Oxford dictionaries get digital makeover

08.02.10 | Catherine Neilan in The Bookseller

Oxford University Press has given its dictionaries a digital boost, offering individual customers and institutions an additional online package with any purchase from its 40-strong range.

Oxford Dictionaries Online and Oxford Language Dictionaries Online will be available from June. Access will be the same regardless of which version of the print dictionary is bought, but cheaper editions will offer a shorter subscription time. The dictionaries are divided into three-month, six-month or 12-month packages according to the price of the print dictionary. For example, the English dictionaries are divided into £4.50–£7.99, £8.99–£9.99 and £12.99–£39.99 banding.

There will be no change to the current cover prices, but users will be "invited" to extend their subscription when it nears the end. Online subscription costs £40 a year but "significant" discounts will be offered for renewals. Each book will carry a code that enables the user to register and access the site, and entries will be updated every quarter.

Judy Pearsall, senior publishing manager for dictionaries, said the offer would compete against the free online reference sites. "We know that people find the free resources
poor, and there isn't really a lot else for people to get apart from those."

She said: "The really important thing to remember is that these are not just dictionaries online—it's all the language resources you will ever need, so it includes a ­dictionary, thesaurus, usage information, grammar and spelling, writing resources and a word puzzle zone. It's a total service that fulfils all your language needs in one place."