Does your library own the print versions of reference content included in Salem Press's health and history databases? If so, according to a new Salem Press program, you are entitled to online access to that content at no charge. What titles does this include? Here’s the list:

Magill's Medical Guide, Salem Health: Cancer, Psychology & Mental Health, Genetics & Inherited Diseases, Infectious Diseases & Conditions, Addictions & Substance Abuse, Nutrition & Eating Disorders, American History, American Leaders, World History, World Religions, African American History, The Twenties in America, The Thirties in America, The Forties in America, The Fifties in America, The Sixties in America, The

Seventies in America, The Eighties in America, The Nineties in America, The Ancient World, The Middle Ages, The Renaissance, The 17th Century, The 18th Century,  The 19th Century, Notorious Lives, Inventions & Inventors, The 20th Century: 1901-1940, The 20th Century: 1941-1970, The 20th Century: 1971-2000, Modern Scandals, Encyclopedia of American Business, Musicians & Composers, and Great Athletes.

And beginning in September 2009 the “free online” program will also include their new, single volume reference Critical Insights titles, with such volumes as: Nathaniel Hawthorne, T.S. Eliot, Toni Morrison, Barbara Kingsolver, Benjamin Franklin, Ernest Hemingway, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Gwendolyn Brooks, Jane Austen, Robert Frost, and many more to come in ensuing years.

The program allows online access to an unlimited number of users, anywhere they need the access without restrictions on how long the content is your library’s, and includes past purchases as well as new ones. As Peter Tobey, Salem’s director of sales and marketing, notes, “Any school or library with reference content included in Salem's health and history databases is entitled to online access to that content. This access is an inherent part of our product… Access is unlimited. Immediately. Just call.”

If you want to sign up, the number to call is: (201) 968-9599, and Peter Tobey’s e-mail address is: ptobey@salempress.com.

If library publishing is going to survive the current “economic downturn” everybody involved -- publishers, content producers and owners, and libraries – is going to have to think very creatively to expand online access. So what does this Salem program translate as? A REALLY BIG DEAL. Kudos to Salem for doing something remarkable – that I hope other publishers will fall in with.

More as it happens, outside the subscription box,

Cheryl