Humboldt Co. Supervisors’ Press Release:

July 25, 2012 -Eureka, CA – The Humboldt County Library is making research projects easier and
more fun for children. At the same time it is providing more effective, powerful sources of
information for those performing higher levels of academic, professional and personal research.

On July 1, the library began providing EBSCOhost, an on-line research database that links users
with thousands of periodicals, e-books, audiobooks and videos. It provides individual research
centers that address topics ranging from auto repair, job search and health questions to
environmental concerns, student test preparation and general reference. Most material can either be
downloaded to your portable device or printed out.

The children’s resources have quickly become popular at the library. BookFLIX provides video
stories, titles with a read-along option and Spanish titles. Another feature, Searchasaurus, uses lively
colors and lots of picture-driven searches to help children find news articles, books, flags and more
content in their reading level.

The County Library had previously used Gale databases, but state funding for such projects
dwindled significantly during the last fiscal year. Rather than simply eliminating a valuable service,
Humboldt County Library Director Victor Zazueta decided this year to partner with Butte and
Shasta county libraries and collectively seek out a better, more cost-effective product. Ebscohost
cost $8,495 and was paid for out of the County Library’s FY 2012-13 budget.

“Is this day and age, to not offer that service just isn’t an option,” said Zazueta. “Ebscohost gives a
better scope of coverage and uses more substantial periodicals than Gale. Same with the children’s
research center. There’s better coverage, it’s easy to use and it’s good for students doing research
projects.”

To access Ebscohost, visit the County Library’s main web page at http://co.humboldt.ca.us/library
and click “Articles and databases” on the left side of the screen. You can also call the library at 707-
269-1900 for more information.