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    May 19th, 2016LISWire aggregatorUncategorized

    LearningExpress Announces PrepSTEP™ High School Edition
    ~ Helps Students Build College and Career Readiness ~

    IPSWICH, Mass. — May 19, 2016 — In response to the urgent need for high schools to improve the college and career readiness among students, LearningExpress, an EBSCO company, introduces PrepSTEP™ High School Edition. The online learning platform helps high school students build the skills that prepare them for success in college, in a career, and beyond.

    PrepSTEP High School Edition is a unique and extensive collection of academic, college preparation and career-related resources that supports college-, career- and military-bound students. It includes SAT®, ACT® and Advanced Placement® (AP) test preparation; skill-building in English, math and science; computer skills development; a college search tool; career exploration; occupational test preparation; information about military careers, workplace skills development and more.

    The easy-to-use platform features interactive tutorials, practice tests, flashcards, factsheets, useful articles and e-books that students can access online anytime, anywhere, from any device with an internet browser. With the secure personal portfolio feature, students can save their work and track their progress. The self-directed tools are designed for independent use by students, which makes PrepSTEP a perfect supplement to coursework for instructors, a valuable resource for summer study and skills improvement for students, and powerful college and career planning support for students, parents, and guidance counselors.

    PrepSTEP High School Edition is developed by LearningExpress, an award-winning educational SaaS software provider and an EBSCO company. It is the latest addition to the popular PrepSTEP product line which includes platforms for 2- and 4-Year Colleges. The PrepSTEP High School Edition with academic resources aligned to the Common Core State Standards includes more than 460 tests, tutorials, e-books, flashcards, articles and computer courses. There is also a version of the platform with academic resources that are not tied to the Common Core standards.

    The national high school graduation rate is improving and is currently over 80 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Education, yet studies show that fewer than 40 percent of 12th graders were ready for college level work. PrepSTEP High School Edition is designed to help students achieve readiness by providing self-directed skills improvement that strengthens the fundamental skills for success.

    LearningExpress’ General Manager and Chief Operating Officer, Kheil McIntyre, says, “PrepSTEP High School Edition is a great way for high schools to help their students succeed—whether college-, career-, or military-bound—with supplemental academic skill-building resources and college preparation and career exploration tools. Additionally, it allows schools to offer valuable SAT® and ACT® test preparation at no cost to students and their families.”

    About LearningExpress
    LearningExpress is an award-winning educational technology company and recognized leader in providing online workforce skills, academic, and career content for the public, school, and college library markets. Founded in 1995, it became an EBSCO company in April 2015 and is part of EBSCO Information Services. Visit LearningExpress at www.learningexpressllc.com. For more information about LearningExpress, call (800) 295-9556.

    About EBSCO Information Services
    EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is the leading discovery service provider for libraries worldwide, with more than 10,000 discovery customers in over 100 countries. EBSCO Discovery Service™ (EDS) provides each institution with a comprehensive, single search box for its entire collection, offering unparalleled relevance ranking quality and extensive customization. EBSCO is also the preeminent provider of online research content for libraries, including hundreds of research databases, historical archives, point-of-care medical reference, and corporate learning tools serving millions of end users at tens of thousands of institutions. EBSCO is the leading provider of electronic journals and books for libraries, with subscription management for more than 360,000 serials, including more than
    57,000 e-journals, as well as online access to more than 800,000 e-books. For more information, visit the EBSCO website at: www.ebsco.com. EBSCO Information Services is a division of EBSCO Industries Inc., a family owned company since 1944.

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    For more information, please contact:
    Kathleen McEvoy
    Vice President of Communications
    (800) 653-2726 ext. 2594
    kmcevoy@ebsco.com

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  • scissors
    May 19th, 2016LISWire aggregatorUncategorized

    DUBLIN, Ohio, May 18, 2016—The White Rose Libraries, a long-standing collaboration among the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York, have selected OCLC Sustainable Collection Services to assist in developing a regional shared-print collection.

    The White Rose Libraries (WRL) will work with Sustainable Collection Services (SCS) to make informed group-level decisions around the libraries’ physical collections. WRL will focus first on protecting scarcely-held materials and identifying opportunities for shared retention commitments. More broadly, SCS tools will help the group better manage monographs based on usage and holdings of other libraries in the UK and globally.

    WRL will use the SCS GreenGlass decision-support application for real-time modeling of retention scenarios and collection visualisations, enabling participating libraries and groups to better understand their shared collection and to share responsibility for retention.

    “We are excited to begin this new project with our White Rose partners and OCLC,” said Heidi Fraser-Krauss, Director of Information Services, University of York. “The data provided by the GreenGlass tool will give us new insight into our collections, enabling us to plan strategically and collaboratively. The potential for this tool to revolutionise collections’ management is very exciting.”

    “My colleagues and I are delighted to be working on what will be an important strategic development for each of the White Rose Libraries,” said Stella Butler, University Librarian and Keeper of the Brotherton Collection, University of Leeds. “By using GreenGlass, we will be able to safeguard the value and heritage within our individual holdings, while taking advantage of the efficiencies that come from collective management of print collections.”

    “This represents the latest instalment of the White Rose Libraries innovation with regard to collaborative collection management,” said Anne Horn, Director of Library Services and University Librarian, University of Sheffield. “We have a long history in working collaboratively in changing the shape of our collections. I am delighted to see this being taken to the next level using a data driven approach and sophisticated collection analytics.”

    Sharing print collections will make it possible to free up valuable library space and local resources for the development of high demand and specialised collections, while ensuring each WRL library retains access to the widest possible range of resources available.

    “OCLC is extremely pleased to be working with WRL, helping these libraries develop the best regional shared-print collection possible,” said Eric van Lubeek, Vice President, Managing Director, OCLC EMEA & APAC. “The group functionality within GreenGlass is built expressly for the purpose of informing and facilitating decision-making among shared print partners. For WRL, this means GreenGlass can help clarify outcomes and provide proof-points for collaborative collection development, while minimizing any of the associated risks of managing down low use items.”

    SCS services use WorldCat, the largest aggregation of library data in the world as well as the world's largest library resource sharing network, to inform which titles should be kept locally, which can be discarded, and which can be considered to be kept in shared collections.

    About the White Rose Libraries
    Since 1997 the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York have built on their individual strengths by collaborating through the White Rose University Consortium to add value from partnership activity in research, enterprise, innovation and learning and teaching. The White Rose Libraries is a collaboration between the Library Services of the three partner institutions of the Consortium. Taking advantage of the geographic proximity of the universities, their similar strategic and operational focus as large research libraries, and the existing links between their researchers, students, and staff, the White Rose Libraries have worked together since 2004 on a number of initiatives that have allowed them to pool resources and expertise.

    About OCLC
    OCLC is a nonprofit global library cooperative providing shared technology services, original research and community programs so that libraries can better fuel learning, research and innovation. Through OCLC, member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the most comprehensive global network of data about library collections and services. Libraries gain efficiencies through OCLC’s WorldShare, a complete set of library management applications and services built on an open, cloud-based platform. It is through collaboration and sharing of the world’s collected knowledge that libraries can help people find answers they need to solve problems. Together as OCLC, member libraries, staff and partners make breakthroughs possible.

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