Re:Sources

We could use your help: Redesigning your library’s second most valuable Web site

RE:sources EDITOR — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:01:02 +0000

We’re updating the Gale Virtual Reference Library Web site to improve the way you explore new eBook titles and put you in touch with necessary information quicker, easier and more efficiently. We could use your help.

You’ve chosen resources available through the Gale Virtual Reference Library as a way to offer rich, relevant information to students and patrons online. A revamped Web site will do the same for you as our platform grows in the months to come.

Keep tabs on growing list of titles and publishers

Each week, between 50-100 eReference titles are added to Gale Virtual Reference Library−by the end of this calendar year, the platform will include more than 5,000. More than half of the titles we’ve added are the result of partnerships with other publishers. Through continued expansion of our partnerships and new agreements yet-to-be signed, we expect to double this number over the next year.

As the number of titles available on our industry-leading eBook platform continues to climb, we’d like to ensure that you have the development tools to help you find reference essentials for your collection.

A better site to serve your needs

An updated gale.com/gvrl will let you sort through new offerings in a logical way to identify the eBooks best suited to your reference collection. Features might include:

Log in to view title recommendations based on your unique purchase history
Learn how other libraries are building their collections
Perform advanced searches by subject category and subcategory and filter results (currency, readership level, awards) for a refined and very detailed view
And much more

Will you help?

We are seeking librarians to participate as advisory board members−to provide insight that will assist us as we develop the site and offer input on everything from searching to navigation and design as we proceed.

Advisors don’t necessarily have to browse and shop online in order to participate. The time commitment will not be significant but interested parties should be prepared for an initial interview to help define the overall user experience, followed potentially by a few short surveys to define additional features and functionality.

E-mail to sign up or learn more

Rough Guides

RE:sources EDITOR — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:00:15 +0000

In the early 1980s, according to Rough Guide founder Mark Ellingham, “I couldn’t find an interesting job, so I attempted to create a proper job for myself that wasn’t in an office. I’d traveled around Greece quite a lot during my time as a student and it occurred to me that there just wasn’t a guidebook that was aimed at someone like me. So I just tried to write a book for myself, thinking that there might be a few thousand others like me who might buy it.”

As Ellingham states, “We soon realized that all sorts of people were using [the original "Rough Guide to Greece"] and that it wasn’t actually the cheapness of the book that appealed to them, but the fact that it was opinionated and quite contemporary, and treated places in a slightly different way to tourist guides.”

In the ensuing years, Rough Guides have extended their reach beyond Greece and embraced destinations throughout the world, from Amsterdam to Venice, Alaska to Washington, D.C. They are now marketed to travelers on all budgets.

There are 50 locations currently on Gale Virtual Reference Library with nearly 100 new guides to be added by the end of the year.

By accessing Rough Guides on Gale Virtual Reference Library your patrons will not only access their rich content, they’ll cross-search other travel resources in your collection – DK’s Eyewitness Travel Guides as well as historical and cultural reference titles. The full-color images are included within the article view or users can download, view and print a PDF of the original page layout.

View all available Rough Guide titles on Gale Virtual Reference Library

Download a catalog (PDF 10 MB) with Rough Guide and other travel titles

National Gaming Day @ Your Library

Harmony Faust — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:27:20 +0000

Hasbro and the American Library Association are joining forces to promote National Gaming Day, the “largest, simultaneous national video game tournament ever held!” The event, taking place at hundreds of libraries tomorrow, November 14, 2009, is designed to:

Raise awareness about the use of games as a library program;
Expose people to new types of board games;
Establish connections between local board game groups and the library.

