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Mastering Workflow: Connecting Learners to Your Library

As digital demands continue to rise, the emphasis on creating a seamless workflow becomes all the more important: eliminating multiple logins, developing efficiencies in how materials are prepared and distributed, and building a collaborative environment with students and peers are all essential to today’s educators. Gale is proud to announce additional authentication options with single … Read more

Introducing: The Dashboard

A new tool has been added to Analytics On Demand. It’s called the dashboard. What is the Dashboard? The Analytics On Demand dashboard gives users the ability to transform patron data and drill down into rich visuals. Best of all, once the three apps needed for the dashboard output are acquired by the library, it’s no … Read more

Celebrate World Oceans Day

| By Debra Kirby |

Did you know that World Oceans Day is celebrated June 8 each year and that it was officially recognized by the United Nations in December of 2008? Or that the Canadian government first proposed the idea at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992?

Each year World Oceans Day events are organized around a different theme, with this year’s focus on “plastic pollution prevention and cleaning the ocean of marine litter.” http://www.worldoceansday.org/

Even if you don’t live near an ocean, or are not planning to participate in an event on June 8, there are many things you can do to make a difference. Since all of Earth’s waterways are connected, what affects your local stream, river, or lake also eventually makes its way to the oceans. Here are a few easy things anyone can do throughout the year:

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Nashville Public Library Named 2017 Library of the Year

Tennessee’s Nashville Public Library (NPL) has been named the 2017 Library of the Year by Library Journal magazine and Gale, a Cengage company. The Library of the Year is a prestigious honor awarded to a library that demonstrates profound service to community, creativity, leadership, and innovation in developing community programs. Nashville Public Library stands out … Read more

Partners in Connecting with Nashville’s Youth


By Allison Barney
Limitless Library Coordinator
Nashville Public Library

At Nashville Public Library (NPL), our story is about more than books. It’s about education, community, and enabling others to thrive. Our award-winning programs allow our entire city to dream, learn, see, do, and become more. Better yet, these programs don’t just happen inside our buildings. We connect with them right in their own communities. In fact, two of our very successful community programs, Limitless Libraries and the Nashville After Zone Alliance (NAZA), use this model to reach thousands of children and youth through the public schools who might not otherwise have access to library resources.

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A Big Thumbs Up for Biology, 2nd Edition

Biology, 2nd Edition includes 439 A-Z entries covering biological concepts, the history of science, and critical issues such as embryogenesis and the commercial applications of research, ethical issues, and careers in biology. More than 60 entries are brand new and almost three times as many entries are substantially revised and updated; all entries have been reviewed for currency.

The writing level makes accurate information accessible to a high school audience. Full-color photographs, diagrams, and sidebars add visual interest. More than 600 terms are defined in the margins of the pages where they appear and compiled into a convenient glossary at the back of each volume. Each entry contains a bibliography/suggestions for further reading. A thematic outline provides a guide to entries by subject. Handy references in the front matter include a geologic time scale and metric conversion table.

See what an Associate Dean of Libraries at Prevo Science Library thinks about the newest edition:

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InfoTrac: A Trusted Source for Current, Accurate, and Balanced News

| By Sara Constantakis |

In our internet-driven world, news comes at us from every direction and from many different sources. But just because a news story shows up in our Facebook or Twitter feed doesn’t mean it’s credible or authoritative. The proliferation of fake news is a growing problem, since the internet makes it easy for anyone to publish something that looks like a real news story. In addition, many news publications lean in one direction or another on the political spectrum, which influences the way they present information. That’s why it’s important for everyone, from the student to the general reader, to understand where news comes from and how the source of an article may influence its presentation of the facts.

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Headlines In Context: Comparing the Watergate Scandal to Russia’s Election Meddling Investigation

| By Debra Kirby |

Keeping up with current events can be a full-time job—never mind understanding the history behind what’s in the headlines. Take the ongoing coverage of the investigation of Russian involvement in the 2016 U.S. Presidential elections for example. This story seems to change daily—sometimes hourly. Even if you’re checking in multiple times per day and managing to keep up with the basics, references to historical events and underlying facts relayed by experts and political pundits can leave you wanting to learn more.

For instance, a number of commentators, when discussing the recent firing of FBI director James Comey by President Trump, have referenced similarities to Nixon’s firing of Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. Is that a valid reference?

To get the background details needed to better understand what’s behind these and other references, start your research with U.S. History In Context, where you will discover in-depth coverage of such topics as:

Read moreHeadlines In Context: Comparing the Watergate Scandal to Russia’s Election Meddling Investigation

The Macmillan Interdisciplinary Handbooks: Philosophy Series is an “Excellent Source”

Supporting the knowledge of philosophy can be tough, but it doesn’t have to be with the Macmillan Interdisciplinary Handbooks: Philosophy Series. Using film, literature, art, case studies, and other disciplines, the handbooks provide illustrations of human experiences to work as gateways to questions philosophers try to address. Composed of ten volumes (available individually) that serve undergraduate college students who have had little or no exposure to philosophy, as well as the curious lay reader, the Macmillan Interdisciplinary Handbooks: Philosophy Series is recommended for undergraduate and public libraries.

See how the Macmillan Interdisciplinary Handbooks: Philosophy Series is a must have resource with two reviews posted in the American Reference Books Annual, Spring 2017 Edition:

Read moreThe Macmillan Interdisciplinary Handbooks: Philosophy Series is an “Excellent Source”