Library fans were invited to create a one-minute video segment to promote their library and explain how it brings “power to the users” in their community or school. McCullough’s entry depicts a young man’s journey of discovery within the library, where he finds the library is the gateway to knowledge: a place to learn, read and grow.

The winning entrant was awarded $2,500 and an additional $2,500 will be presented to Millington Arbela District Library, McCullough’s favorite library. The winner was selected based on the creativity of the video, the originality of the sentiment and its connection to the “Power to the User” theme.  The top five finalist videos are currently featured on www.gale.com/librareo.

For more information, please contact Linda Busse at linda.busse@cengage.com.

About Cengage Learning and Gale
Cengage Learning delivers highly customized learning solutions for colleges, universities, professors, students, libraries, government agencies, corporations and professionals around the world. Gale, part of Cengage Learning, serves the world's information and education needs through its vast and dynamic content pools, which are used by students and consumers in their libraries, schools and on the Internet. It is best known for the accuracy, breadth and convenience of its data, addressing all types of information needs – from homework help to health questions to business profiles – in a variety of formats.  For more information, visit www.cengage.com or www.gale.com.

What:     Enter for a chance to win a Blu-ray DVD home theatre (40” television & surround sound system). To enter, simply register for a new account.

When:    June 2 through August 31, 2009

Where:    Register for a free account at www.MovieRetriever.com/bluraycontest and have a chance to win the home theatre contest. (All contest rules and regulations are available on the site.)

Bred to answer the question, “What should I watch next?” www.MovieRetriever.com is the definitive guide to movies at the theater and on DVD, featuring the irreverent ‘Barks with Bite’ blog, candid reviews and outrageous movie lists, written by both editorialists and community members.

For more information on www.MovieRetriever.com, from Gale, part of Cengage Learning, please contact Linda Busse at linda.busse@cengage.com.

About Cengage Learning and Gale
Cengage Learning delivers highly customized learning solutions for colleges, universities, professors, students, libraries, government agencies, corporations and professionals around the world. Gale, part of Cengage Learning, serves the world's information and education needs through its vast and dynamic content pools, which are used by students and consumers in their libraries, schools and on the Internet. It is best known for the accuracy, breadth and convenience of its data, addressing all types of information needs – from homework help to health questions to business profiles – in a variety of formats.  For more information, visit www.cengage.com or www.gale.com.

$5,000 for You and Your Library
The winning entry will be awarded $2,500 and an additional $2,500 will be presented to the winner’s favorite library. Results will be announced at this year’s American Library Association's Annual Conference in Chicago, July 9 -15, 2009. Finalist videos will be available for viewing at Gale’s booth.

This year’s contest, “Power to the User” Ad Madness, runs from April 12th to June 1, 2009.   A panel of judges will determine the top five finalists and the winner based on the creativity of the video, the originality of the sentiment and its connection to the “Power to the User” theme.  The videos will be featured on www.gale.com/librareo.

Video entries should be no shorter than 30 seconds and no longer than 60 seconds in length.  Entrants must load their videos to the Librareo group on YouTube (www.youtube.com/group/LIBRAREO) before midnight EST on June 1, 2009. Participants may submit as many videos as desired, provided each entry is entirely original. All entries must comply with the complete contest rules which can be viewed, along with video samples, at www.gale.com/librareo.

Free Database Access
In addition to the video contest, Gale is offering open access to some of its most highly praised online resources through May 15, 2009.  Librarians are encouraged to visit www.gale.com/libraryweek  to download a free widget and install it on the library homepage, giving library users single-click access to online resources like Gale Directory Library and Global Issues in Context.  

For more information, please contact Linda Busse at linda.busse@cengage.com.

About Cengage Learning and Gale
Cengage Learning delivers highly customized learning solutions for colleges, universities, professors, students, libraries, government agencies, corporations and professionals around the world. Gale, part of Cengage Learning, serves the world's information and education needs through its vast and dynamic content pools, which are used by students and consumers in their libraries, schools and on the Internet. It is best known for the accuracy, breadth and convenience of its data, addressing all types of information needs – from homework help to health questions to business profiles – in a variety of formats.  For more information, visit www.cengage.com or www.gale.com.

