February 2016 | Page 2 of 3 | Gale Blog: Library & Educator News

“Powering” Through Content

May 25, 2016February 19, 2016

Posted on February 19, 2016

by Kristin Fust, Gale Product Manager, GVRL

Millennials are digital natives and undisputed power users of Google. However, with Google having over 50 million people using Google Apps for Education, it looks like it’s not just millennials using Google tools.

Google is a comfortable, highly used pathway in the daily routine of many. As a Google for Education Partner, Gale incorporates the most current and popular Google tools to help users organize and manage their content. Using Google Account credentials, users can access Google tools like Drive and Docs to share, save, and download content from within Gale products such as GVRL.

With the Gale-Google integration, GVRL eBooks can be better integrated into user workflows by expanding access and enhancing resources for library users thus making it easier to find and use relevant, authoritative information.

Built by Association, Part II – Making (Local) Connections, Joining Forces

May 25, 2016February 19, 2016

Posted on February 19, 2016

By Tina Creguer

Lizette is managing director of a non-profit organization focused on preventing prescription drug overdose – a growing health problem sweeping the nation and a particular problem in her county. They have programs in hand ready to implement, but they lack funding and volunteers to make it happen. She wonders if there are resources and groups close by with a shared interest that may be interested in joining forces on this topic. But she’s not sure how to connect with them.

With Gale’s Encyclopedia of Associations: Regional, State and Local (RSL), Lizette can pinpoint valuable information for appropriate state, regional, and local groups from a comprehensive list of nearly 95,000 non-profit organizations in the US. She can discover not only names and addresses, but get background information such as purpose, activities, conferences, membership dues, and much more.

With eBooks on GVRL, Librarians Always Have Something Up Their Sleeve

May 25, 2016February 19, 2016

Published February 9, 2016

By Holly Hibner, Adult Services Coordinator, Plymouth (MI) District Library

eBooks on the Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) platform is one-stop shopping for all of your ready reference needs! Patrons will be impressed at the wealth of information that librarians can provide with just a few clicks. Let’s look at a few examples.

Here’s a familiar scenario: a high school student is writing a paper about Bill Gates. He is only allowed one internet source, and is looking for some book sources. What a perfect use of GVRL! Sure, the database is accessed via the Internet, but the sources themselves are books. Glorious, full-text reference books!

The Ever-changing State of Literary Criticism

May 25, 2016February 18, 2016

Posted on February 18, 2016

By Larry Trudeau

I was recently reviewing an entry on Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations for an upcoming volume of Nineteenth Century Literary Criticism (NCLC), and was surprised—delighted, really—to see that we were including two reviews of the novel from 1861, the year it was published in book form.

Sending Birthday Wishes to the “Father of our Country”

February 18, 2016

Posted on February 18, 2016

Did you know that according to the then-used Julian calendar, George Washington’s birthday was actually February 11, 1731? It wasn’t until Britain and all its colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar that his birthday was moved 11 days later to February 22.

The “Father of our Country” was unanimously elected as the first President of the United States (1789-1797) and during that time shaped the course of our country. From the Revolutionary War to the Constitution, George Washington made his mark on history.

Take some time this month to browse Gale’s titles about the life and times of this great American figure and while you are there, let us know how you implement these resources in your classroom!

American Eras: Primary Sources: Development of a Nation (1783-1815), 1st Edition
February 2015
This volume in the student-friendly American Eras: Primary Sources series documents the dramatic period when the federal government and the U.S. Constitution were established. This volume features personal letters, memoirs, laws, sermons, speeches, works of literature, and many other primary source types. Together these sources show the diversity of the American experience.

Women Unite!

February 16, 2016

Posted on February 17, 2016

I love learning about history, and there’s nothing like having the entire month of March devoted to the often overlooked contributions of women.I take my middle-school daughter to historic sites (sometimes with her feet dragging), and it’s great when she connects to historic figures to further understand what she reads about in books. Here are some notable women we’ve “met” in our travels:

A Deborah Sampson re-enactor was our tour guide along Boston’s Freedom Trail. She related her fascinating story – dressing as a man to fight in the Revolutionary War – as we toured some of the sites of the American Revolution. Years later, she fought for – and eventually received – a soldier’s pension.

Built by Association – Making Connections, Joining Forces

May 25, 2016February 12, 2016

Posted on February 12, 2016

By Tina Creguer

Pop quiz. Are these organizations real or made up?

1904 World’s Fair Association
Medieval Academy of America
National Clogging Organization
National Space Club
American Association of Independent Music (A2IM)

Update Your Collection with the Latest Editions of Two Best-Selling Directories

February 10, 2016

Posted on February 10, 2016 The Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media, 152nd Edition is now available. Valuable to researchers seeking descriptions, contact information and advertising rates on print/online media worldwide, this directory now covers 53,000 listings. These include newspapers, magazines, journals, radio and TV stations and cable stations and systems. Publishing this month, the Encyclopedia of Associations–International Organizations, … Read more

Tending the Academic Garden with CLiC

February 9, 2016

Posted on February 9, 2016

By Megan McCarthy

I love to garden, and over the years I’ve gotten pretty good at it. However, that wasn’t always the case. When I first started, every spring I’d run to Lowes, and pick out all the blooming plants I thought looked pretty. I’d bring them home, and plant them in my yard. Then, every year, I would watch in horror as they would wither and die. What was I doing wrong? Well, as it turned out, almost everything. I finally consulted with a gardening expert, and found that plants had to be grown according to their needs. Some needed shade, some sun. Some needed dry soil, and others needed water. Most liked to be planted when they weren’t in bloom, probably the reason I was killing so many. I learned some important lessons, but the most valuable lesson I learned was, when you are in trouble, ask an expert.

2016 OAT Award Winning: Associated Press Collections Online

May 25, 2016February 8, 2016

Published on February

Associated Press Collections Online, by Gale, part of Cengage Learning, was recently announced for inclusion in Choice’s annual Outstanding Academic Title list! The Associated Press Collections Online resource will be recognized in the January 2016 issue of Choice Magazine, a publication of the Association of College and Research Libraries. This is an accomplishment Gale takes great pride in, as this year’s Outstanding Academic Title list includes 606 books and electronic resources chosen by the Choice editorial staff from among some 6,500 titles reviewed last year. Of the titles selected, a mere 20 are electronic with one being the Associated Press Collections Online resource! Titles are selected for their excellence in scholarship and presentation, the significance of their contribution, and their value as important – often the first – treatment of their subject.