OHIONET names PriceMiner™ as preferred art, antiques and collectibles research tool for libraries

OHIONET has chosen
PriceMiner™ by GoAntiques.com (www.GoAntiques.com) as the preferred research tool for its member libraries to use when identifying or researching prices for art, antiques and collectibles.

In an exclusive agreement, OHIONET will offer PriceMiner™ to the 300 libraries that are part of the OHIONET library network. The 25-year-old, non-profit library membership organization offers a variety of administrative and technical services to libraries in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

“In identifying products for our Reference Database Program, we try to find good content at a good price for libraries. We’re pleased to add PriceMiner™ to the program,” said Christine Morris, OHIONET member services representative. “From my time on the floor and at the desk in public libraries, I know that information on antiques and collectibles can be one of the most frequent requests. I also know that it can be one of the most challenging. I think that PriceMiner™ can go a long way toward meeting patron’s needs for antique and collectible identification and appraisal.”

Public, private, academic and special libraries can offer their customers access to a research and reference database of more than 18 million records going back eight years and covering 5,200 categories and subcategories in art, antiques and collectibles.

“OHIONET’s choice of offering PriceMiner to its member libraries addresses a need expressed by their library patrons for help in identifying and pricing art, antiques and collectibles,” said Jim Kamnikar, president and chief executive officer of GoAntiques.com. “We tailored a version of our PriceMiner research tool to the specific needs of library users. Identification is always the first step in pricing an antique, and our nine million images provide an unprecedented resource to library members.”

PriceMiner™ for Libraries is tailored for easy use for library patrons. They can conduct research by simply typing keywords into a search box and/or by using categories. PriceMiner™ then searches its huge database of information from eBay, GoAntiques.com and TIAS.com. Library members can have results returned by lowest to highest price, highest to lowest price or only items with images. PriceMiner™ also reports information for same or similar items.

The annual cost to libraries for offering PriceMiner starts at $600 and is
based on the number of cardholders and visitors the library serves.

Not only can PriceMiner™ for Libraries be used on computers at the library, but remote access is also available. Libraries opting for remote access will give current cardholders the ability to access PriceMiner from their home computers.

About PriceMiner™
PriceMiner™ from GoAntiques.com is a powerful aggregator of information to identify and price art, antiques and collectibles from a variety of internationally recognized sources. By simply typing in keywords of the item you wish to buy, sell or value, PriceMiner™ searches millions of records and presents historical pricing information as well as photos and descriptions for the same or similar items.

PriceMiner™ is the first product to combine historical data from multiple external sources with GoAntiques.com’s vast archive of merchandise sales information, and then presents findings on price averages and ranges. In addition to GoAntiques.com’s historical price information beginning in 1998, PriceMiner™ includes auction results from the vast eBay® historical database from January, 2005 and online storefront sales provided by TIAS.com back to 1998. Two million records are added each month.

Search and sort criteria include price range, category, sale date, data source and currency converted to dollars.

About GoAntiques.com
With offices in Columbus, Ohio and Yorkshire, England, GoAntiques.com is the largest and only virtual marketplace for art, antiques and collectibles offering an integrated, one-stop solution for storefront and live auction selling plus a host of marketing services for both dealers and buyers, including the recent addition of PriceMiner™.

GoAntiques has developed a distribution network providing art, antiques and collectibles toYahoo Shopping and BobVila.com, as well as eBay Live Auctions. GoAntiques also offers a Wholesale Channel for member dealers looking to sell and source quality merchandise at wholesale prices.

GoAntiques.com offers over 400,000 items from more than 1,800 dealers in 29 countries. GoAntiques.com logs more than 2 million visits and thousands of transactions each month. More than 100,000 people are registered at GoAntiques.com buyers. Visit www.GoAntiques.com regularly for auction updates and www.PriceMiner.com for subscription information.

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