Frankenstein, Godzilla and Mermaid want your class’ vote as top monster!  Watch the monsters exclusive debate and get into the election action!  Poll your class, and cast a vote by Nov. 15, 2008 for top monster at www.galeschools.com/monstervote.  Results will appear in the December issues of Gale’s K-12 e-newsletters, It’s Galementary and CurricuLinks!

As a bonus, one lucky class will be drawn at random to receive a set of Monsters books from KidHaven Press!

No purchase is necessary. One vote per class.  Voting mailbox is open through Nov. 15, 2008.  Teachers should include their name, e-mail address, school name, address and phone number.

Free Monster campaign materials are available on the Monster Vote 2008 Web site at www.galeschools.com/monstervote.

For more information, please contact Lindsay Brown at lindsay.brown@cengage.com.

About Cengage Learning and Gale
Cengage Learning delivers highly customized learning solutions for colleges, universities, professors, students, libraries, government agencies, corporations and professionals around the world. Gale, part of Cengage Learning, serves the world’s information and education needs through its vast and dynamic content pools, which are used by students and consumers in their libraries, schools and on the Internet. It is best known for the accuracy, breadth and convenience of its data, addressing all types of information needs – from homework help to health questions to business profiles – in a variety of formats – books and eBooks, databases and microfilm.  For more information visit: www.cengage.com or www.gale.com.

The winners are Windsor Elementary School in Elyria, Ohio; Osceola Middle School in Ocala, Florida; and Eastside High School in Gainesville, Florida.

Windsor Elementary School
Getting second graders interested in science and technology is not always easy. At Windsor Elementary School, second grade teacher Mary Karlovec and media specialist Anne Michael teamed up to provide ways to develop students’ science and technology skills and help them “think like a scientist.” 

Michael purchased grade level-appropriate guided reading materials to support science concepts and developed technology lessons that supported the second grade science curriculum. 

The objective was to provide meaningful avenues for integrating and meeting the grade level indicators in science/technology based on the state standards for second grade while providing review for sixth grade students who served as “science buddies.”  The positive outcome of the project – based on state benchmarks being met by students, parent and student feedback and teacher enthusiasm – was the stimulus for extending it to include all science units at the school.

Osceola Middle School
When media specialist Brooks Spencer and principal John McCollum decided to go beyond grade-level reading material and choose a book for an all-school read, Spencer chose “Red Kayak” by Priscilla Cummings because of the theme, “doing the right thing, even if it means losing friends.” 

School projects and assignments were created and collaboration resulted by increasing the conversation and communication among Language Arts teachers and others on their teams.  The impact of the program was assessed by using the Accelerated Reader test, a computerized test of 10 questions.  A total of 884 students from grades 6-8 took the test and the average score was 90.2 percent.  The highlight of the project was when the author visited to school.

Eastside High School
Eastside High School’s Institute of Culinary Arts is the top high school culinary program in Florida and recently its students won $470,000 in scholarships to culinary colleges.  However, some students were not able to accept the scholarships because Florida students must pass a state standardized test, including the FCAT reading test, in order to graduate.  Some students were not able to pass the reading test, so media specialist Carol Faas and Chef Wilhelmina DeNunzio created the “Increasing Graduation Rates by Developing a Culinary-Specific Reading” program.

The program provides instruction in note-taking and reading strategies. Its success was evident when nearly every student passed the FCAT retake this year. 

About the Award
Nominations were evaluated based on:
·    Demonstrated collaboration between media specialists and teachers during the 2007/08 school year
·    Effective techniques that positively impact student learning and achievement
·    Support received from school leadership
·    Ability for others to replicate this best practice

For the fourth consecutive year, the judges – Gale and Library Media Connection staff – were encouraged by the number of entries, as well as by the passion demonstrated in the collaborative projects submitted for consideration.

“At a time when resources are more limited than ever, it is great to see the creativity and collaboration between media specialists, teachers and, in some cases, entire school staffs to bring the best to their students,” said Marlene Woo-Lun, TEAMS Award judge and president and publisher of Library Media Connection.    

“Collaboration is happening in schools across the country,” said Dave Schroeter, Gale’s vice president of K-12 sales.  “It didn’t matter if it was a rural school or an urban school, a large school or a small school, an elaborate project or a simple one, the commitment, dedication and implementation by the teachers and media specialists was incredible.”

Award winners receive $2,500 (U.S.) cash; a selection of Gale products; a one-year subscription to Library Media Connection; and an Educator’s Professional Bookshelf from Linworth Publishing.  In addition, the winners will be featured in an article in Library Media Connection in the 2008/09 school year.

Awards will be presented at a special reception held in conjunction with the American Library Association’s Annual Conference in Anaheim, California.

The following schools received honorable mentions in the TEAMS Award competition:
Ocoee Elementary School, Ocoee, FL   
Cabot Middle School, Cabot, AR
Deerwood Elementary School, Orlando, FL
Garden City Middle School, Garden City, MI       
Valley View Intermediate, Jonesboro, AR
Spanish River High School, Boca Raton, FL
Richfield Middle School, Richfield, MN   
Calvin Husinger High School, Clearwater, FL   

For more information, please visit www.galeschools.com/TEAMS.

About Cengage Learning and Gale
Cengage Learning delivers highly customized learning solutions for colleges, universities, professors, students, reference centers, government agencies, corporations and professionals around the world. Gale, part of Cengage Learning, serves the world’s information and education needs through its vast and dynamic content pools, which are used by students and consumers in their libraries, schools and on the Internet. It is best known for the accuracy, breadth and convenience of its data, addressing all types of information needs – from homework help to health questions to business profiles – in a variety of formats – books and eBooks, databases and microfilm.  For more information visit: www.cengage.com or www.gale.com.

Last year, the library settled into a new three-story, 100,000-square-foot building.  In Wyoming, a county can add a one penny per dollar sales tax to the state’s five percent. Thanks to a vote by a supportive community to impose that sixth penny tax, $26.9 million was raised for a new bookmobile, renovations to one branch, and the new main county library.  Supporters were gratified when even people who voted against the tax (because they felt the old library was fine), later appreciated the impact of the new library.

Serving a population of more than 85,300 where an impressive 80 percent hold library cards, the library provides services that benefit the community and beyond, including a bookmobile service that travels throughout the county reaching people who otherwise would not have access to the library like at-risk children in low-income housing areas. 

“On a personal level, this represents everything that I’ve tried to do with my life,” said Laramie County Librarian Lucie Osborn.  “I believe that we have an obligation to make life better for people and in essence to leave the place better than we find it.  With our jobs, we have the potential to touch so many people, to make individual lives better. An award like this truly represents the best of our staff, our community and ultimately, of Cheyenne and Wyoming.”

“We congratulate the Laramie County Library System for their outstanding work and commitment to providing their community with the tools, programs and support they need to get the most out of their library experience,” said Gale President Patrick C. Sommers. 

Osborn and the Laramie County Library System will be honored at a special ceremony on Monday, June 30, during the annual American Library Association conference in Anaheim, CA. The award is accompanied by a $10,000 cash prize.

For more information and to read the feature article appearing in the June 6th issue of Library Journal magazine, visit www.LibraryJournal.com.

Judges for the award were Norma Blake, State Librarian, New Jersey State Library; Leslie Burger, Immediate Past-President, American Library Association; Tina Creguer, Vice President, Marketing Communications, Gale, part of Cengage Learning; Meribah Mansfield, Director, Worthington Libraries, Ohio; Susan K. Nutter, Vice Provost & Director of Libraries, North Carolina State University, Raleigh.  The panel also includes Library Journal’s John N. Berry III, Lynn Blumentein, Francine Flalkoff, Josh Hadro, Rebecca Miller and Norman Oder.

About Cengage Learning and Gale
Cengage Learning, formerly Thomson Learning, delivers highly customized learning solutions for colleges, universities, professors, students, reference centers, government agencies, corporations and professionals around the world. Gale, part of Cengage Learning, serves the world’s information and education needs through its vast and dynamic content pools, which are used by students and consumers in their libraries, schools and on the Internet. It is best known for the accuracy, breadth and convenience of its data, addressing all types of information needs – from homework help to health questions to business profiles – in a variety of formats – books and eBooks, databases and microfilm.  For more information visit: www.cengage.com or www.gale.com.

