LIRN® Quick Reference
What is LIRN?
The Library and Information Resources Network, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation formed in
1996, is a consortium of educational institutions that have joined together for cost effective access to
information resources.
What does LIRN do?
LIRN provides group purchasing and centralized management of electronic information resources for
its members. The LIRN virtual library provides students at member institutions with millions of full
text resources to support their studies. Access to these resources is managed through an
authentication gateway. The LIRN technical team can also provide consulting and other electronic
services.
Where is LIRN?
LIRN is a multi-location, virtual organization. The business office is located in Largo, Florida, the
gateway servers are housed in a commercial data center in Tampa, Florida, and the officers, trustees,
and technical staff are at various locations around the U.S.
Phone numbers and addresses are available from the web site:
http://www.lirn.net/board.shtml
.
Library and Information Resources Network, Inc.
7855 126th Avenue North
Largo, FL 33773
(727) 536-0214
(727) 530-3126 (fax)
email: office@lirn.net or
info@lirn.net
How does LIRN communicate?
LIRN conducts its business primarily via electronic means: email, the web, newsletters, and monthly
board teleconferences. Members and friends are encouraged to dial in and join the teleconferences,
which are normally held 10-11 a.m. ET on the last Thursday of the month. The dial in number is 1888-693-8686 and the conference ID is 5433117 unless otherwise announced. There is an annual
business meeting of LIRN members in the spring. Meeting announcements, agendas, and directions
are posted on the web site: http://www.lirn.net/. There are also outgoing only mailing lists for
announcements and newsletters to LIRN member librarian, technical, and administrative contacts.
Who are the LIRN members?
As of January 2010, there were 137 LIRN member institutions at over 500 locations; primarily
independent colleges and universities, which range in size from less than 100 students to multicampus institutions with thousands of students. LIRN members are featured on the web site:
http://www.lirn.net/members.shtml
Revised 3/15/10 © 2010 Library and Information Resources Network, Inc. LIRN® and LIRNSearch® are
registered trademarks of the Library and Information Resources Network, Inc.
1
What does LIRN membership cost?
There is an annual membership fee of $750 and a per student fee to subscribe to LIRN services. For
academic year 2010-2011, subscription fees are $7 per student for the Core Collection with optional
modules available at an extra cost. ProQuest ABI module and the ProQuest Medical module are both
$2.50 per student, and there is also a specific standalone technical library available at $2.50 per
student. Fees may be pro-rated for new members who join during the academic year. Contact the
LIRN office for details.
What services are available with a subscription?
LIRN offers a Core Collection, which may be combined in various ways with the optional modules to
meet the needs of our members.
Core Collection:
CREDO Reference Unlimited
InfoTrac databases:
Academic ASAP, Academic OneFile, Business Resource Center, Criminal
Justice Center, Computer, Custom Newspapers, General Business File, Health &
Wellness Resource Center, Health Academic, ‫ٳ‬NFORME!*, LegalTrac, Literature Resource Center,
Newsletters, One File, Opposing Viewpoints and the Student Resource Center Gold.
ProQuest databases:
ProQuest Psychology Journals, National Newspaper Abstracts, and the eLibrary.
Bowker databases:
Books in Print, Books in Print for Patrons, and RCLweb. RCLanalysis is available as an optional
purchase at a LIRN discount.
Optional Module 1: ABI/Inform
ProQuest databases:
ABI/INFORM Archive, ABI/INFORM Complete. ABI/INFORM Global,
ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry, ABI/INFORM Dateline, ProQuest Research Library Complete
Optional Module 2 : Medical
ProQuest databases:
ProQuest Health & Medical Complete and ProQuest Nursing and Allied Health Sciences.
Optional Module 3: Career and Technical
ProQuest databases:
ProQuest Career and Technical Education,
InfoTrac databases:
Student Resource Center – Gold and Vocation, Careers & Technical Education.
Revised 3/15/10 © 2010 Library and Information Resources Network, Inc. LIRN® and LIRNSearch® are
registered trademarks of the Library and Information Resources Network, Inc.
2
LIRNSearch:
LIRN has partnered with a leading vendor to provide federated search services to its members.
LIRNSearch is included with the Core Collection and Optional Modules 1 and 2 at no additional cost.
LIRNSearch allows your students to search your LIRN provided resources concurrently or in groups
of products. An optional premium federated search service is also available to member institutions.
LIRNSearch+ combines your LIRN provided resources with your locally purchased products in one
customizable federated search environment. Pricing depends upon the products to be included. If
you are interested in a quote for your own LIRNSearch+ instance, please contact the Technical
Director at tom@lirn.net or (386) 490-6729.
New and trial products:
Members who subscribe to the Core Collection will automatically receive any new products which may
be added to the Core during the academic year. LIRN may also offer free vendor trials to members
and request their feedback as we evaluate potential new products.
Other Products:
LIRN is able to offer discounted pricing for some products that are not included in our formal
packages. Please contact the LIRN office to find out what is available or to request that we investigate
a product you are interested in purchasing.
Training:
LIRN is in the process of collecting and creating training materials for our members’ use. In addition,
vendors will conduct training sessions throughout the academic year. LIRN will provide certificates of
attendance to these training sessions for professional development purposes.
The InfoTrac training calendar and materials are linked on the left side of the portal after logging in to
the LIRN gateway and clicking on InfoTrac. The ProQuest (including eLibrary) training calendar and
materials are linked on http://www.proquest.com/en-US/support/default.shtml.
How does my institution join LIRN?
For information on becoming a LIRN member, contact either:
LIRN President - Pat Dugan -- (727) 415-7861 - patrickdugan@lirn.net
LIRN Treasurer - Doug Devaux - (727) 536-0214 - office@lirn.net
For general information: (727) 536-0214 or info@lirn.net
What is the URL of the LIRN gateway server?
http://www.lirn.net
How do I get LIRN technical support?
To report a problem, set up an account, or for more information on LIRN consulting and electronic
services, send a message to the LIRN Technical Director at tom@lirn.net or call (386) 490- 6729.
Revised 3/15/10 © 2010 Library and Information Resources Network, Inc. LIRN® and LIRNSearch® are
registered trademarks of the Library and Information Resources Network, Inc.
3