Services for schools
L-net is a collaborative online reference service staffed by librarians at public, school and academic libraries in Oregon.
You may download this page as a brochure.
Teachers and librarians: tell us about your assignments.
Services
Asking questions
Technology
Help us promote L-net
Live help
L-net connects students and librarians online using chat and co-browsing technology to share online resources.
Live service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Live help sessions usually take 20-30 minutes.
E-mail help
E-mail help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Responses to e-mail questions may take up to 2 school days.
Appointments for live help
There are usually only 1 or 2 librarians on duty. If the librarians are all busy, users will be asked to wait.
To arrange for a class or other large group to visit the service, please contact us at least two weeks in advance.
www.oregonlibraries.net/alert
We will be happy to arrange a session that is convenient to your schedule.
An example class visit might include an introduction to the service and general guidance in searching the Internet or a library resource using a students’ topic as an example.
Asking questions
What types of questions does L-net answer?
L-net librarians can help students with research on the Internet, searching the library catalog, and using online databases such as EBSCOHost. For example:
Who was Hernando de Soto?
What did Europeans eat in the middle ages?
Do video games make people violent?
Why is it that lizards are smaller than dinosaurs were?
L-net librarians can also help students find short answers to factual questions.
I need a map of the country Georgia.
What is the population of Burns, Oregon?
How long is the Columbia River?
What kind of answers do L-net librarians give?
L-net recognizes that the library is a place of learning. L-net librarians strive to deliver a hybrid of factual answers and instruction in using library resources.
Who can use the service?
Anyone living in Oregon can use the service. All students need is their Oregon Zip Code. Providing an e-mail address is optional.
Technology
The best way to make sure L-net will work inside your classroom or lab is to test it yourself.
Find a quiet time and connect to www.oregonlibraries.net/schools. You should be able to chat with a librarian and see pages they send to you.
If you have any questions, please contact L-net staff.
Windows computers
Live chat works best with Internet Explorer on Windows computers.
Macintosh computers
Live chat works best with Firefox on Macintosh computers.
Other computers and browsers
Librarians can send messages and web pages to students using other computers and browsers, but cannot share library resources such as EBSCOHost.
Firewalls
If your school has a firewall or internet filter, it needs to be set up to allow regular http connections to and from 247ref.org and oclc.org.
Help us promote L-net
Linking to L-net
Please feel free to link to L-net from your library’s website.
www.oregonlibraries.net/schools
L-net is also linked from the OSLIS home page.
Promotional materials
L-net would like to provide you with some promotional materials to distribute. You can order pencils, brochures and posters at no cost.
You may also download promotional materials, including this brochure, from our website.
www.oregonlibraries.net/promote
Privacy
L-net will disclose users’ personal information only to the extent necessary to fulfill their request for information and to comply with federal, state or other laws.
Participate
If you would like to help L-net answer questions, either over e-mail or with live help, please contact the service coordinator.
Funding
L-net is made possible by a grant from the Oregon State Library under the Library Services and Technology Act and by the collaboration of Oregon ’s libraries.
www.oregon.gov/OSL/LD/grantmainalt.shtml