Library Corner 2 7 13

            Do TEL!  The following information came from (yes, you guessed it) the Tennessee Electronic Library (http://tntel.tnsos.org/about.htm) for all your research needs.

The Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL) is a virtual library that you can access from your home pc, your school library computer lab, or your iPhone – anywhere with an internet connection. TEL provides access to over 400,000 electronic resources, including magazines, scholarly journals, podcasts, videos, e-books, test preparation materials, federal census records, Tennessee primary source materials, and more!
            All types of not-for-profit libraries participate in TEL and benefit from the wide range of information TEL databases offer, including homework help to new readers, consumer health information, business resources, leisure reading suggestions, current event essays, academic and civil service test preparation help, and genealogy and family history sources.  Over 1.2 million searches are performed each month across the various TEL databases.  Since 1999, the Tennessee Electronic Library has been dedicated to providing equal access to this expansive collection of electronic resources for all Tennesseans.   TEL is administered by the Tennessee State Library and Archives, a division of the Tennessee Department of State, Tre Hargett, Secretary of State.

The mission of the Tennessee Electronic Library is to provide convenient and equitable access to library and information resources for all citizens of Tennessee to enhance the quality of their everyday lives, the depth of their educational experience, and the economic prosperity of their communities.

TEL has grown into a resource of 33 databases supplied by six vendors. In addition to the Gale collection of databases, TEL resources also include EBSCO’s Points of View Reference Center, LearningExpress Library’s test preparation database, NewsBank’s Tennessee Newspaper Collection, the genealogy database HeritageQuest online, and World Book Encyclopedia.

In an effort to continue to expand the materials available through TEL, the Tennessee State Library has added Volunteer Voices, a statewide digital collection from Tennessee institutions, and the Tennessee Virtual Archive, a digital repository of Tennessee History and Culture, to the list of available TEL resources. Volunteer Voices, another Tenn-Share initiative, and the Tennessee Virtual Archive, a program of the State Library and Archives, provide Tennessee students with direct access to primary source materials documenting the state’s rich history.

TEL saves individual libraries money by providing core reference materials, journals, newspapers and is of special benefit to smaller and rural libraries, since they could not afford these databases on their own.

            The Tennessee Electronic Library URL is http://tntel.tnsos.org or you may access the link on the Verso On-Line Catalog on the library website at http://elmarosspubliclibrary.webs.com

            Happy Reading!