In December 2009, Lucent Books will release a new eBook title Hot Topics: Video Games. Published in print in September 2009, this edition to the popular Hot Topics series adds depth to middle and high school student thought on the most current issues of the day. Along with providing discussion questions to aid critical thinking, the 100+ page reference, Video Games, will cover:

Chapter 1: From Spacewar! to World of Warcraft: A History of Video Games
Chapter 2: A Big Part of Contemporary Culture
Chapter 3: Why Do People Play Video Games?
Chapter 4: Should People Be Concerned About Video Games?
Chapter 5: The Future of Video Games

Gale Virtual Reference Library hosts other game-related eBook titles from Gale and its partner publishers at all levels of readership including:

Encyclopedia of Recreation and Leisure in America. Charles Scribner’s Sons. 2004.
Games and Simulations in Online Learning: Research and Development Frameworks. Information Science Reference. 2007.
Games-Based Learning Advancements for Multi-Sensory Human Computer Interfaces: Techniques and Effective Practices. Information Science Reference. 2009.
Sports and Games of the 18th and 19th Centuries. Greenwood Publishing. 2007.
Unique Games and Sports Around the World: A Reference Guide. Greenwood Publishing. 2007.

Contact your Gale representative for more information or log in at www.gale.com/MyAccount to view eBook pricing details.

Gale Virtual Reference Library New Titles

mlavey — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:50:20 +0000

Here are the latest titles added to Gale Virtual Reference Library.

Access to free H1N1 widget extended indefinitely.

Harmony Faust — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:24:16 +0000

Access to the free H1N1 widget has been extended indefinitely. For as long as the H1N1 flu is considered a national emergency, we hope you use the widget to bring reliable, expert information regarding the H1N1 virus to your community from your homepage, blog or Facebook page. Dozens of eBooks from the Gale Virtual Reference Library, as well as the H1N1 portal within Global Issues in Context, provide current news and perspectives, and information on the history and science of the H1N1 virus, other strains of influenza, emerging diseases, pandemic preparedness and other issues related to public health.

Try the widget below to preview content or install your own now.

Gale Partners with Baker & Taylor to Distribute eBooks to Academic & Public Libraries

Harmony Faust — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:01:16 +0000

Baker & Taylor, Inc., the world’s largest distributor of physical and digital books and entertainment products, and Gale, part of Cengage Learning, are proud to announce their partnership to distribute the highly regarded Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) e-Book collection. Baker & Taylor, the first wholesaler to sell the GVRL platform, will distribute GVRL – including Literature Criticism Online and Gale Directory Library – in the academic and public library markets.

Public and academic libraries can purchase GVRL products from Baker & Taylor’s unique and comprehensive Title Source TM 3 ordering system. Academic and public library customers may also continue to purchase GVRL products from their Gale representative. The new partnership simply expands customers’ options for ordering and allows customers to take advantage of the numerous services Baker & Taylor provides.

Read the press release for more information.

Sports Mania: Recommended eBook Titles

Harmony Faust — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:49:57 +0000

With yesterday’s official start of the 2009-10 national basketball season, sports fans can enjoy the rare time of year when sports collide. For the next week or so, it will be nearly impossible to flip a channel without stumbling upon coverage of the World Series, national or college football, hockey or basketball. It seems only appropriate to share information on the history, biography and other sports- and recreation-themed eBook titles Gale and its partners offer to help you provide credible reference on everything from the mainstream to the extreme, and even the obscure (dutch oven cooking, anyone?).

Here are some of the best-selling, new and not-yet-published sports eBooks available through Gale Virtual Reference Library:

Popular & Best-selling

Notable Sports Figures. Published by Gale. 2003. ISBN: 9780787677497.
Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. Published by Charles Scribner’s Sons. 2004. ISBN: 9780684314488.
Encyclopedia of Recreation and Leisure in America. Published by Charles Scribner’s Sons. 2004. ISBN: 9780684314501.
Fly Fishing: The Lifetime Sport. Published by Honeybear Press LLC. 2007. ISBN 13: 9780977670390.
Sports and Games of the 18th and 19th Centuries. Published by Greenwood Publishing Group. 2007. ISBN: 9780313039386.
Unique Games and Sports Around the World: A Reference Guide. Published by Greenwood Publishing Group. 2007. ISBN: 9780313073892
Encyclopedia of Extreme Sports. Published by Berkshire Publishing Group. 2007. ISBN: 9781933782430

