July 2014 | Gale Blog: Library & Educator News

When a Question Reveals a Collection

August 21, 2014July 31, 2014

Ms. Valentine, do you have a book on the Greek alphabet?

Why, yes. Yes I do.

It’s Camp Read a lot time, and I can hear children at the picnic table, their voices raised to that particular shrillness that usually means an argument is about to boil over. There’s activity over at the fishing pond, too – but I don’t have a line of direct sight to the lines to see if anyone is swinging them…ah, no swinging yet. But I have, I estimate, about forty seconds to help you find a book on the Greek alphabet. After that, who knows what will happen with the fishing lines and the picnic argument.

You walk over to the foreign language collection in the 400s, perhaps the shelf I am prouder of than any other in this collection of 14,000 items. I built it from nothing, almost. We needed materials for our ESL students.

The International Language of Ice Cream

August 18, 2015July 31, 2014

By Anne Marie Houppert

Who likes ice cream?

According to over 100 years of National Geographic magazines, it seems everyone does!

The first reference in National Geographic magazine occurred in a February 1911 article on the building of the Panama Canal, which describes the Herculean task of provisioning an army of workers: “…plants were established and turn out each day about 90 tons of ice, 14,000 loaves of bread, 2,400 rolls, 250 gallons of ice cream, 1,000 pounds of roasted coffee, and 7,500 pieces of laundry.”

Photos taken of ice cream stands in the early 20th century include places as varied as Italy, Constantinople, and Rio de Janeiro.

International Dominoes: Chatham House Online Archive

November 1, 2018July 29, 2014

By Robert Lisiecki

Tackling international affairs is no small task; so, when someone can successfully improve international affairs through a determined effort, the success is appropriately recognized.

Members of The Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, recently voted Melinda Gates as the Chatham House Prize winner. The members annually award the Prize to the individual they deem to have made the most significant contribution to the improvement of international relations in the previous year.

Some previous winners of the award include: Secretary Hillary Clinton, Burmese democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi, and President Lula of Brazil.

Melinda Gates was selected in recognition of her philanthropic commitment and humanitarian efforts and her tireless work to improve the health of women and children through increased access to family planning, simple newborn interventions, lifesaving vaccines, and better nutrition.

Product Updates: New In Context content for 07/28/14

November 18, 2014July 28, 2014

Gale is continually updating and adding new content to our In Context products, ensuring that they offer timely, authoritative, useful information. The items below were added or updated during the week of July 28, 2014.

In Other News: MH17

September 3, 2014July 25, 2014

A look at a current news item through the lens of different titles available on GVRL.

By Michelle Eickmeyer

This story is heart-breaking. Everything about the events in Ukraine since 17 July have not made logical or reasonable sense. A commercial airliner with 298 passengers flew, at an approved height, over a battle zone. Fighters in that area blew it out of the sky, believing only a military plane would fly there, with weapons provided by another nation. Then, for days, the same fighters laid a sordid claim to the wreckage, holding the victims and their family in some cruel, unthinkable, inhumane limbo — they held the bodies of victims; they rummaged through their belongings; they took photos. Finger pointing began immediately, and few solid answers have found their way to the surface. The black boxes have finally been turned over and international authorities have begun an increasingly difficult task of proving what happened. Based solely on facts and without pressure from any side.

10 Tips for Resume Perfection

July 31, 2014July 18, 2014

By Phyllicia Morgan

It’s no secret how much a resume can make or break your chances of landing a job interview, or better yet, being chosen for the gig. According to recent studies, a recruiter spends an average of 6 seconds before they decide upon moving a resume forward or tossing it in the trash. Here are 10 tips for resume perfection that are bound to get your resume past the initial glance, keeping it out of the trash!

In Other News: Hyperthermia

July 31, 2014July 18, 2014

A look at a current news item through the lens of different titles available on GVRL.

By Michelle Eickmeyer

That’s the technical term — hyperthermia. To most of us, it’s the gut-wrenching and heart-breaking situation of a child dying in a hot car. Each summer, the saddest of stories plays out in the news. For one reason or another, a child is alone in a car and he or she dies. There are variants to the story, and, sadly, sometimes lingering suspicions of guilt. In 2013, 44 children died from exposure inside a vehicle in the United States. There have been nearly 20 already this year. (Source)

Here are five titles that look at hyperthermia from different perspectives:

Genealogy Tips to Handle the Pitfalls of Passenger Records

May 23, 2018July 15, 2014

By Michael Tepper

Researchers often run into problems when they are on the trail of an immigrant ancestor. The most common misconception about passenger lists is the belief that people had their names changed when they got to Ellis Island. In fact, immigrants did not change their names unless they applied for a change of name by deed poll at a courthouse or when they were naturalized. During processing at Ellis Island, officials had the actual ships’ manifests in front of them. They called each immigrant by name, according to the manifests, and often put a check next to the name after it had been called. So the passenger records are an exact reflection of the immigrants’ identities before they crossed the Atlantic, not after.

Michigan eLibrary Boosts Local Economy

May 23, 2018July 9, 2014

By Gale Marketing Research Team

In June 2013, the Michigan eLibrary (MeL), a service of the Library of Michigan, added three Gale online resources – DemographicsNow: Business & People, BusinessInsights: Global, and Gale LegalForms – plus a collection of business-oriented GVRL eBooks to their portfolio.

The decision to purchase business resources for Michigan resulted in funding proposed by the office of Michigan Governor Rick Snyder as part of his “Economic Gardening” initiative to grow businesses in the state, which was then enacted by the Michigan state legislature.

Before MeL had these new business resources available, libraries had to buy their own. Many didn’t have the funds to do so, according to Deb Biggs Thomas, Michigan eLibrary & Outreach Coordinator at the Library of Michigan.

Chilton MARC Records Now Available

July 8, 2014July 8, 2014

Gale is committed to helping your library boost patron usage of its products. To assist with online discovery, Chilton MARC records are now available for download at support.gale.com.

Once MARC records are in place, the library user will be directed from their catalog search to the Chilton landing page where they can select the appropriate year, make and model of interest.

To download Chilton MARC records, please follow these simple steps: