By Karen Wang, via The Friendship Circle Special Needs Resources
Everyday, 4.2 million Americans visit a library. Are you one of them?
Almost every town in America has a public library, but many families of children with special needs shy away from libraries, often for behavioral reasons. These are the families who could benefit the most from the library!
Read more10 Ways Your Child With Special Needs Can Benefit From a Trip To The Library
By Holly Hibner and Mary Kelly
In the olden days before computers, ready reference collections were the soul of a library. Librarians helping patrons to answer questions or understand a topic always started in the reference section of the library. They were the most expensive materials and librarians were vigilant in guarding those precious items. I have been admonished by a librarian more than once for not handling these books carefully.
Ready reference collections have adapted to the new world of instant access, anywhere and anytime. Patrons still have questions and are trying to understand topics as always, but now they want it faster, more convenient, and always reliable. The reference need is still there, but now librarians have to think about access and delivery to patrons.
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 October 27, 2014.
Read moreProduct Updates: New In Context content for 10/27/14
By Melissa Rayner
Victor Hugo’s famed novel–and the play that sprung forth from that novel–has been in the media quite a bit lately. Who that hears the story doesn’t fall in love with the noble criminal, Jean Valjean? Sure, he stole, but it was only a loaf of bread, and he was only trying to feed his impoverished nieces and nephews. Did he really need to be imprisoned for the better part of his adult life?
Book reviewers–both contemporary to our times and contemporary to Hugo’s–agree that Jean Valjean is a tragic figure, a noble one. Just check out this concluding snippet from an 1862 review of the novel in the Birmingham Daily Post (courtesy of 19th Century British Newspapers). Despite the obvious ethnocentric nature of his stance, it’s clear the reviewer was a fan–and that he understood its message:
Read more19th Century Nitty-Gritty: All this for a loaf of bread?
Did you know…that even after that first flight at Kitty Hawk by the Wright brothers, Americans were still skeptical about air travel as being a realistic possibility. It took until World War I which served as the impetus that the development of air travel could really happen. Learn more about the growth and progression of air travel in U.S. History in Context. Check it out or call your rep for more information.
Read moreDid You Know: Those jaunty young men in their flying machines
Get 20% any title from IGI Global on GVRL! Offer valid through December 31, 2014 is good on any title from Cyber Tech Publishing, Idea Group Inc, IGI Global, Information Science Publishing, Information Science Reference, IRM Press, or Medical Information Science Reference. Please contact your Gale Sales Representative for details or to place an order!
In this post, Nick Newcomer, Director of Marketing and Design at IGI Global, provides some background about the company, their publishing strategy, and why their titles on GVRL are valuable to your library.
By Cynthia G. My journey into Librarianship began the first time I entered my small, two room public library in the Town of Pomfret where I grew up. I was about six years old. My mother brought me into the small children’s section and told me I could pick out any book I wanted and … Read more
By Joe Garonzik
The two-volume Virginia Historical Index (aka “Swem’s Index” or “Swem”), originally published in 1934, encompasses the contents of the following seven serial publications: “The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography” (VMHB),Vols. 1-38; the “William and Mary College Quarterly” ( aka the “William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine” W&MCQ), Series I, Vols. 1-27 and Series II, Vols. 1-10; “Tyler’s Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine” (TQ), Vols. 1-10; the “Virginia Historical Register and Literary Advertiser,” Vols. 1-6; the “Lower Norfolk County Virginia Antiquary,” Vols. 1-5; “Hening’s Statutes at Large,” Vols. 1-13; and the “Calendar of Virginia State Papers,” Vols. 1-11.
A look at a current news item through the lens of different titles available on GVRL.
By Michelle Eickmeyer
You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you? Heartbreakingly, this is no surprise. Here is a basic run-down of facts, as they are known, in in the U.S., today: on 26 September, 46 students from the Ayotzinapa Teachers’ College traveled to the city of Iguala. Three students (and an additional three others) were killed by the police. The other 43 students have not been seen since.
Reports indicate that the city’s mayor had the police “intercept” the students, as he had reason to believe they were planning to protest a speech his wife was delivering that day. At some point, police started firing on the students, killing (at least) 3 and 3 others. “Local police allegedly turned over the 43 missing students to members of the criminal gang Guerreros Unidos,” according to the AP. This finding publicly supported by Mexico’s Attorney General this week, citing his office’s own investigation.
In the weeks since, nine mass graves containing 30 victims was found outside of Iquala. As a relief to families, these appear the result of (an)other crime(s). (Horrible news for other families, conversely.)
Amy is nowhere near retirement age. But she’s determined to put together a solid plan that will allow her to retire early and travel. She wants to learn more about investment options and learn some of the terminology, but she’s stymied. Should she put her money in the stock market, which seems a little volatile? Invest in real estate, which seems to be rebounding quickly? Where to begin?
A recent study shows that only 40% of US adults keep a budget and track their spending. In fact, some 76% of American families say they live paycheck to paycheck, only have saved less than three months’ worth of expenses.1 The need for financial literacy and effective planning is enormous.
Read moreMoney Management How-To’s from Budgets to Estate Planning