The contest comes on the heels of the successful launch of Gale’s online resource center, Books & Authors (http://booksandauthors.wiseto.com/). Adapted from Gale’s acclaimed What Do I Read Next? print series, Books & Authors is specially designed to complement the browsing habits of today’s Web user, integrating easy-to-follow menus that allow consumers to broaden and narrow their searches according to author, title or series, awards, and other criteria.

“The contest is aligned with Books & Authors’ goal of helping readers to connect with new and interesting books,” said Patrick C. Sommers, President of Gale. “The contest will serve the same purpose, by encouraging readers to not only explore and learn more about their favorite books and authors, but to look at them in a creative way.”

The Books & Authors songwriting competition gives readers a chance to express their love of books in a public forum. Participants may belt out their abiding love for books and/or authors with original lyrics, using original or public domain music. The video should be no longer than two minutes in length.

The Web site librareo (www.gale.com/librareo) hosts an online community for Gale, libraries and the people who love libraries. Entrants must load their videos to the librareo group on YouTube (www.youtube.com/group/LIBRAREO) before midnight EST on Saturday, May 31, 2008. Participants can submit as many videos as desired, provided each entry is entirely original.

By June 6, 2008, Gale will determine the top five finalists based on the creativity of the video and the originality of the sentiment.  The top five videos will be featured on www.gale.com/librareo for a nationwide vote that will be held from June 9-13, 2008.

The video with the most votes will be awarded the Grand Prize of $5,000. The songwriter(s)/performer(s) will be awarded $2,500; the other $2,500 will go to the library of the winner’s choice. The winner will be announced at this year’s American Library Association’s Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA, from June 26-July 2, 2008. Finalists’ performances will be available for viewing at Gale’s booth.

In addition to the Books & Authors video contest, Gale is offering open access to 21 acclaimed resources in honor of National Library Week. Visit www.accessmylibrary.com/libraryweek to explore more than 100 databases containing such valuable resources as journal articles, eBooks, general reference works and primary sources on topics ranging from health and wellness to literature to world history.  Free access to Books and Authors is available through the month of April.

View complete contest rules and video samples at www.gale.com/librareo. For more information about librareo, the Books & Authors contest or for free access to Gale’s databases, contact Lindsay Brown at Lindsay.Brown@cengage.com.

About Gale and Cengage Learning
Cengage Learning, formerly Thomson Learning, delivers highly customized learning solutions for colleges, universities, professors, students, libraries, government agencies, corporations and professionals around the world. Gale, part of Cengage Learning, serves the world’s information and education needs through its vast and dynamic content pools, which are used by students and consumers in their libraries, schools and on the Internet. It is best known for the accuracy, breadth and convenience of its data, addressing all types of information needs – from homework help to health questions to business profiles – in a variety of formats – books and eBooks, databases and microfilm.  For more information visit: www.cengage.com or www.gale.com.

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., Oct. 25,  2007 - Gale, part of Cengage Learning, and Library Media Connection magazine announce the three winners  of the third annual TEAMS Award — Teachers and Media Specialists Influencing Student Achievement.

The  winners are Big Shanty Elementary School in Kennesaw, Georgia; Dover  Air Base Middle School in Dover, Delaware; and Booker T. Washington  Senior High School in Miami, Florida.

Big Shanty Elementary School
Hundreds of students caught the  writing wave and celebrated the work of student authors at Big Shanty  Elementary School when fifth grade teacher Betsey Kennedy and media specialist  Barbara Powell-Schager created Authors’ Night.

Kennedy and Powell-Schager  collaborated throughout the year to create a school-wide community of writers.  Accomplishing this goal began with the  introduction of a monthly poetry contest.  Poetry readings on the school newscast encouraged students to  write thematic poems, and the winning poem was published in the school  newsletter.  As energy for writing grew  in the school, Big Shanty began promoting its annual writing fair. The large  number of entries that poured in proved that a spark for writing had been  ignited, and it was time to celebrate this newfound passion.

