Month: August 2016

Gene Wilder, Roald Dahl, and the Chocolate Factory

By Traci Cothran

Gene Wilder’s passing is hard to accept, as he’s forever etched in minds playing Willy Wonka, complete with top hat and bushy eyebrows.  Or perhaps you best remember him with his mustache and frizzy hair in “Young Frankenstein,” in cowboy boots as the Waco Kid in “Blazing Saddles,” or as the nervous Leo Bloom with his blue blanket in “The Producers.”  They’re all amazing performances, but since Wonka is my personal favorite, and Roald Dahl a beloved writer, I took a look through our Gale collections to find some Wonka-related things about which to reminisce – here are just a few of them:

Did you know there was a Smell-o-Vision showing of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory at the Boston Children’s Museum in 2007, where fans “forcibly waft[ed] the smells of blueberry pie and banana tapi(ph) over the audience, as well as the scents of dirt, grass and sushi”?  WOW, OH WOW.

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GVRL Makes Researching Easy

By Kevin Rygiel

With the summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro coming to a close, your patrons might have a continued interest to familiarize themselves with the sporting events. Thanks to GVRL’s strong search capabilities, they will be able to stay informed and might even find a new favorite sport!

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Flipped Classroom – Where Were You When I Needed You?

By Debra Kirby

If the flipped classroom concept had existed when I was a student, I might have avoided one of my most vivid and unpleasant childhood experiences — a home visit by my 4th grade teacher after repeated but failed attempts to curb my chattiness in his classroom. Mr. Y was a very nice guy and good teacher and had tried his best by moving my desk to different locations around the classroom, including and lastly right next to his desk at the front of the room, all to no avail. I was happy to talk to him too! Watching Mr. Y get out of his car and head up our walkway was one of those frozen in time memories for me. I can still recall the panicky feeling when I realized he was coming to my house.

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Boosting STEM Achievement Through Visual-Spatial Learning

If you have ever taken a basic chemistry course, you probably remember making molecular models out of marshmallows and tooth-picks or whatever comparable substitute was lying around the science lab. This kind of molecular modeling is not only a great excuse to eat marshmallows in class; it also enhances spatial literacy, an essential part of … Read more

Calling All Academic Librarians: Charleston Conference Scholarship

Our mission at Gale is to connect libraries to learning and learners to libraries – librarians are the essence of that mission. This fall librarians and industry partners will gather in Charleston, South Carolina at The Charleston Conference to collaborate on issues of mutual importance in an exciting and informal atmosphere. In line with our mission to connect libraries … Read more

American Governance Benefits Beginning Students and the Civic-Minded Reader

“…the coverage and treatment of American Governance appears to be among the most extensive to date, and the concepts presented will not grow quickly outdated.”  – CHOICE

Searching for a “highly factual and researched” resource for beginning students? American Governance  provides a clear and authoritative depictions of ideas that are core to the U.S. system of governance. Presented alphabetically, the 700 original, peer-reviewed entries written by content specialists also includes approximately 300 images and primary source documents. American Governance assists learners in developing  America’s  system of governance understanding.

This review is published in the August 2016 issue of CHOICE

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Early Education Matters

The Value of Pre-K Education Many research studies have shown the positive effects of quality early childhood education on future academic development, educational attainment, and earnings later in life. Yet, 59% of preschool-aged children across the nation—approximately 2.5 million—are not enrolled in publicly funded preschool programs through state preschool, Head Start, and special education preschool … Read more

The Big Jump From High School To College

By Traci Cothran

Diamond is a recent high school graduate from a charter school in Detroit, heading off to college this fall. We’ve been together for four years in the Big Brothers Big Sisters Detroit program, and I recently demonstrated our Gale databases for her, and asked her a few questions to share here on our blog.

You’re a college freshman – congratulations!  What are you excited – and maybe anxious – about?

I’m excited to get away from home and be independent.  I’m nervous about the work load in comparison to high school – everyone says it’s much harder – but I’m confident I have the organizational skills for success.  However, my college has great tutoring resources that I know I can use – and they’re located right in my dorm.  I’m not planning on working or doing sports my first year to be sure I have a handle on academics.  But I am going to check out the various clubs and organizations and plan to join some.

Did you visit a library at your college during the tour? 

Yes, we toured the library.  The library not only had a floor with books, but I was surprised to find it had a study floor, and quiet floors, too.  There’s a tablet instead of a librarian to use to find resources and direct you to them.  I don’t recall online resources mentioned during the tour.

How much did you use print books and electronic resources during high school?

Once I switched schools after ninth grade, it was 100% digital and worksheets – no print textbooks.  We were a “Google school,” and we were provided with Google computers, with Google software and integration.  I’m comfortable with either digital or print, though sometimes I prefer print.  My teachers used all kinds of online resources, but we did not have a physical library or librarian.

Read moreThe Big Jump From High School To College

Google and Microsoft Integration

Meet Your Users Where They “Are” The key to connecting users to trustworthy, relevant content is ensuring that it appears in their workflow. Google is a comfortable, highly used pathway in most students’ study routine. Gale is a Google for Education Partner, which means after authentication, users can sign in to their library’s Gale content with their … Read more

A New Gale.com Experience!

By Thomas Piggott

Home Page Screenshot
The new Gale.com homepage with reorganized navigation. Click to enlarge or visit the website.

Gale.com is changing! We’re proud to announce a new and improved experience, with even more to come as we continue to make updates.

Hi, I’m Thomas Piggott, the User Experience Designer for Gale.com. I wanted to be the first to introduce you to some of the new features of the website, along with providing a peek into what’s to come.

Gaining a Better Understanding

At Gale, our goal is to empower libraries and learners by partnering with you. About a year ago, we began thinking about how our website could help us live up to that goal. We delved into understanding what capabilities the site needed in order to make your life easier. We collected feedback from interviews with more than 40 customers around the world and held discussions with our sales representatives and customer success managers who know what you ask for the most.

Read moreA New Gale.com Experience!