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Statewide Database Licensing (SDL) Project

SDL is a project coordinated by the Washington State Library to give citizens of the State of Washington access to online resources, specifically commercial research databases, through their local libraries at a discounted cost.

Closed Projects

NewsBank

The Washington State Library and NewsBank worked together to provide an extended trial of the Access World News Research Collection and the Seattle Times Integrated Solution, which included the text, online and image version of the Seattle Times. The Access World News Research Collection included many other newspapers and sources from across the state of Washington, throughout the country, and from around the world.

This paid trial (available at no cost to Washington libraries) began immediately following Labor Day, 2018 and continued through December 31, 2020. After that date, WSL continued to provide partial subsidies for participating libraries for two more years.

The Washington State Library (WSL), a division of the Office of the Secretary of State, and NewsBank, Inc. provided access to the following NewsBank products (more details below):

  • Access World News Research Collection including 143 sources from Washington State alone,
  • New Integrated Collections for six Washington sources and
  • ResearchRocket, a new product for young researchers.

WSL provided subsidies for libraries that subscribed after the free access period ended Dec. 31, 2020. For the 2021 calendar year, the subsidy rate was 50%, followed by a 25% rate in 2022, after which the subsidy ended.

Products

The 2020 partnership featured NewsBank products which gave students, faculty, and public library patrons the ability to search any topic and research any subject – globally, nationally, regionally, across the state and locally.

  • Access World News Research Collection – This comprehensive news product includes more than more than 11,000 news sources from around the world. This collection features 143 sources from Washington State alone, plus content from all 50 U.S. states and over 170 countries and regions. The majority of sources are in English and 10 other languages are represented in the collection. Recent product enhancements include read to text, integration with Noodle Tools and improved A-Z source list search. Also included are NewsBank's Special ReportsHot Topics, and America's News Magazines.
  • Washington Integrated Collections – Integrated Collections combine all news content for specific local sources, including full-color newspaper pages, individual full-text articles, and content only published online, into one interface for a seamless search experience for the following:
    • Seattle-Times - from 1/11/2018
    • Bellingham Herald - from 9/13/2018
    • Kitsap Sun - from 11/2/2018
    • Tacoma News Tribune - from 5/11/2015
    • Olympian - from 8/9/2018
    • Tri-City Herald - from 9/13/2018
  • ResearchRocket – A new product from NewsBank designed with young researchers in mind, ResearchRocket provides relevant articles covering a variety of topics in all subject areas from credible magazines, newspapers and other information sources — all vetted to be age and reading-level appropriate. This product is available for Schools and Public Libraries.

At any point during this free access period, libraries had the option to enter into individual subscription agreements with NewsBank (individual library pricing available from NewsBank upon request). NewsBank could provide each participating library with that library’s usage data from the paid trial period.

WSL and NewsBank promoted this partnership through webinars, direct contacts, and other efforts to encourage use and promotion of these products, and to ensure that libraries and their staff had the information they needed for informed decision-making.

Please note: libraries with existing subscriptions to NewsBank products were required to maintain those subscriptions to be eligible to participate but were able to access the additional content at no additional charge with participation.

Product Information

NewsBank Webinars Featured

Watch the recording of one of these special presentations to:

  • Learn about the content, including six Integrated Collections and 143 Washington sources;
  • See new features designed to improve accessibility and usage;
  • Hear ways libraries and users benefited from access to thousands of local, national, and global news sources.

These 1-hour webinars were for both libraries that had already enrolled in the offer and for those that had not yet enrolled.

  • Washington State Public Libraries: NewsBank Resource Update
    Recorded November 6, 2019 - Watch recording
  • Washington State Universities and Community Colleges: NewsBank Resource Update
    Recorded November 7, 2019 - Watch recording

Enrollment

To enroll, each library had to complete and sign the “WSL NewsBank Intent to Participate Form.” The form ws provided in PDF format with fields that could be typed into and saved. The form then had to be printed for an official authorizing signature. By signing this form, the library also agreed to the product terms of use, as defined in the “NewsBank License Agreement for Subscription & Perpetual License Sales.” The password required to open the license could be requested using the SDL contact information.

The Intent to Participate Form was returned to the State Library as indicated on the form itself. An electronic (PDF) copy of each library’s completed form was submitted to NewsBank. NewsBank then contacted participating libraries to set up accounts and implement authentication protocols. 

Signup documents:

Please note: The NewsBank License Agreement was modified for the purposes of this offer, and was regarded as confidential and proprietary by NewsBank. This was the reason for requiring the use of a password to open it. Neither the License nor the password was to be shared outside the library. Each library was encouraged to carefully review the NewsBank License Agreement before signing up for the offer.

First Tuesdays Webinar

Archived replay now available for "Delivering Value to Your Community through Your Library's Resources." Kathy Dempsey, author of The Accidental Library Marketer, joined marketing representatives from NewsBank for a discussion about how to maximize the use of library electronic resources and get the most out of your library’s investment. The webinar covered:

  • Best practices for marketing your online resources
  • Actionable tips for how you can get started
  • Examples of how other Washington libraries are promoting their collections to their communities
  • Resources available to help your marketing efforts from vendors like NewsBank

Find the replay on our YouTube channel.