New

People in the News: Brett Favre. Published by Lucent Books. 2009. ISBN: 9781420501957.
Dutch Oven Cooking, For Outdoor Enthusiasts. Published by Honeybear Press LLC. 2009. ISBN: 9780977670314
Favorite Knots for the Sports Enthusiast. Published by Honeybear Press LLC. 2009. ISBN: 9780977670345.
Fly Tying, An Enjoyable Hobby. Published by Honeybear Press LLC. 2009. ISBN: 9780977670352.
Freshwater Sport Fishing: The Lifetime Enjoyment. Published by Honeybear Press LLC. 2009. ISBN: 9780977670321.
Eyewitness Soccer. Published by Dorling Kindersley. 2009. ISBN: 9780756644857.
Sports Scandals. Published by Greenwood Publishing Group. 2009. ISBN: 9780313344596.
People in the News: Danica Patrick. Published by Lucent Books. 2009. ISBN: 9781420502749.

Upcoming

Great Athletes. Published by Salem Press. December 2009. ISBN 9781587654909.
Virtually every athlete and every sport readers might reasonably expect to find can be found in the Great Athletes series. Although there is an emphasis on sports that are popular in North America, there is considerable coverage on sports and athletes from other parts of the world, comprising the largest and most comprehensive collection of sports biographies published in a single reference work.

Great Athletes: Baseball – 9781587654923

Great Athletes: Basketball – 9781587654985

Great Athletes: Boxing & Soccer – 9781587654947

Great Athletes: Football – 9781587654916

Great Athletes: Golf & Tennis – 9781587654930

Great Athletes: Olympic Sports – 9781587654978

Great Athletes: Racing & Individual Sports – 9781587654954

LeBron James: A Biography. Published by Greenwood Publishing Group. 2010. ISBN: 9780313343629.
The Sports Hall of Fame Encyclopedia. Published by Scarecrow Press. 2010. ISBN: 9780810867048.
Encyclopedia of World Sports & Sporting Events. Published by Berkshire Publishing Group. 2010. ISBN 13: 9781933782676

Contact your Gale representative for more information or log in at www.gale.com/MyAccount to view eBook pricing details.

New and Upcoming Titles for Academic Researchers

Harmony Faust — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:52:07 +0000

Encyclopedia of Modern China
Published by Charles Scribner’s Sons. September 2009. ISBN 13: 9780684315713.
This four-volume set, the latest addition to Scribner’s World History program is designed for academic and professional users and contains hundreds of full color maps, photos, graphs charts and other images. More than 930 articles, written by commissioned experts from colleges and universities around the world, provide an authoritative analysis of all aspects of the history and culture of China since 1800.

Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of American Literature
Published by Gale. September 2009. ISBN 13: 9781414431390.
*New Series* This four-volume set covers American authors from many periods and genres, building a broad understanding of the various contexts – from the biographical to the literary to the historical – in which literature can be viewed, allowing readers to analyze an author’s work as a reflection of the heritage, traditions and experiences of the author’s personal life and the beliefs, events, and lifestyles of the United States at the time.

World at Risk, 2^nd Edition
Published by CQ Press. December 2009. ISBN 13: 9781604266559.
This acclaimed sourcebook provides in-depth analysis of current global hot topics. Arranged topically, the 32 essays address a wide range of key issues, including demographics, economics, education, health, politics, and security. New entries discuss drug trafficking, human trafficking, international finance, immigration, and transnational governance.

Contagious Diseases Sourcebook, 2^nd Edition
Published by Omnigraphics, Inc. December 2009. ISBN 13: 9780780811089.
This title provides basic consumer health information about infectious diseases spread by person-to-person contact including information on microbes and the diseases they cause—including newly emerging agents such as the H1N1 flu. Topics include prevention measures, familiar symptoms, diagnostic tests, professional treatment and self-care, antibiotic resistance and the controversies surrounding vaccination programs.

Contact your Gale representative for more information or log in at www.gale.com/MyAccount to view eBook pricing details.

