KYVL: How to Use KYVL

What is the Kentucky Virtual Library?

A collection of over 40 databases where you can look for magazine and journal articles, including the full-text of articles from thousands of publications.
A collection of current, authoritative, accurate web resources evaluated by professional librarians.
An access point for almost 20 Kentucky library catalogs.
The coordinating body for resource sharing systems for Kentucky’s libraries.
The coordinating body for a digitization project that provides online access to archival finding aids for materials located in archives and special collections throughout Kentucky as well as digitized photographs, text materials, and sound files from these collections.
A resource for hands-on training for librarians, educators, and others interested in learning more about searching the materials collected by KYVL.
The coordinating body of the Endeavor Consortium, which assists Kentucky libraries in obtaining Endeavor’s Voyager software for their online catalogs.

What is the mission of the Kentucky Virtual Library?

All Kentuckians will have equitable access to quality library and information resources and qualified, well-trained staff to support the Kentucky Virtual Campus as well as meet broader needs for learning, working and living.

Why is KYVL important to the Commonwealth of Kentucky?

The KYVL was launched in November 1999 and has been able to level the playing field with respect to access to information for all Kentucky citizens by providing a core collection of digital materials, promoting resource sharing among Kentucky libraries and fostering collaboration for education, training, and information literacy. This availability of resources ensures that every Kentuckian has the opportunity to access the same basic set of resources for research, no matter what the financial situation of their public library system or school system.

Who can use the online research databases found at Kentucky Virtual Library?

Any citizen of the state of Kentucky via one of the member libraries in one of the eleven (11) community types:
All 8 public universities and colleges
All 16 KCTCS districts
All 116 public library systems
All 1,271 public K-12 schools
All 20 AIKCU independent universities and colleges
14 special academic libraries
14 independent K-12 schools
19 special libraries (area health education centers, hospitals, military)
Kentucky Adult Education
Kentucky Government agencies

How do individuals use the licensed databases at KYVL ?

From a member university, school or public library OR special library:

In over 40 indexing, abstracting, and full-text databases, you an access more than 76,000 publications containing over 28,000 full-text resources, 557,016 images and almost 2000 maps. KYVL offers something for everyone, with free access from your home, school or local public library. KYVC students may obtain access information from their home institution libraries.

From home or office:

Access www.kyvl.org from home or office by maintaining a valid library card from a library in the state of Kentucky. That library can give you an ID and password so that you can access the catalogs and databases from your home or office computer, provided that you have Internet access. Only database access is restricted to those eligible to receive an ID and password. All other resources are available to anyone with Internet access.

As a Kentucky Virtual Campus student:

Be a currently enrolled student of the Kentucky Virtual Campus, even if not living in the state of Kentucky. The university that provides the class to a currently enrolled student can also provide the student with an ID and password to use from their home computer, provided that they have Internet access.

Why is access to the password protected parts of KYVL restricted to only citizens of Kentucky or Kentucky Virtual University students?

Access to research databases is available only to institutions and individuals who pay a subscription fee to the database vendor. The contracts with our vendors legally obligate us to allow access only to citizens of Kentucky. If we were allowed to open up access to all of resources other institutions would no longer need to pay for their own subscriptions and the database vendors would no longer have the revenue available to produce their valuable products. Not only is this a legal issue, but it is also an issue of respecting the vendors that provide these resources, which are the backbone of the Kentucky Virtual Library.

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