Posted on June 7, 2016
Searching for a “valuable resource” for a young learner’s education? Kids InfoBits provides age-appropriate and curriculum aligned content that covers a broad range of topics. Presented in a modern, colorful interface with easy navigation and design, Kids InfoBits helps young learners develop their skills in database searching.
This review was published in School Library Journal May, 2016
Read moreKids InfoBits: “An Absolute Winner” and “Valuable Resource”
By Leah Sewell, Communications Editor, Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library
Have you ever been on the other line of a survey call? I haven’t, personally, but I’ve often wondered if I would be a willing participant. Perhaps in the midst of a particularly juicy book, soaking up one-on-one time with my fast-growing 9-year-old or closely watching a new recipe simmer, what would compel me to answer the phone, but also to converse with a researcher for an indeterminate spell? Well, for one thing, I’d pretty much drop everything and let dinner burn to gab with any stranger, on the phone or otherwise, when the topic is libraries.
You see, in my career as the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library’s Communication Editor, I am enamored with the “public” part of the public library. How does the public feel about our services? How will they react to a minor or a major change? How can we woo them, engage them, help them feel a part the community through literacy and learning, and subsequently change their lives for the better?
My library is focused on the public and the public good. It’s asking the right questions, discovering people’s goals and needs and assisting them so they can reach them. Ultimately, it’s about making a difference in the community by working with our fellow citizens to make their lives better. That’s a good chunk of the reason why we’re the Library Journal / Gale, a part Cengage Learning 2016 Library of the Year. We have our ears to the ground.
When the 2016 Pew Research Center report, Libraries at the Crossroads, was released in September 2015, I wondered about the people on the other end of those cell phones and land lines. Those individuals that Pew cites variously as “a share of Americans” or “a majority of Americans,” or “low-income Americans” are real individuals with busy lives, loved ones and their own dinners to prepare. Yet, they all sat a spell to gab about libraries.
Posted on June 6, 2016
Note to librarians: if you have this title, you may want to share this blog post with your patrons. (Be sure to link it to your GVRL collection.) And if you want to learn more about this title, request a free trial today! Our eBook Specialists are always available to help you fill gaps in your nonfiction eBook collection. Learn more about customizing your collections to meet patron needs.
Now you can find comprehensive consumer information about 300 commonly prescribed medications (including vaccinations) written in highly understandable language by qualified pharmacists, physicians, nurses, and other health professionals. With Gale Encyclopedia of Prescription Drugs, you’ll find a general description of the medication, plus detailed information about each drug’s purpose, recommended dosage, precautions, side effects, and drug and food interactions. And because it’s an eBook, you can access it any time, anywhere, and on nearly any device – making it easy to find information at odd hours or remote locations.
National Hug Your Cat Day, June 4th!
Posted June 3, 2016
By Tara Blair
What a purr-fect day to show your best friend some love and affection with a big hug. June 4th marks Hug Your Cat Day, a day where cat owners everywhere can rejoice and squeeze their furry buddies until the sun goes down. But, hugging your whiskered pal is just the tip of the iceberg. At Gale, we took a deeper look into how hugging improves your mind, body, and soul.
Save your catnap for later and read what we found!
Read moreShow Your Furry Friend Some Love with
National Hug Your Cat Day, June 4th!
Read moreNew Titles Added to the InfoTrac Collections in May 2016
Published on June 3, 2016
The British Newspapers series, the most comprehensive digital collection of regional newspapers from across the UK, is a key resource for studying local history. Part V, releasing in March 2016, will soon take the total number of pages covered by the series to over 5.5 million, with an impressive 161 newspaper titles. Academic Adviser to Parts I and II of the series, Dr Martin Conboy, described the series as an ‘enormously rich’ resource, which has already proved of great value to a range of scholars. But why invest in regional and local papers? What makes regional papers valuable to students and researchers?
Posted on June 2, 2016
By Debra Kirby
Since ancient times refugees have fled their homes and countries because of war, famine, natural disaster, and religious and racial persecution and genocide, often risking their lives and the lives of their children in search of safe haven. The current Syrian refugee crisis is only the latest in a string of similar tragic human events that has occurred in every corner of the world.
In the aftermath of World War II in response to the atrocities committed during that conflict, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was issued by the United Nations, which recognized the right of persecuted people to seek asylum in other countries. The United Nations also established the IUN International Refugees Organization (IRO), which provided assistance to some 1.5 million European and Asian World War II refugees. Though it was disbanded in 1951, it was replaced by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which continues to provide such assistance and which established the first World Refugee Day on June 20, 2001 – now an annual event observed by more than 100 countries throughout the world.
Curious whether households in your community would read a library mailing? Individuals with a history of mail-order buying are twice as likely to respond to a promotion as someone who has never purchased by mail. Now the Analytics on Demand Patron Profiles app contains more details around households who have purchased merchandise, magazines or services by mail or have responded with contributions to charitable and nonprofit appeals.
New Buyer Data
Fifteen categories were added to the existing multi-category buyer information. This additional Mail Order Responder (MOR)-Bank data including:
Read moreNew Patron info added to Patron Profiles in Analytics On Demand
Posted on June 1, 2016
By Candy Jones-Guerin
On June 14th we celebrate Flag Day. This special day commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened in 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress.
On June 14th, 1885, a 19 year old teacher at Stony Hill School placed a 10 inch, 38 star flag in a bottle on his desk then assigned essays on the flag and its significance. With this act, Bernard J. Cigrand, started a movement.
Inspired by these three decades of state and local celebrations. Flag Day was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson’s proclamation, it was not until August 3rd, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.
With some 50% of the US population using at least one prescription drug at any given time, it’s safe to say most of us need more information about prescriptions at some point. But where can you turn when you have questions? Especially late at night, or when you don’t have time for a phone call or a drug store visit?