Gale Virtual Reference Library New Titles

mlavey — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:17:19 +0000

Here are the latest titles added to Gale Virtual Reference Library.

Administracion de Produccion y operaciones 9786074810400
African-American Holidays Festivals and Celebrations 9780780811140
AGROCIENCIA Y TECNOLOGIA 9788428331111
Aire Acondicionado 9788428330572
ALBAÑILERÍA. BRICOLAJE 9788428330817
American Political Leaders 1789-2005 9781604266566
America’s Top Rated Cities, 2009 9781592374878
ANÁLISIS MULTIVARIANTE APLICADO 9788428380676
ASISTENCIA Y GUIA DE GRUPOS 9788428330886
Asuntos de menores : Informes del CQ Researcher en español 9781604263244
Asuntos de salud 9781604263251
Asuntos sociales 9781604263268
Autism 9780737750409
AUTOMOCIÓN. ELEMENTOS AMOVIBLES Y FIJOS NO ESTRUCTURALES 9788428330381
Barack Obama 9781420502763
BEBIDAS (NUEVO) 9788428331531
Biographical Dictionary of Central and Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century 9780765624628
Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E.–618 C.E. 9780765624635
BOMBAS DE CALOR Y ENERGÍAS RENOVABLES EN EDIFICIOS 9788428330589
Calidad de Ambientes Interiores 9788428380218
CARPINTERÍA. BRICOLAJE 9788428330824
CARROCERÍA. ELEMENTOS ESTRUCTURALES DEL VEHÍCULO 9788428330435
CARROCERÍA. PREPARACIÓN DE SUPERFICIES 9788428330459
Child Labor 9780737749069
CIRCUITOS ELECTRICOS DEL AUTOMOVIL 9788428330466
Cities in a Time of Terror 9780765621115
Climate Change 9780737749076
CLIMATOLOGIA METEOROLOGIA AGRICOLA 9788428331128
COCINA Y REPOSTERIA. RECETARIO 9788428331548
Congress A to Z 9781604267044
Constitutions of the World 9781604263350
Danica Patrick 9781420502749
Daniel Radcliffe 9781420502756
Dental Computing and Applications: Advanced Techniques for Clinical Dentistry 9781605662930
Dibujo Industrial. Conjuntos y Despieces 9788428380454
ELECTRICIDAD INDUSTRIAL ESQUEMAS BASICOS 9788428330992
ELECTROMECÁNICA DE VEHÍCULOS 9788428331760
Empirical Post-Keynesian Economics 9780765621986
Encyclopedia of Business in Today’s World 9781412964289
Encyclopedia of Civil War Medicine 9780765624703
Encyclopedia of Death and the Human Experience 9781412972031
Encyclopedia of Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent 9781412971959
Encyclopedia of Sexual Behavior and the Law 9781604263466
ENSINO DE CIÊNCIAS – UNINDO A PESQUISA E A PRÁTICA 9788522103652
Eyewitness to Watergate 9781604263480
Famine 9780737749083
Floating Your Company 3rd Edition 9780749452827
Formulacion and Evaluancio proyectos de inversion 9786074810578
FUNDAMENTOS FÍSICOS DE LA INFORMÁTICA Y LAS COMUNICACIONES 9788428380034
Grid Technology for Maximizing Collaborative Decision Management and Support: Advancing Effective Virtual Organizations 9781605663654
GUÍA RÁPIDA. ACCESS OFFICE 9788428331432
Handbook of Research on Advanced Techniques in Diagnostic Imaging and Biomedical Applications 9781605663159
Handbook of Research on Digital Libraries: Design, Development, and Impact 9781599048802
Handbook of Space Astronomy and Astrophysics 9780511481123
Holidays Symbols & Customs, 4th ed 9780780811119
Immigration 9780737749403
Indigenous Peoples 9780737750294
INDUSTRIA DEL PLÁSTICO. PLÁSTICO INDUSTRIAL 9788428380645
Information Communication Technologies and Globalization of Retailing Applications 9781605662497
Information Technology Strategy and Management : Best Practices 9781599048055
INSTALACIÓN DE ANTENAS DE TELEVISIÓN 9788428331753
Institutional Transformation through Best Practices in Virtual Campus Development : Advancing E-Learning Policies 9781605663593
Intelligent Data Analysis: Developing New Methodologies Through Pattern Discovery and Recovery 9781599049830
