The best things in life are free: Love, kindness and access to the nation’s top daily newspapers. The first two are for anyone, but thanks to PennWest University Libraries, students, faculty and staff on all three PennWest campuses and Global Online have the free access to newspapers.

 

To ensure that the curricular and professional needs of PennWest students are met, the librarians of PennWest worked during the spring and summer to examine the resources to which the libraries subscribe, according to Mary Buchanan, information literacy librarian.

 

“Each campus library studied database usage and content offered, then dropped some things and added others when we became PennWest,” Buchanan said.

 

Added was U.S.Major Dailies a database offering full text access to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times. Along with published newspaper articles, access includes the newspapers’ web content (blogs, videos and images).

 

“Also new is Westlaw Campus Research database, more full-text journal content from Elsevier through their Science Direct database, and a database of OVID Nursing and Health Science journals,” Buchanan said.

 

Some of the databases – such as such as Statista and Opposing Viewpoints, which were only available at the Clarion campus prior to integration with California and Edinboro – are now available to all of PennWest.

 

“We have tried to broaden our educational streaming video options with full access to Academic Videos Online and selective content to Films on Demand, Kanopy and Swank,” she said.

 

In addition, the university libraries now have a unified PennWest University Library webpage.

 

“We worked to merge our library catalogs so that all PennWest users can see the physical library items available at each library and can request that the item be sent to their campus or to their home if they are a Global Online student,” Buchanan said. “The faculty librarians offer research assistance, online and in-person appointments, information literacy instruction, and embedding in online courses.

 

To access the databases or other PennWest University Libraries resources, visit library.pennwest.edu.