In order to support faculty members and students in their teaching, learning and research, the Library has already acquired a substantial number of electronic databases. To further develop along this line, the Library constantly liaises with database vendors to have their new products tried out by our users before we decide to purchase them or not. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Online is the latest one.

The OED covers the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million English words from the past and the present. The usage of words is traced through 2.5 million quotations from a wide range of international English language sources. The online version contains the complete text of the 20-volume Second Edition, first published in 1989, together with its 3-volume Additions Series, published in 1993 (volumes 1 and 2) and 1997 (volume 3).

You are cordially invited to try out this database via the campus network until 15th September 2005. Please use the link provided in "Trial Databases" at our website or directly go to the platform of OED at http://dictionary.oed.com/ by clicking the 'Enter OED Online' icon to start searching.