New Program in Illinois Will Expand Access by Libraries to Digital Databases for Research, Education

Illinoisans now will have access to a large collection of high-quality digital information and educational resources for free by going to their local library or the Illinois State Library’s website. The Illinois Reliable Information Sources, or IRIS, program was announced by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. The state entered a contract with EBSCO Information Services—a digital library resource program used by universities, schools and libraries—to provide access to more than 50 of their databases to all Illinois residents. It could not be immediately determined how much money went into the program. While it’s common for libraries to have resources for research, not all libraries are able to pay for these kinds of services.