June 2016 | Page 3 of 4 | Gale Blog: Library & Educator News

The Gale and Google Integration at Work

July 12, 2016June 13, 2016

Posted June 13, 2016

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

As libraries continually seek to be a valued educational partner in communities, schools, and institutions, bringing trustworthy digital content into the natural path of their users has never been more important. To make it easier for people to find and use this relevant, authoritative information, Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, has partnered with Google for Education in two ways: providing intuitive integration of popular workflow tools through Google Apps for Education and indexing content in Google Scholar. With more than 50 million Google Apps for Education teachers and students worldwide, and an average of over 40,000+ Google search engine queries per second, Google is indisputably the place where people get their answers.

Information is truly at our fingertips now that Gale has become a Google for Education Partner. Many of Google’s popular tools like Drive, Docs, and Classroom are now integrated with Gale’s top products. Information seekers often look to Google for answers. Now they can combine the power of Google with the content authority of Gale databases.

Animal Farm Preface Reveals Truths about George Orwell

July 11, 2016June 13, 2016

Posted on June 13, 2016

By Kelly Torpey

In my school-days, plenty of readings were required, but in all honesty, I didn’t care for most of them. However, George Orwell’s Animal Farm captured my attention. It was unique, I didn’t need a dictionary on stand-by, and I knew it had been banned from some classrooms.

Orwell may be one of the most read, well-known novelists of all time. With books like Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm, his work is a constant reminder that we must continually critique the actions of leaders and the acceptance of common thought.

Recently (as in a couple days ago) I discovered details about Orwell’s roots, upbringing, and perspectives in an interview clip from Public Radio International. This clip is available on Literature Resource Center. I quickly learned that I probably wouldn’t have been exposed to these details if a young Ukrainian scholar hadn’t sent a message to George Orwell in 1947. In his note, the scholar asked for permission to translate Animal Farm into Ukrainian. Orwell not only granted permission, but also refused any royalties and penned a detailed preface that we are all incredibly lucky to read. Orwell wrote:

I have been asked to write a preface to the Ukrainian translation of Animal Farm. I am aware that I write for readers about whom I know nothing, but also that they too have probably never had the slightest opportunity to know anything about me.

History in the Making

June 14, 2016June 13, 2016

Posted on June 13, 2016

By Debra Kirby

Last week an important milestone was reached in U.S. history when Hillary Clinton became the first woman to become the presidential nominee of a major political party. Eight years earlier, Barack Obama celebrated a similar first when he became the first African-American to win the Democratic nomination for United States president.

Many other countries throughout the world have reached these milestones years ago, but did you know that the first country to elect a black female president was Liberia? Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became that country’s first female president in 2006. Learn more about Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia, and the history around the people and events that helped pave the way for current groundbreakers. Following are just a few suggestions to get you started:

Did you know that Liberia was founded in 1822 as a colony for freed slaves from the United States, or that Liberians declared their nation to be a republic in 1847? Learn more about the fascinating history of Liberia’s founding in World History In Context.

Archives of Sexuality & Gender and Pride Month

February 26, 2018June 10, 2016

Posted June 10, 2016

By: Reggie Brown and Tara Blair

LGBTQ Pride Month is underway. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community and supporters have celebrated the month of June as “Pride Month” to honor the 1969 stonewall riots in Manhattan. Pride Month, was once “Gay Pride Day” the last Sunday in June, but has since grown to the current month long celebration.

In New Your City, just after 3 a.m., police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club. The streets turned violent as patrons and sympathizers in the area began to riot against the police. While police were justified legally to raid due to the club serving liquor without a license, the gay community at that time had grown increasingly agitated with the police department targeting of clubs for the gay community. The riot was followed by several days of demonstrations and considered a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States.

Leach, Dawn. “Evenings Out.” Gay People’s Chronicle 13 Sept. 1996. Archives of Human Sexuality and Identity. Web. 10 June 2016

Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World: “Ambitious” and “Recommended” eBook

September 2, 2016June 10, 2016

Looking for an “accessible” and “ambitious” resource designed to support user’ religion and history understandings? The Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World provides rich historical content partnered with coverage of the issues, countries, and people that are important in today’s world to provide knowledge of Islam’s influence on all areas of human activity. Libraries will “benefit” researchers by obtaining this resource, read a few reviews below!

