Tara Blair

Tara Blair is a Digital Marketing Specialist for Gale, a Cengage Company. In her spare time, she is a total crime junkie and spends her days listening to podcasts—especially those of the unsolved.

Cold Enough For You?

By Mary Kelly and Holly Hibner
Posted on January 11, 2016 

Winter is one of my favorite seasons to do reader advisory. Yes, you read that correctly. Bad weather, especially snow and ice, are good for reader advisory. I can sell any book or video when the weather is bad. Weather is my go-to subject for ice breakers. This, at least, gets the conversation started and can lead a librarian right toward the patron’s information need. For those of us in the northern parts of the Midwest, we share with our patrons the long suffering experience of long, grey winters, and all the problems that can bring. Even if you love winter, by February things are looking pretty sad. Winter, where I live, can sometimes stretch right into May. It’s not the cold temperatures; it is the seemingly endless days of dark and grey. By late January, most of my customers coming into the library look like they are on a casting call for The Walking Dead, and misery loves company.

Read moreCold Enough For You?

Product Updates for Primary Source Newspapers

line of folded newspapers

The annual update for several primary source newspaper archives are now available: The Economist Historical Archive, 1843-2012 The Times Digital Archive, 1785-2010 The Times Literary Supplement Historical Archive, 1902-2011 Adding tens of thousands of new pages, new, more contemporary results will begin to show immediately in your searches. The additional materials are now available within each archive, … Read more

In Response to the Recent American Libraries article on Digital Humanities

Gale recently partnered with American Libraries magazine to co-produce a survey of librarians and faculty about digital humanities, which was covered in Jan/Feb issue of American Libraries (here). As part of our contract with American Libraries, Gale had no editorial control of the resulting coverage, including any communication between the magazine and writers at any … Read more

Early Arabic Printed Books from the British Library: Editor’s highlights

by Ellie Hawkes

One of the best things about being Product Editor on the Early Arabic Printed Books project is being exposed to works that I have never encountered before. Having worked on rare book digitization projects many times in the past, it’s a real treat to

Read moreEarly Arabic Printed Books from the British Library: Editor’s highlights

Broward Libraries to Offer Online High School Diplomas

Posted on December 30, 2015; originally posted in the Sun Sentinel on December 29, 2015. 

By Brittany Shammas, Sun Sentinel

Broward County library to offer free, online high school diplomas to adults

Broward County adults who do not have high school diplomas will be able to get them – and some career training – through an online program launching at the public library.

Funded by the state for the first time this year, Career Online High School offers accredited high school degrees and career certificates. Enrolled students take all their courses online with the support of an academic coach.

The Broward County Library system is one of 11 in the state to pilot the program. It will provide full scholarships for 75 county residents to complete their degrees and certificates through the program, which normally would normally cost about $1,300.

“There are a lot of reasons people don’t complete their high school diplomas,” said Vonda Ward Byrant, learning services coordinator for the library system. “We want to give them a second chance.”

Read moreBroward Libraries to Offer Online High School Diplomas

Partnerships are So Essential… They Define Us as a Community

Josephine Community Library Oregon

katebyline

We can all agree that community partnerships strengthen the library’s outreach. Executing this tenet is easier said than done.
Regardless, libraries must take the initiative and collaborate with community stakeholders to fill unmet needs, extend their reach, and create positive outcomes. For Josephine Community Libraries, Inc. (OR), the first step was building a sound infrastructure of support, rather than simply creating another new program.

Read morePartnerships are So Essential… They Define Us as a Community

Don’t Silence Michigan Librarians

EveryLibrary advocacy for public libraries

Posted on December 22, 2015

via EveryLibrary

The Michigan House and Senate pulled a fast one last week and Governor Snyder needs to do the right thing for libraries, schools, and parks by Vetoing SB 571. If SB 571 becomes law, librarians would be sent to jail for sharing factual information about elections with their communities. Library boards would be fined thousands of dollars of sending out a newsletter if it shares information about what is on your local ballot. We need honest and transparent elections.

Read moreDon’t Silence Michigan Librarians

How to Get and Hold Student’s Attention

Posted on December 18, 2015

By Megan McCarthy

We’ve all heard the saying, “information is power.” That being said, sometimes too much information makes you feel powerless. Take for example, my experience making lasagna. I needed a good recipe for lasagna one night. So, I googled “great lasagna recipes.” I got 247 great lasagna recipe posts. Completely overwhelmed by the amount of information, I quickly closed my computer and ordered pizza. The lasagna would have to wait for another night.

The same is true in the classroom. Students and teachers can be completely overwhelmed by the amount of information available today. Finding the right balance for success can be tricky. If teachers overload their students, they are likely to shut down. If they pick the wrong subject matter or use the wrong content, students can lose interest. That’s why CLiC (Classroom in Context) is such a valuable tool in the classroom.

Read moreHow to Get and Hold Student’s Attention

ECCO the World, and Why…

Published on December 18, 2015

Gale’s Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO) recently celebrated its 14th anniversary on December 4th and it got me to thinking.  Most commonly, the conversations surrounding the 18th century point to the major stories or developments of the American Revolution, French Revolution, and Industrial Revolution. For example, the industrialization of the world and manufacturing of powered, special-purpose machinery, factories, and mass production.  Others might think about the American Revolution’s Boston Tea Party or the Battle of Bunker Hill, for instance.  But what about the moments that lead up to these events?

Read moreECCO the World, and Why…

If You’ve Got your Health….

Posted on December 17, 2015

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, access a free trial today!

Help patrons maintain good health, with essential information about nutrition, exercise, mental health, and even medical insurance.

Live long and prosper: Health information for you
If you’re interested in health information, you’re not alone.  In 2008, health news was the 8th biggest subject in the national news, comprising 3.6% of all coverage, according to the Pew Research Center – more than three times the amount of coverage for education or transportation.  Whether it’s learning more about healthy eating option, good exercise programs, maintaining or pursuing good mental health, and evaluating medical insurance programs – the demand for trustworthy information is great.

Resources for the health conscious or those who strive to be
To support your interest in reliable health information, now the library provides free access to a great resource:  Life & Career Skills: Health & Wellness.

Read moreIf You’ve Got your Health….