Salem, Ore – Researchers no longer have to physically search the Oregon Index in the card catalog alcove at the State Library of Oregon. The Oregon Index is now online as State Library staff recently completed making more than 700,000 cards in the index available in State Library of Oregon Digital Collections.
Oregon Index Online is a powerful heritage tool that points to information about the news, events, and Oregonians that shaped our great state. The index contains citations to articles published in Portland and Salem newspapers, magazines, book chapters, and more. Oregon Index Online will quickly become a vital resource for researching Oregon history and state government.
The State Library staff and volunteers began compiling the Oregon Index in the early 20th century and continued to the mid-1980s. The oldest entry is from 1877 but most are from 1915 to 1986. The index of one-sided 3x5 cards is housed in 657 drawers. Each drawer contains 1,000 to 1,250 cards.
The State Library of Oregon partnered with the Oregon Department of Revenue to use its high speed/high volume check scanner during down time to scan the cards. After the cards were scanned, the images were prepared and loaded into a viewer for searching and browsing. The project took a little more than five years to finish. You can find Oregon Index Online in the State Library’s Digital Collections at https://digital.osl.state.or.us/islandora/object/osl:or_index
Some of the cards use archaic language that may have been considered appropriate when the citations were created, but could be jarring to library users today. The cards have been digitized and posted without altering the content. Researchers will find terminology as it was used in its time and can follow changes over time.
There will be an Oregon Index Digital Launch Celebration on November 19 at 2:00 pm on the second floor of the State Library of Oregon building. Library staff, board members, state employees, researchers, and the general public are invited. RSVPs are kindly requested at https://tinyurl.com/oregonindexlaunch
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Salem, Ore. - The Statewide Database Licensing Advisory Committee (SDLAC) will meet on Wednesday, October 30, 2019, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the State Library of Oregon. The agenda is included.
The SDLAC advises the State Library and the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Advisory Council on the Statewide Database Licensing Program. Committee membership represents school, public, tribal, and academic libraries. The current member list is available at: www.oregon.gov/Library/libraries/Pages/SDLAC.aspx.
Sign language interpretation will be provided for the public if requested 48 hours before the meeting; notice 72 hours before the meeting is preferred. Handouts of meeting materials may also be requested in alternate formats 72 hours before the meeting. Requests may be made to Arlene Weible at 503-378-5020.
Questions or concerns can be addressed to Arlene Weible, 503-378-5020 or lene.weible@state.or.us">arlene.weible@state.or.us.
Statewide Database Licensing Advisory Committee Meeting
State Library of Oregon – Room 103
October 30, 2019
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Virtual meeting: https://zoom.us/j/763771777
Agenda
10:00 Welcome and housekeeping (Herren-Kenaga)
10:15 Review agenda and approve meeting minutes from Mar. 14, 2019 (Herren-Kenaga)
10:20 Review action items from last meeting and other updates (Weible)
11:00 Check in on general online encyclopedia data gathering (Gritter/Blair)
11:30 Share ideas for promotion of SDLP resources (Herren-Kenaga)
12:00 Working lunch
12:45 Requirements review – preparation for LearningExpress Library RFP (Weible)
1:45 Break
2:00 RFP Timeline and Process review (Weible)
2:45 Action Item review and schedule next meeting (Weible)
3:00 Adjourn