Global Issues In Context Product Update 3/31/2016

February 26, 2018June 9, 2016

Updated May 24, 2016

Original Posting March 31, 2016

Global Issues In Context has been updated to reflect the standard user interface found in all the other Gale In Context products. Customers will be migrated to the new version of the product August 5, 2016.

During the continued soft launch – running through the month of July – here’s what you’ll find:

Spotlight stories will track current events.
New and updated portals will be called-out (flagged) so they are easy to find.
Google integration tools like Google sign-in, download to Google Drive, and Classroom Share capabilities.
A mobile optimized interface for ease of use on any device.
Additional features familiar to users such as, Highlights and Notes and additional language translation options.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Foundational Influence

June 10, 2016June 9, 2016

Published on June 9, 2016

By Debra Kirby

I listen to National Public Radio (NPR) on my daily commute. A series on All Things Considered called Generational Politics, which aired in June and which explored the events that shaped the political views of three different generations – 25, 45, and 65 year olds – got me thinking about what most influenced my views, political and beyond. Looking back it is no surprise that having spent some of my most formative years in the 1960s in Detroit, the events related to the Civil Rights Movement played a major role in shaping my beliefs, ideas and character. To this day, I feel privileged to have witnessed that exciting and often turbulent time – even though my parents refused, despite my most earnest and compelling arguments, to let their pre-teen daughter travel by bus to Washington, DC to actually participate in the historic events. The anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 this July 2 provides the perfect opportunity to go beyond the more commonly known facts surrounding this historic act and the events and people who made it happen.

For example, did you know?

John Robert Lewis, civil rights movement veteran and U.S. Congressman from Georgia since 1986, was the only living speaker from the March on Washington present at President Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration. After the ceremony, Lewis asked Obama to sign a commemorative photograph for him. The new president signed the photo with the message, “Because of you, John. Barack Obama.” — Biography In Context.

Textual Reuse in the Eighteenth Century

February 19, 2019June 8, 2016

Published on June 9, 2016 By Douglas Ernest Duhaime Digital Humanities Quarterly, 2016, Volume 10 Number 1 University of Notre Dame Being a writer today means creating original content and properly citing sources for borrowed content. But before the middle of the 18th century, authors often committed what most today would consider plagiarism – and … Read more

Calling all Libraries to Be a Part of the Big Picture

February 26, 2018June 8, 2016

Posted on June 6, 2016

ENTER THE MY LIBRARY PIC PHOTO SWEEPSTAKES

Libraries complete our big picture vision. And over the next few weeks, we’re asking YOU to participate in helping us shape that vision. Send us a picture of how your library integrates and embraces technology!

The My Library Pic Photo sweepstakes is for all libraries, big or small, and all types of photographers (professional or amateur). Now through June 30, 2016, submit a photo to any of the 4 categories below, and your library could win big.

Bring All the Colors of the Rainbow to Your Collection

June 28, 2016June 7, 2016

Posted on June 7, 2016

By Liz Mason, Vice President, Product, Gale

Searching for an “unparalleled assemblage of newsletters, newspapers, and periodicals by, for, and about gays and lesbians?” Archives of Human Sexuality and Identity, Part 1: LGBTQ History and Culture since 1940 brings together approximately 1.5 million pages of primary sources on social, political, health, and legal issues impacting LGBTQ communities around the world. Rare and unique content from microfilm, newsletters, organizational papers, government documents, manuscripts, pamphlets, and other types of primary sources sheds light on the gay rights movement, activism, the HIV/AIDS crisis, and more.

LGBTQ issues were at the forefront of the news in 2015. A major U.S. Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, high-profile transgender celebrity appearances, and many related stories dominated social news. Many media have declared the Rainbow Revolution in full effect. And while LGBTQ resources have been published for many years (the USC library began their collection in 1952), access to materials has been limited and not broadly publicized. In fact, libraries with significant LGBTQ collections remain small in number.