Dover Air Base Middle School
Through a project entitled Mathematical Nightmares,  English/Language Arts teacher Nelle Cox and library media specialist JoAnn  Reynolds instilled the notion that mathematical concepts can be extended  through literature for real life application, and students can communicate  mathematical theories using the writing process. 

Students read The Number Devil: A Mathematical  Adventure by Hans Magnus Enzensberger, which chronicles the nightmares of a  boy who has trouble understanding math concepts.  Each night, the Number Devil clarifies problems using real life  examples.  Students then chose their own  math concept and composed a "nightmare" using the book as a model.  The written responses were then made into a Web  page.

Booker T. Washington Senior High School
Student at Booker T. Washington  Senior High School participated in "Teen Expressions: Poetry from the Heart," a  two hour poetry slam attended by the students’ peers, family, friends and  community members.  As a culmination of  a nine week research and writing project, two intensive reading classes planned  and implemented a poetry slam to showcase their original poetry.  They also faced a panel of judges as they  vied for prizes for best poem, best performance and best poetry collection.

The students involved in the  project were those whose classroom focus primarily had been on preparing for  the state standardized testing that takes place towards the end of the school  year.  Consequently, after the testing  is over, attendance and grades historically drop.  The goal of the project was not only to improve research/writing  skills, but to provide students with an enriching learning experience that  would motivate them to attend class and maintain or improve grades during the  last nine weeks of school.

The TEAMS Award was  created to recognize the critical collaboration between teachers and media  specialists in promoting learning and increasing student achievement.  Nominations were evaluated based on:

• Demonstrated  collaboration between media specialists and teachers during the 2006/07 school  year
• Effective  techniques that positively impact student learning and achievement
• Support  received from school leadership
• Ability  for others to replicate this best practice

For the third consecutive  year, the judges – seasoned Gale and Library  Media Connection staff – were encouraged by the number of entries, as  well as by the passion demonstrated in the collaborative projects submitted for  consideration.

"Once again, we had more  than 100 entries," said Marlene Woo-Lun, TEAMS Award judge and president and  publisher of Library Media Connection.   "There were a very large number of strong  submissions, and selecting the winners was as difficult as it has ever  been.  Today’s educators and  administrators are doing amazing things to educate today’s students, in spite  of the challenges they face, financial and otherwise."

"Collaboration is happening  in schools across the country," said Dave Schroeter, Gale’s vice president of  K-12 sales.  "It didn’t matter if it was  a rural school or an urban school, a large school or a small school, an  elaborate project or a simple one, the commitment, dedication and  implementation by the teachers and media specialists was incredible."

The award is comprised  of $2,500 (U.S.) cash; Gale products; a one-year subscription to Library Media Connection; and an  Educator’s Professional Bookshelf from Linworth Publishing.  In addition, the winners will be featured in  an article in Library Media Connection  in the 2007/08 school year.

Awards will be presented at a special reception held in conjunction with the  American Association of School Librarians Annual Conference in Reno, Nevada.

The following schools received honorable mentions in the TEAMS Award competition:

• Chamberlin School
• Concord High School
• Dug Gap Elementary
• Jefferson West High School
• New Smyrna Beach Middle School
• North Hunterdon High School

For more information,  please go to www.galeschools.com/TEAMS.

About Cengage Learning and Gale

Cengage Learning, formerly Thomson Learning, delivers highly customized learning solutions for colleges, universities, professors, students, reference centers, government agencies, corporations and professionals around the world.  Gale, part of Cengage Learning, serves the world’s information and education needs through its vast and dynamic content pools, which are used by students  and consumers in their libraries, schools and on the Internet. It is best known for the accuracy, breadth and convenience of its data, addressing all types of information needs – from homework help to health questions to business profiles – in a variety of formats – books and eBooks, databases and microfilm. For more information visit: www.cengage.com or www.gale.com.

Stamford, CT-October 17, 2007 – Cengage Learning, one of the world’s largest providers of print and digital information services for the educational and library reference markets, has appointed Patrick C. Sommers president of Gale. Best known for its authoritative reference publishing programs, Gale produces a wide range of print and online information services for college, school and public libraries worldwide.