Introduccion a la Administracion 9786074810639
Lenguajes de programacion 9786074810684
Localization Algorithms and Strategies for Wireless Sensor Networks 9781605663975
MANUAL PARA REGIDURIA DE PISOS 9788428331630
Marketing Agropecuario 9786074810868
Marketing Internacional 9786074810707
Marriage 9780737750300
Mecanica de Fluidos 9786074810714
Open Information Management: Applications of Interconnectivity and Collaboration 9781605662473
OPERARIO INSTALACIONES ELECTRICAS BAJA TENSION 9788428330640
Organizacion contable y administrative de las empresas 9786074810721
Organizacion industrual teoria y practica 9786074810738
Organizacion y Control del Alojamiento 9788428331647
Plague 9780737750416
Planeacion de istalaciones 9786074810752
Planning como hacer el plan estrategico 9786074810875
POLÍTICA MONETARIA I. FUNDAMENTOS Y ESTRATEGIAS 9788428380508
Pop Art and the Origins of Post-Modernism 9780511481031
Preelaboracion y Conservacion de Alimentos 9788428330930
Prevención, Protección y Lucha Contra el Fuego 9788428330749
PROBLEMAS RESUELTOS DE CONTAMINACIÓN AMBIENTAL 9788428329750
PROBLEMAS RESUELTOS DE ECONOMETRÍA 9788428329781
PROBLEMAS RESUELTOS DE ELECTRÓNICA DIGITAL 9788428329798
PROBLEMAS RESUELTOS DE MÉTODOS NUMÉRICOS 9788428329774
Profiles of New York, 09/10 9781592374915
Religion and Law: A Dictionary 9781592373093
Seminario de aprendizaje y desarrollo 9786074810790
Sistemas Base de Datos 9786074810813
Sistemas de Potencia Analisis y diseno 9786074810806
Sistemas electonicos de comunicaciones 9786074810820
Sistemas Operativos 9786074810837
Slavery 9780737750324
Speakers of the House of Representatives, 1789 – 2009 9781592374830
Special Education: A Reference Handbook 9781592373031
Teen Suicide 9780737750287
Termodinamica 9786074810851
Teroria de la Aministracion 9786074810844
The 9/11 Investigation 9780737750386
The Abraham Lincoln Companion 9780780811133
The Attack on Pearl Harbor 9780780811263
The Cambridge Handbook of Sociocultural Psychology 9780511481208
The Dream of America: Immigration 1870–1920 9780780811256
The Great Depression and the New Deal 9780780811232
The Value of a Dollar, 4th ed 9781592374847
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 9780780811249
The War in Iraq 9780737750331
Tratado de dibujo con autocad 2005 9788428380232
UNA DIRECCION EQUIPOS DE TRABAJO 9788428331319
Understanding Islam and Muslim Traditions 9780780811157
Welfare 9780737750270
Working Americans 1770-1869: From the Revolutionary War to the Civil War 9781592374854

Teen Read Week Feature: Novels for Students

Harmony Faust — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:38:44 +0000

Novels for Students can spark year-round interest

Happy Teen Read Week! The Novels for Students eBook collection on Gale Virtual Reference Library is a great way to engage young readers with comprehensive coverage of titles from “Brave New World” and “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” to “The Time Traveler’s Wife.” Young adult readers gain insight and understanding into each novel – its author, plot and characters – to not only support classroom assignments but foster a love of literature.

Create a Novels for Students subcollection to engage young readers in your school or community to support the “Read Beyond Reality @ Your Library” Teen Read Week theme–and to encourage year-round interest in reading.

Download step-by-step guide or watch a 10 minute tutorial video to learn how to create a subcollection.

View all Novels for Students eBooks.

Learn more about Teen Read Week, sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).