Did you know….The Treaty of Versailles was signed in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles? Learn about this and much more in World History in Context.
Month: March 2014
Finding a Needle in a Data Stack: It’s All about the Metadata
by Ray Bankoski
Thanks to the digital age, we have access to information like never before. Although a single online database may host millions of digital images, users can easily and quickly find the exact piece they need by inputting a simple search term. Well, this process may seem simple to the user, but an incredible amount of work goes into creating the ease of access so many take for granted. This seemingly magical solution is metadata, and it is the key to the world-renown Gale Digital Collections product line produced by Gale, part of Cengage Learning.
Read moreFinding a Needle in a Data Stack: It’s All about the Metadata
Going, Going, Gone…
The Greenhaven Blowout Sale is going on now through May 31st! Save 70% or more on over 1000 titles, plus free shipping on all orders. See what’s available to add to your library or to boost your classroom studies.
In Other News: Ukraine
By Michelle Eickmeyer
A look at a current news item through the lens of different titles available on GVRL.
March 7, 2014 – The Ukraine
For several weeks, the Ukraine and the Crimean region have been in the news. What started as a celebration of the region with the Winter Olympics has become a near hourly reporting of increased tensions, dividing lines and fear on all sides of the conversation.
Here are five titles which look at the Ukraine from different perspectives:
Behind the Scenes of Smithsonian Collections Online
By Jennifer Albers-Smith
We couldn’t be more excited about the products we’re launching through our partnership with Smithsonian.
When I first heard that we were going to partner with Smithsonian, I was ecstatic. Who wouldn’t be excited about getting to work with the largest museum and research complex in the world?
Everyone thinks of their childhood visit to the Museum of American History or the Air and Space Museum when they think of Smithsonian, but it’s really so much more.
Read moreBehind the Scenes of Smithsonian Collections Online
Featured Partner: Springer
An ongoing look at the partner publishers available through GVRL.
By Michelle Eickmeyer
This week, Gale was proud to announce our partnership with Springer, bringing nearly 3,000 titles dedicated to STEM disciplines to GVRL. The addition of this fantastic content from Springer is a great benefit to academic libraries.
The Cat’s out of the Bag. We’re Not Just Reference Anymore.
By Harmony Faust
I shared an inside secret with you in our first post and it felt liberating, so I’m going to do it again here. As a representative of a company with 60 years as a leading publisher of reference content, this secret is potentially risky to post, but no less true.
Whew. Okay. Here it goes…
I have heard several of our public libraries partners say…*gasp*…their patrons aren’t asking for reference anymore. That it’s hard to create excitement around reference. In fact, a much-esteemed leader in library land was so bold as to say, to my face, that we do ourselves a disservice by referring to our eBook platform as Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL).
Read moreThe Cat’s out of the Bag. We’re Not Just Reference Anymore.
Academic Libraries Win Big!
By Michelle Eickmeyer
Monday, we held an employee townhall and invited customers to join. You can read more about it here, watch a recording here (it’s only 15 minutes), and read the press release here.
Let’s take a look at the 3 main points and what they mean to Academic libraries.
- Gale adds STEM titles from Springer and Elsevier to GVRL
- eBook titles are now available in discipline-specific colllections.
- We are expanding beyond reference
Look out, Schools! Exciting Changes are Coming to GVRL
By Geoff Schwartz
At Gale, we are committed to providing schools the necessary tools to provide the best possible education to their students. Yesterday, we announced the addition of STEM content to GVRL, starting with nearly 3,000 eBook monographs from Springer and hundreds from Elsevier. That’s just the beginning, however, as we’ll soon add grade-appropriate STEM content for the K-12 market as well.
Read moreLook out, Schools! Exciting Changes are Coming to GVRL
From Robot Races to Maker Spaces: STEM at the Public Library
By Harmony Faust
Public libraries can and do play a strong role in fostering an interest and developing skills in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)—among children, teens and adults alike. Gale’s announcements yesterday afternoon mean that libraries of all types will soon have additional support in delivering research assistance in these key disciplines.
Classes, workshops and events related to STEM concepts are already prevalent at libraries nationwide. Even with catchy names like Legopalooza, DevDev, HiTech and MakerLab, it’s clear that these programs pack some serious punch when it comes to boosting STEM skills.
Read moreFrom Robot Races to Maker Spaces: STEM at the Public Library