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This Is MY OhioLINK Video Contest

As we celebrate OhioLINK's 15th anniversary, we want to know what OhioLINK means to you, how it has helped you or how you'd explain OhioLINK to your peers. But don't just tell us, show us, in five minutes or less, your OhioLINK story or commercial in a creative video and you could win a new digital video camera or a 160 GB iPod classic.

The Basics:
Current students, faculty and staff members at all 87 OhioLINK member institutions are welcome to submit one or more videos. Entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST on January 18, 2008. A panel of judges will narrow the entries to three finalists, then your votes will determine the grand prize winner and runner up. The grand prize winner will receive his/her choice of a digital video camera or a new 160 GB iPod classic and the runner up will receive the remaining prize.

Ready to learn more? Visit the contest Web site for complete rules and details.

Dates to Remember:

• January 18, 2008: Video entries due
• January 28, 2008: Three finalists announced
• January 28-Feb. 8, 2008: Vote for your favorite video!
• February 12, 2008: Winners announced

Spread the Word
Please tell your friends, colleagues and students about the contest. Use this flyer (PDF) or grab some Web buttons from the contest Web site.

Books by the Banks, Nov. 3, Cincinnati

The inaugural Books by the Banks: Cincinnati USA Book Festival scheduled for Saturday, November 3, from 10am-6pm at the Duke Energy Center (Cincinnati's Convention Center) will celebrate and promote the joy and reading of books. The festival and all events are free and open to the public.

The day-long festival will feature more than 85 regional and national authors of fiction, history, mystery, biography, travel, non-fiction, children's literature, and more. Activities will be held throughout the day such as author readings and panel presentations on such topics as baseball, cookbooks, cartoonists, local history, romance, and urban fiction. A special Kids' Corner will feature family-free activities such as crafts, storytellers, and costume characters.

A joint effort of Borders Books, CET, Cincinnati Magazine, The Mercantile Library, the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, and the University of Cincinnati Libraries, Books by the Banks will be an annual community event designed to attract a broad range of book lovers from throughout the tri-state.

Reminder: ODCE 2008 Conference Proposals Due October 30!

The deadline for proposals for presentations, workshops and demonstrations of innovation for the Ohio Digital Commons for Education 2008 Conference -- The Convergence of Learning, Libraries and Technology, is looming. This year's deadline is October 30, and ODCE officials remain steadfast that they will not extend it.

Are you interested in submitting a proposal to Ohio's premier higher education conference? Then make your way to the ODCE Web site to find out more and send in your ideas as soon as possible.

Related post: ODCE 2008: Call for Proposals

No Landsat 7 Image Updates for 2-3 Weeks

The OhioLINK Landsat 7 Image Server will not be updated with new satellite images for two to three weeks. The U.S. Geological Survey, the organization that manages the Landsat Project, recently reported that "On October 6, 2007, Landsat 5 experienced an issue with its onboard batteries, leading to concerns about power balance. Imaging will be suspended while the flight operations team analyzes the problem. The Landsat team expects the investigation will last from 2 to 3 weeks." Further updates will be posted on the Landsat Project Web site as needed.

The Landsat 7 satellite was launched in April of 1999. This satellite orbits the earth and captures digital snapshots from space. OhioLINK has purchased all Ohio based data captured by Landsat 7 since the first data sets were available, and maintains a standing order for new data as it is captured.

Getting Ready for the Big Test? Try Our Online Practice Tests

Get ready for your next big test or job interview with LearningExpress Library. LearningExpress features online, interactive practice tests for the: ASVAB, Civil Service Careers, GED, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, PPST Praxis I, TOEFL, U.S. Citizenship and much more. LearningExpress' online, interactive practice tests offer instant scoring, detailed answer explanations, and a personalized analysis that identifies your strengths and weaknesses in each major content area so you'll know how to prepare. LearningExpress also includes courses, career building tools, writing aids and helpful e-books. To use LearningExpress Library, you first set up your own individual account. If you are off-campus, use the OhioLINK remote authentication proxy URL (or your institution's off-campus access method) to connect to LearningExpress, create an account, and then log into LearningExpress with your individual username and password. LearningExpress Library is available to all OhioLINK users and all Ohioans as part of the Ohio Web Library.