Mr. Sommers, who will be based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, will work as part of the Cengage Learning management team and will report directly to Ronald G. Dunn, president and CEO of Cengage Learning.

"Pat Sommers is extremely well qualified to lead Gale. He has an outstanding record of success in managing information service businesses, and I am confident that he will provide strong leadership to help Gale grow and further solidify its position as the world’s premier library reference information business," said Mr. Dunn. "I am delighted to welcome Pat to Cengage Learning and look forward to working with him to provide outstanding products and services for Gale’s customers."

Prior to joining Cengage Learning, Mr. Sommers served as president and CEO of SirsiDynix Corporation, a library automation and content company. Under his leadership, SirsiDynix grew organically and through acquisitions until it was sold in early 2007 to a private equity firm. From 1998 to 2001, Mr. Sommers was Chief Operating Officer of Dialog Corporation, a major provider of online databases and information solutions to libraries and corporations.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Sommers held numerous senior management roles including president, D&B Information Resources, Inc.; president, GTE Industry Services; president, Ceridian Employer Services; and Chairman and CEO, Medicus Systems Corporation.

Mr. Sommers will begin as president of Gale, effective October 22, 2007.

About Cengage Learning and Gale

Cengage Learning, formerly Thomson Learning, delivers highly customized learning solutions for colleges, universities, professors, students, reference centers, government agencies, corporations and professionals around the world. Gale, part of Cengage Learning, serves the world’s information and education needs through its vast and dynamic content pools, which are used by students and consumers in their libraries, schools and on the Internet. It is best known for the accuracy, breadth and convenience of its data, addressing all types of information needs – from homework help to health questions to business profiles – in a variety of formats – books and eBooks, databases and microfilm. For more information visit: www.cengage.com or www.gale.com.

New York, NY, June 11, 2007–Any library that’s been around since the early 1800s deserves an award for longevity, but there are plenty of other reasons why Worthington PL, OH, has been named 2007 Library of the Year by Library Journal and Gale. Created by settlers who brought their books with them from Connecticut, the library is still the focal point of the community, emphasizing accountability to its patrons through rigorous, forward-looking planning and quality service that embraces not just adults but also children and hard-to-get teens, those readers of the future. The community returns the compliment with strong financial support, giving the library 65.5 percent of it funding, even though three-quarters of Ohio’s public libraries get most or all of their funding from the state.

Director Meribah Mansfield will be outlining Worthington PL’s success story when the library is honored at a special ceremony on Monday, June 25, during the annual American Library Association conference in Washington, DC. The award includes a $10,000 cash prize that will help support ambitious programming at the two brick-and-mortar library branches and on the lively web site (www.worthingtonlibraries.com), first winner of the LJ netConnect award for small library web sites in 2002. Innovations that won the judges’ attention include a roving reference librarian; new ways to promote high-traffic items like popular fiction; a teen blog and MySpace page; adult programming that extend to forums sponsored with the town’s Council for Public Deliberation; and strong e-assets that include not only 164 topnotch electronic resources and more than 8000 full-text periodicals but also TumbleBooks, which provides animated stories for children.

For more information and to read the feature article that appears in the June 15th issue of Library Journal magazine, visit www.LibraryJournal.com.

Judges for the award were Mary Baykan, Director, Washington County Free Library, Hagerstown, MD; LJ 2007 Librarian of the Year; Michael Gorman, Immediate Past
President, American Library Association; Jill Lectka, Gale’s Senior Vice President, Circulating & Trade Publishing; and Gale Nancy Tessman, Director, Salt Lake City Public Library; LJ 2006 Library of the Year. The panel of judges also included Library Journal staff John N. Berry III, Lynn Blumenstein, Jay Datema, Francine Fialkoff, Rebecca Miller, and Norman Oder.

For more information on the Worthington Libraries, contact Meribah Mansfield, Director, Worthington Libraries, at 614-807-2601 or meribah@worthingtonlibraries.org

For more information on Gale, contact Vanessa Birch at 248-699-8193 or vanessa.birch@cengage.com.

For more information on Library Journal, contact Krista Rafanello at 646-746-6420 or krista.rafanello@reedbusiness.com.