Carrie Willis, Author at Gale Blog: Library & Educator News | K12, Academic & Public

New, Free, Bonus Analytics On Demand Apps

March 30, 2015March 24, 2015

Analytics On Demand users’ access to useful bonus apps keeps growing! Ten are now available in the Free Apps library. Here are descriptions of the most recently added:

Create a Service Area allows users to input an excel worksheet that contains the branch name and a geography code on each individual row. The geography code needs to be either a block group, a census tract, or a zip code. Each row has to be consistent in terms of the geography type selected as you can not mix and match (use block group, census tract and zip code in the same worksheet).

Stand Back: Heroes (No Villains) Land in Your Library for Summer

March 26, 2015March 20, 2015

Do you remember the glorious childhood feeling of the last day of school? Walking out of your classroom with your face to the sun, eager to explore a whole summer of swimming, biking, and…reading! Wait, reading?

Studies show that children who don’t read or who read rarely over the summer stagnate or decline in their reading skills. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Consider these studies:

Bring Out the Vote with New Library Advocacy Tool

March 30, 2015March 17, 2015

Across the nation, libraries receive widespread support from the communities they serve because people understand the value of their local library. Mostly. I mean, almost always. Except for when they don’t….

When your library’s funding is at risk, are you willing to wait idly by and see if people show up at the polls? Or would you like to actively reach out to your more enthusiastic patrons to inform and encourage them to support their favorite public institution?

Patron Voter Analysis, a new app available in Gale’s unique Analytics On Demand product, gives you the tools you need to identify voter households who use library resources and develop targeted contact lists to inform them about pending election issues related to your library funding or leadership ballot issues.

If You’re Reading this Blog, Thank a Techie

March 12, 2015March 12, 2015

Technology-savvy people are the explorers and gladiators of our great Information Age. Without them, we’d have no blogs, our phones wouldn’t be smart, and none of us would be able to look up the name of that actress we always forget from you-know-that-one-show in a few keystrokes. The Techie’s thirst for knowledge – whether budding young techies or adult tech users – is boundless.

Help Patrons Get Ahead of Movie Releases by Stocking Up on Large Print

June 11, 2018March 11, 2015

Before they were stars…soon-to-be movie blockbuster titles available in large print!

Ahem…and cue the announcer! “IN A WORLD dominated by video and movies, a plucky group of librarians dares to put large-print books into the hands of readers starved for stories in the most readable format available.”

Your Library Can Be the Next Cover Story!

March 12, 2015March 10, 2015

Share how your library uses Gale resources to make an impact in the community and your library could be the cover story in the spring issue of IMPACT magazine.

Librarians Overcome Distance and Tradition with GVRL eBooks

March 12, 2015March 9, 2015

Terry Beck, the Information Services Manager for Sno-Isle Libraries north of Seattle, knows firsthand how to deal with logistical nightmares. Beck is responsible for serving approximately 697,000 people in two counties across 21 community libraries. To complicate matters further, Beck lacks a central or main library location from which to work and was quickly running out of room for reference materials.

“We don’t have one great big place,” Beck bemoaned. “We knew we needed to grow our reference collection but we had no room for additional print materials.”

Moving from Gatekeeper to Gardener: An Introspective On Librarianship

March 12, 2015March 5, 2015

By Jamie LaRue

I believe that librarianship is at the threshold of transformative change. Some of that change is society-wide. Some of it is specific to libraries. In recent years, I’ve spent a lot of my professional time exploring and talking about three key trends. Together, they make up my platform as a candidate for ALA president.

Who Are Your Patrons? Where Are They Coming From? And What Branches Do They Visit?

February 23, 2018March 2, 2015

Public Library Branch Insights and User Visits and Demographics

Patrons at your main branch mostly hail from all over town, but patrons at your eastside branch come from within just a few blocks away. Or do they?? Do you know how far people travel to get to a particular location? And, if you did know, how might it change your collection and outreach programs?

Branch Insights, a new Analytics On Demand app, tracks cardholders’ use across various branches in a single library system. With this information presented in maps and tables, you can gain insight into where and how individual patron types are engaging the library system so you can tailor materials, programs, services, and outreach to meet patron needs at each library site.

7 Obscure March Holidays with InfoTrac Articles to Match

March 5, 2015February 27, 2015

By Nick Schultz

When you think of March holidays, St. Patrick’s Day may be the only one that comes to mind. Well, I’m not Irish, so I felt the need to explore holidays I could rally behind… with food. The InfoTrac Culinary Arts Collection proved to be the perfect source!

Feel free to share these images and the links to the InfoTrac articles and recipes with your library users on social media. Lure them in with food!