CO-SER Information

For information contact: Julia Iannello, Coordinator of School Library System and Media Library Services, at 607-286-7715, ext. 2702. E-mail:jiannello@oncboces.org.

This service provides students and staff with a wide assortment of educational resources that support curriculum and enrich instruction. Programs are reviewed and selected by the Media Library Advisory Group and School Library staff for their quality, appropriateness and relevance to educational programs. The Media Library provides a growing collection of exemplary resources in multiple formats. Resources include: online digital streaming, DVDs, tag readers, audio books, eBooks, audio/video sets, class sets of e-readers with middle/high school titles, historical exhibits, Jackdaws, differentiated learning kits, multiple book collections, puppets, STEAM products, professional development resources, class sets of chromebooks, 3-D Printers, 3Doodler Pens, video projectors, portable microphone system, DVD players, CD players, GPS units, iPods®, Google Expedition class sets, class sets of iPads®, digital cameras, BeeBots, ProBots, Dash and Dot robots, OSMO learning system, Mayku Formbox, Padcasters Studios, SWANK movie streaming, Raspberry Pi Robotics, Selfie Station, NYS Giant Map, Solar System Giant Map, Math-in-Movement, Circuitry and more!

This service provides education digital streaming for learning management systems such as AgilixBUZZ, Schoology, Google Classroom, Moodle, and other LMS platforms.

LION's SHARE Booking System (formerly SNAP):

The School Library System is proud to offer LION’s SHARE (LIbrary ONline Share) as our Media Library booking system. LION’s SHARE integrates the School Library System’s Media Library lending catalog with the existing infrastructure of our Component District’s library catalogs (OPALS), allowing for cross-searching of resources from both the user’s school collection and from the School Library System’s Media Library.

eOPALS - Electronic Resources System (formerly V/Snap):

Also new this year, is a separate platform for streaming and electronic resources (formally V/SNAP). This service combines select resources that are available through the Media Library and Instructional Resources CO-SERs. With this system and the new LION’s SHARE booking system we are working toward a one-stop shop for all your Library services. Products available in eOPALS (depending on your CO-SER service) include: Classroom Video on Demand, Learn360, OverDrive eBooks, TeachingBooks, Soundzabound, and much more!

This service provides for bi-weekly courier service of mail, media, interlibrary loan materials, and equipment between 19 school districts, BOCES programs, and various educational institutions within the Otsego Northern Catskills BOCES. Delivery routes are organized into Tuesday/Thursday and Wednesday/Friday schedules throughout the school year. The van delivery schedule follows the school calendar vacations and holidays. The van service operates the week prior to the start of school and ends the week after school closes in June. Items moving on to another site are sorted and delivered to their final destination on the next delivery day.

This service provides access to current instructional tools including print, media and online resources, to meet the rapidly changing information needs of library patrons. Through regional planning and coordinated purchasing, the School Library System (SLS) explores partnerships with other library systems, publishers and information vendors to seek the most cost effective contracts and services. The SLS staff assists districts with training and technical assistance with electronic resources. Districts participate in purchases for databases, books, magazines and ebooks.

The Online Database Service offers district libraries the opportunity to purchase databases at a volume discount. These online fee-based subscriptions, which can be accessed via the Internet from school or home, support the K-12 curriculum. Resources assist in linking the students and staff to curriculum related materials necessary to be successful. This shared service includes online resources, eBooks, online databases, Web-based encyclopedias, magazines, newspapers, and curriculum reference tools. Specific popular products paid for and provided by the School Library System include: Brainpop Jr., Newsbank, Noodletools, Scholastic Go!, and ROSEN Teen Health and Wellness.

Each library in the Otsego Northern Catskills BOCES School Library System (ONC BOCES SLS) exists to serve the needs of its community. We acknowledge that local school district collections cannot satisfy all the needs of every patron. While each library is responsible for developing a core collection, school libraries are relying more on cooperative collections to meet research needs of students and staff. The Cooperative Collection Development (CCD) plan benefits all member districts by participating in joint collection development that all districts in the school library system can draw upon through the established inter-library loan (ILL) network. The ONC BOCES CCD Plan provides school districts access to current print, media and digital resources, and meets the rapidly changing needs of library patrons by providing equitable access to information in a variety of formats.

OverDrive/Sora eBooks offers the students and staff of the component schools with 24/7 access to curriculum-based (Common Core) & recreational eBooks & audiobooks. The main collection is for all participating districts to share, and each school has an individual shelf for eBooks specific to that school users. Schools can also purchase Simultaneous use and Class Set copies of select titles. Title can be downloaded to all devices, including PCs, Macs, Chromebooks, eReaders, MP3 Players, Smart Phones, iPads/iPods/iPhones etc.

The Periodical Subscription service provides for regional coordination for the purchase of magazine subscriptions. School Library System negotiates discounted pricing with subscription providers based on volume discount.

This service is designed to provide ongoing software support for school libraries in the ONC BOCES using the OPALS Library Automation Program. Library automation includes a joint online union catalog called SCOOLS, record conversion, and an interlibrary loan system. The union catalog serves as an electronic backup for each school library collection. This combined catalog enables students to borrow books from other libraries throughout the region, state and country. The service includes a local help desk, technology support and a listserv for problem resolution, consultation, equipment purchase, workshops and training. SEEK (Search Educational eResources for Knowledge) organizes all database subscriptions in one searching location, allowing students and faculty to search all database subscriptions with one password. SEEK promotes the use of all online databases and increases their use for student success.