eb.com
VIVA, the Virtual Library of Virginia is the consortium of the libraries of the 39 state-assisted colleges and universities at 52 campuses within the Commonwealth of Virginia. In addition, 30 independent private, non-profit institutions and The Library of Virginia participate where possible. VIVA's mission is to provide, in an equitable, cooperative, and cost-effective manner, enhanced access to library and information resources for Virginia's academic libraries serving the higher education community. VIVA is sponsored by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), with support from the General Assembly and the local institutions.
###
For additional information contact:
Katherine A. Perry
VIVA Director
B222 Fenwick Library
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia 22030-4444
Tel: (703) 993-4652
E-Mail: kperry@gmu.edu
|
Last updated April 11, 2002 |