Oxford English Dictionary available at your house

Fauquier Library cardholders now have home access to some of the premier publications from Oxford University online.

The Oxford English Dictionary, (OED) considered by most to be the world’s leading authority on the English Language, provides easy access to over 20 volumes worth of words through one search box entry.

There are over 230,000 main entries, and over two million quotations, of which 20% are from the 20th century, and new words are regularly added.

For word-lovers and word game lovers, there are links to BBC Wordhunt appeal list, seeking people to help verify entries from the earliest usage of contemporary terms in books, magazines, movies, or other media.

Links to AskOxford.com have crossword sections, party games, Scrabble resources, including the rules, and other recreational use of words.

A second resource from Oxford University now available to Fauquier library cardholders is the Oxford Reference Online (ORO) Premium Collection. It has received numerous awards as one of the “Best References of the Year” by Library Journal, Booklist and Choice, as well as recognized in a Readers Choice Award for the best interface.

To explore these databases and others from the Fauquier County Public Library’s website, www.library.fauquiercounty.gov, click on Databases and Links from the left side of the page, under Electronic Resources. This will take you to the page with the links to the Oxford English Dictionary, and the Oxford Online premium as well as all the other databases available through the library. Once you click on the database link, simply enter your library barcode number and you can search these reference resources any time of the day or night, in convenience to your personal schedule.