Around the Consortium

Last Mile Enhancement Program brings tenfold increase in broadband speed to 40 Ohio colleges and universities (Dec 21, 2020)
Students, faculty to benefit from faster connectivity, expanded accessCOLUMBUS, Ohio (Dec 21, 2020) — 

Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) Chancellor Randy Gardner and OARnet have announced the $12.1 million Last Mile Enhancement Program to increase broadband speeds by 1,000% at 40 Ohio colleges and universities.

The award will also enable all 87 OARnet-connected... Read more

OhioLINK awarded Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funds to bridge COVID-created gaps in higher education instructional materials and library resources (Dec 21, 2020)
Funds to purchase statewide licenses for streaming video, e-books, and other materials bolster remote research and support for courses not usually taught onlineDec 21, 2020

COLUMBUS, Ohio (December 21, 2020) OhioLINK, Ohio’s academic library consortium, has received $2.5 million from the Ohio Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funds through the Ohio Department of Higher Education. The funds will be used to purchase digital resources for Ohio colleges, such as streaming video and e-... Read more

OhioLINK is awarded Ohio Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Competitive Grant (Dec 15, 2020)
Funding will expand pilot program begun in 2017 to create a more diverse and inclusive library workforceDec 15, 2020

COLUMBUS, Ohio (December 15, 2020) — OhioLINK announces that the State Library of Ohio has awarded grant funding to support OhioLINK’s 2021-2022 effort to expand its diversity initiative. OhioNET will be the program partner. Funding for the Ohio Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Competitive Grant comes from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Library... Read more

OARnet elevates Fullmer to chief technology officer, Wise to director of networking (Dec 1, 2020)
Changes to organizational structure enhance OARnet’s capabilities and efficiencyCOLUMBUS, Ohio (Dec 1, 2020) — 

The Ohio Academic Resources Network (OARnet) announced today the promotion of Mark Fullmer to chief technology officer and the appointment of Aaron Wise as his replacement as director of networking, effective immediately.

Reflecting Fullmer and Wise’s expertise and leadership, these changes are key to ensuring OARnet’s... Read more

Chancellor Gardner appoints Pawlowski as OhioLINK executive director (Oct 27, 2020)
Nationally recognized consortium leader will serve OhioLINK’s 117 member academic libraries and continue efforts to increase access and affordability for Ohio’s college studentsCOLUMBUS, Ohio (Oct 27, 2020) — 

Ohio Department of Higher Education Chancellor Randy Gardner has named Amy Pawlowski executive director of OhioLINK, Ohio’s academic library consortium, effective immediately. Pawlowski joined OhioLINK in 2013 as deputy director for... Read more

Statewide Print Lending Resumes August 10 (Aug 10, 2020)
As lending resumes in time for fall semester, OhioLINK continues to support members during COVID-19 with critical resources and knowledge sharingAug 10, 2020

OhioLINK is pleased to announce that print borrowing among member institutions will resume on August 10th. The statewide print lending service, which temporarily halted operations amid response to COVID-19, will again support students and faculty as they return to campus for fall. Statewide, patrons borrowed on average more than 25,000... Read more

No Shelf Required: Making digital resources accessible for students with disabilities: Are libraries, publishers, and vendors ready for the new rules and regulations? (Jun 30, 2020)
"Judy Cobb, Manager of Digital Platforms at OhioLINK, says that the challenges on this front are enormous for libraries."Jun 30, 2020

No Shelf Required is an open source of information on books and digital content for information professionals, including publishers, editors, authors, librarians, and educators. Editor and author Mirela Roncevic interviewed Judy Cobb for... Read more

Research and Education Networks in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio Announce Partnership in the Fight Against COVID-19 (Jun 12, 2020)
I-Light, Merit, and OARnet team up to provide internet access and support online learning, research, and state and local government initiatives to aid communities amid pandemicBLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Jun 12, 2020) — 

Please Note: This press release was originally published by Indiana University and can be found on their website... Read more

Speedy Circuit-Building Effort Supports COVID-19 Fight (Jun 2, 2020)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Jun 2, 2020) — 

Following the health emergency declaration, the State of Ohio urgently needed an IT network connection between the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) offices in downtown Columbus and its ODH Receipt, Stage, and Store (RSS) warehouse.

The RSS is designed to supplement and re-supply state and local resources during large-scale public health and medical emergencies. The RSS warehouse represented a critical... Read more

Supporting the Emergency Needs of OARnet Clients (May 27, 2020)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (May 27, 2020) — 

On March 11, 2020, shortly after cases of the COVID-19 virus were officially detected in Ohio, Chancellor Randy Gardner and OARnet staff reached out to their communities to offer subsidized expansion of network bandwidth. This was done in an effort to better serve what was expected to be a dramatically increased need for online learning and teleworking arrangements.

"When it... Read more

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