Month: May 2016

Why Advocacy Matters for Public Libraries

Posted on May 31, 2016

By Rhonda Sewell 

Long gone is the notion of public libraries lingering in the shadows and doing little to advocate their value to their communities and promote their many offerings, programs, and activities. Advocacy and unapologetic promotion of our transformative systems is now a major priority. Such ideas hold a sacred place in our discussions surrounding public service, strategic goals, funding, construction, marketing, and digital implementation for libraries. Even the Twittersphere of endless hashtags has transitioned from reading sentiments to action items and rallying statements such as #LibrariesMatter, #LibrariesTransform, and #SaveOurLibraries.

Because doing more with less is a reality for public libraries, especially as competition for funding sources and customer demands increases, advocacy matters now more than ever.  “Advocacy, the process of acting on behalf of the public library to increase public funds and ensure that it has the resources needed to be up to date, is critical to the success of libraries,” states the Public Library Association (PLA)[i].

Read moreWhy Advocacy Matters for Public Libraries

New Smithsonian Primary Sources in U.S. History: Lively, First Person, and Real

Posted on May 26, 2016

Primary sources have been called snippets of history – small windows that show a picture of one moment in time. A letter, a memoir, a personal account – each provides a unique, often personal perspective. And when they are put together in a meaningful way, they create a full and rich picture of historical events, people, and developments while supporting national learning standards.

By directly engaging with artifacts and individual records, students can explore, analyze, and delve more deeply into a topic.  In addition, primary sources help students:

  • Develop critical thinking skills by examining meaning, context, bias, purpose, point of view, and more.
  • Pursue independent learning as they construct knowledge by interacting with sources that represent different accounts of the same event/topic.
  • Understand how viewpoints and biases affect interpretation of history.

Read moreNew Smithsonian Primary Sources in U.S. History: Lively, First Person, and Real

The Genesis of Digital Humanities and What’s Next.

Published on 5/24/2016 By Gregory Mone Communications of the ACM, Vol. 59 No. 6, Pages 20-21 What’s Next for Digital Humanities? See the story of Father Roberto Busa, an Italian Jesuit priest who conceived the project to index the works of St. Thomas Aquinas word by word. There were an estimated 10 million words, so … Read more

Product Update: Greenhaven Press, Lucent Books, and KidHaven Press Imprints Move to Rosen

Posted on May 23, 2016

On April 1, 2016 Rosen became the exclusive publisher of print and eBook titles for Greenhaven Press, Lucent Books®, and KidHaven Press™ imprints. Moving forward, Rosen will create new titles and content for these imprints. As one of Rosen’s partners, Gale will continue to sell eBooks on GVRL for these imprints, under the titles of Greenhaven Publishing, Lucent Press, and KidHaven Publishing.

With this news comes some changes in how future business transactions will be handled. To assist in understanding the new process of how to place orders, make inquiries, billing, and future development of titles from these imprints, Gale has put together a Q&A to help answer any questions you may have.

Read moreProduct Update: Greenhaven Press, Lucent Books, and KidHaven Press Imprints Move to Rosen

Huddle Up Your Sports Enthusiasts

Posted May 23, 2016

Join the 2016 Summer Reading Program
Are you ready for the swarm of kids eager to learn about today’s most admired sports and athletes? 2016 Summer Reading Program is upon us, and learning shouldn’t stop when classes are out for the summer. Keep your library’s school-aged users engaged and on track with fun and authoritative eBooks from Gale.

From DK and Britannica Digital Learning to ABDO Publishing and more, young learners will have better access to your sports resources with the ability to save content to Google Drive for later use. 

Read moreHuddle Up Your Sports Enthusiasts

President John F. Kennedy

Posted on May 23, 2016

By Traci Cothran

The anniversary of JFK’s birth occurs on May 29, and while saying the letters “JFK” evokes vivid scenes and images in minds of adults over forty, it doesn’t mean much to kids in school today.  They may know he was our 35th President, but Camelot, Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, first Catholic President, the Cold War, Jackie O, and JFK’s assassination are likely unknown concepts.

JFK is a broad topic that encompasses many subjects, and here are a few ideas to begin with to get your students (or yourself!) better acquainted with this historic figure:

JFK’s Inauguration

  • “Newsreel of President John F. Kennedy’s Inauguration.” Video. Thought Equity Motion Collections.  Research In Context
  • “JFK’s Inaugural Address.” Research In Context

Peace Corps

Introduction of the Civil Rights Bill of 1964

  • “History Features: Civil Rights Bill.” Video. History Features: Civil Rights Bill. Research In Context

Read morePresident John F. Kennedy

Worldmark Global Health and Medicine Issues:

a “Comprehensive” and “Informative” Resource

Posted on May 20, 2016

Searching for “very useful” information on global health and medicine issues in the modern world?  Worldmark Global Health and Medicine Issues, 1st Edition addresses health and medicine topics relevant to everyone’s lives across the globe. Organized alphabetically, the encyclopedia gives readers easy access to authoritative information on various topics.

This article was published in Booklist‘s May 15, 2016 issue; by Barbara Bibel. Read what she had to say!

CONTENT With the speed of modern travel and the global connections of commerce and industry, health issues quickly become international. This new encyclopedia does an excellent job of placing health and medical problems within social, political, and economic contexts. Using primary source documents, photographs, charts, and graphs to supplement the text, the book provides a brief but comprehensive overview of 90
topics affecting world health.

Read moreWorldmark Global Health and Medicine Issues:

a “Comprehensive” and “Informative” Resource

It Tastes So Good: Books and Food

By Mary Kelly

 

Think about your favorite movie, book or television show. Chances are eating and drinking is essential to the plot, character, or setting. Everything from the eating cheesecake with the Golden Girls to Game of Thrones (both the book and the television show) food is almost another character. Food and drink are symbolic in every culture: making a toast with a drink, the new bride and groom eating wedding cake, bringing a casserole to someone in mourning. Sharing food and drink is our way of connecting to each other, our ancestors, and our culture. It is essentially, unspoken communication and is less about the actual food and more about what it is trying to communicate.

Read moreIt Tastes So Good: Books and Food

Honoring Those That Have Served Our Country

Posted on May 18, 2016

By Candy Jones-Guerin

Memorial Day is almost up on us.  Observed as a holiday on the last Monday of May, Memorial Day honors men and women who died while serving in the United States Military. In cities and towns across the country Memorial Day is honored with parades including military personnel and members of veterans organizations.

Prior to being called Memorial Day, this day was celebrated as Decoration Day, originating in the years following the Civil War.  It became a federal holiday in 1971 and has been observed annually by Americans.

Take some time this year to learn about the significant wars in American history and the men and women who lead the charge.

The Civil War, 1st Edition
February 2016
The bombardment of Fort Sumter in 1861 set off the savage four-year war between the North and the South. The North fought to preserve the Union, whereas the South fought to win recognition as an independent nation. The war was a climax to quarrels between the two sides over the interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. With this title readers will analyze the background of the war, military leadership and strategic plans of the war in the West and East, specific battles on land and sea, and the costs of the war.

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Stand Up for Patrons Seeking Cancer Information

Posted on May 16, 2016

Each year, about 14 million people around the world learn they have cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. But with improved screening and treatment methods, many now survive the once-deadly diagnosis when they connect with information and health providers who can support their treatment.

Does your library have the resources cancer patients in your community and their family members need?

Treatments, therapies, care, and more

Read moreStand Up for Patrons Seeking Cancer Information