OPLIN is headed by Director Don Yarman and the OPLIN Board of Trustees. Below is a chronology of OPLIN's history:

  • October 1993 — Planning process begins with Greg Byerly article in OhioLIBRARIES
  • February 15, 1994 — OPLIN Blue Ribbon Commission meets and establishes Task Forces (Library Issues, Network/Technology Issues, Administration/Funding Issues)
  • September 1994 — OPLIN Position Paper provides OPLIN's initial plans.
  • January 26, 1995 — Governor Voinovich's endorsement in his 1995 State of the State Address
  • June 30, 1995 — OPLIN was first established in Ohio House Bill HB 117 (121st General Assembly).
  • July 11, 1995 — Organizational Meeting establishes OPLIN Board and Bylaws
  • August 10, 1995 — Board of Trustees' vision
  • September 22, 1995 — its place in the Ohio Administrative Code
  • October 2, 1995 — Tony Yankus, Executive Director, takes office.
  • February 2, 1996 — OPLIN Teleconference explained the OPLIN plan to public libraries (video available).
  • March 4, 1996 — Ohio House Bill HB 284 (121st General Assembly) further clarified OPLIN's budget.
  • March 19, 1996 — First OPLIN circuit turned on at Worthington/CML Northwest Library
  • June 1996 — This month's issue of Access, a publication of the Ohio Library Council, describes many OPLIN services.
  • June 12, 1996 — OPLIN was officially dedicated by Governor George Voinovich at a ceremony held at the Columbus Metropolitan Library complete with an Address by the Governor and photographs.
  • July 1, 1996 — OPLIN begins to add subscriptions to commercial research databases.
  • September 27, 1996 — First OPLIN Stakeholders Meeting
  • January 20, 1997 — HB 118 (122nd General Assembly), intended to establish OPLIN "in statute," is currently in the House Rules Committee although no further action is anticipated.
  • March 14, 1997 — OPLIN Mission
  • June 30, 1997 — H.B. 215 (122nd General Assembly) determines OPLIN's funding for FY98/99.
  • August 1997 — OPLIN recruits an entirely new staff.
  • September 3, 1997 — Carol Roddy, Executive Director takes office.
  • October 1, 1997 — OPLIN is on the cover of Library Journal.
  • October 16, 1997 — OPLIN Director's Notes Vol. 1, Number 1 is issued.
  • November 1997 — Consistent measuring and tracking of database usage begins.
  • July 1998 — OPLIN's first annual report. Queries to databases exceed 1 million. Libraries offering public access exceed 600; workstations connected exceed 6200
  • July 31, 1998 — Database providers agree to offer library level reporting of key measures defined by OPLIN.
  • November 1, 1998 — The 250th and final Ohio public library joins OPLIN.
  • January 27, 1999 — The redesigned OPLIN Web site goes live.
  • March 12, 1999 — OPLIN licenses remote access utility from Access Ohio.
  • May 31, 1999 — The OPLIN Web site enlarges to 22 topic areas.
  • June 30, 1999 — H.B. 284 (123rd General Assembly) determines OPLIN's funding for FY00/01.
  • September 9, 1999 — Remote Access to databases goes live.
  • November 10, 1999 — The OPLIN Board votes to pursue permanent status with SLO.
  • February 15, 2000 — The new OH! Kids design is unveiled.
  • Spring 2000 — OPLIN provides financial support to projects in preparation for Ohio's bicentennial including the Ohio Memory Project and the digitization of Ohio History.
  • June 2000 — OPLIN's What Tree is it? is featured on CNN.
  • July 1, 2000 — OPLIN's subscriptions to commercial research databases now number ten.
  • November 1, 2000 — Redesigned navigational design for the Web site goes live.
  • December 2000 — OPLIN and the State Library of Ohio begin putting tools in place to enable statewide resource sharing.
  • April 14, 2001 — OPLIN and OhioLINK announce the availability of the Sanborn Insurance Maps, their first joint project.
  • June 30, 2001 — H.B. 94 (124th General Assembly) determines OPLIN's funding for FY02/03. The OPLIN Board votes to create a Task Force to review OPLIN's governance.
  • January 2002 — Statewide Resource Sharing (MORE) goes live.
  • January-August 2002 — The entire Wide Area Network core infrastructure undergoes an upgrade.
  • March 2002 — The Task Force recommends that OPLIN explore tiered services and re-examine governance based on its funding mechanism.
  • April 2002 — "For Librarians," a web-based customer service center, is launched.
  • June 2002 — The Board tables a decision on governance pending the outcome of the 04/05 budget.
  • August 2002 — A feasibility study of OPLIN's service model begins.
  • September 2002 — The first wave of Ohio schools join MORE.
  • February 2003 — The Board approves creation of an OPLIN Support Center staffed by the OPLIN office and to discontinue outsourced Help Desk.
  • May 29, 2003 — The State Library Board approves a grant for joint contracts to OPLIN, INFOhio and OhioLINK acting together as Libraries Connect Ohio, greatly expanding state-provided databases for public libraries.
  • July 1, 2003 — SubHB95 Determines OPLIN's funding for FY04/05, providing for OPLIN to return to General Revenue Funds in FY2005.
  • July 1, 2003 — The new OPLIN Support Center opens. Responsibility for MORE migrates to the State Library of Ohio.
  • August 2003 — Email services migrate to @oplin.org at the OPLIN office.
  • August 2003 — OPLIN completes the first optional group database contract.
  • October 1, 2003 — OPLIN Moves to 2323 W. 5th Ave., Columbus.
  • April 2004 — OPLIN launches a new Web site that includes WebFeat federated searching of databases.
  • Winter 2005 — OPLIN's wide area network hub is moved from the Rhodes Tower to the State of Ohio Computing Center.
  • March 2005 — ohlibraries.blogspot.com blog started.
  • April 2005 — OPLIN Launches a network security audit as a preliminary step in creating new services and policies.
  • June 2005 — Carol Roddy resigns and Donald Yarman is appointed Interim Director.
  • July 1, 2005 — HB66 determines OPLIN's funding for FY06/07, keeping OPLIN in General Revenue.
  • September 2005 — Board reviews OPLIN status and governance, decides to open Executive Director search.
  • December 2005 — $137,000 distributed to libraries for Internet filtering in accordance with HB66.
  • April 3, 2006 — Stephen Hedges, Executive Director, takes office
  • December 8, 2006 — Board approves new Mission, Goals, and Objectives
  • January 2008 — Libraries Connect Ohio committee re-evaluates the Ohio Web Library database collection
  • June 19, 2008 — Language defining OPLIN is removed from the biennial budget bill and put in the Ohio Revised Code, placing OPLIN in permanent law.
  • July 1, 2008 — New selection of Ohio Web Library databases and new Ohio Web Library search interface go live at ohioweblibrary.org
  • October 10, 2008 — Board approves new 3-year Strategic Plan
  • June 3, 2009 — OPLIN funding is drawn from the Public Library Fund rather than the General Revenue Fund in the biennium budget bill (HB1)
  • September 30, 2017 - October 1, 2017 — Stephen Hedges retires; Don Yarman begins as Executive Director.