The parents of Hill Intermediate School students in Bethel will no longer be out the expense of purchasing cumbersome and lengthy encyclopedias. The students are benefiting from a virtual online library called the Information Network For Ohio Schools (INFOhio), an innovative website targeted at connecting educational resources with the growing power of information technology.

“It is like a whole other library,” said Hill Intermediate Media Relations Specialist Faye Wagner. “The information just happens to be on the computer and not on our shelves. Today’s students are learning that in their world, libraries can come in electronic form as well.”

Started in 1993, INFOhio, which is available to all Ohio students in kindergarten through high school, offers a menu of many databases and online services that will assist students, along with teachers and parents, with research and personal information needs.

The fifth grade class at Hill Intermediate is currently utilizing INFOhio resources to complete research projects on people who have impacted American history by the virtual library’s online encyclopedias, magazine articles, photographs, and other resources, Wagner said.