Academic

The Assad Regime in Syria: Exploring Topics in the News with U.S. Declassified Documents Online

Posted February 5, 2016

By Bethany Dotson

As the conflict in Syria continues, so does interest in the history of the political situation that led us here. To better understand the context, I’ve traced a small portion of the history of the conflict using historical sources found in primary source collections from Gale. A quick search in Gale Artemis: Primary Sources unearths documents that contribute to the discussion.

The earliest source that I discovered related to the Syrian Ba’ath party was from the 1950s. One of these early sources, from the Economist Historical Archive, outlines the growth of an Arab League now seen as likely to include Syria, after its recent change in government:

Read moreThe Assad Regime in Syria: Exploring Topics in the News with U.S. Declassified Documents Online

Meet the Growing Need for Transnational History with America in the World

Posted on February 3, 2016

Help undergraduates examine the role of the U.S. from early days to the present with a new title from Charles Scribner’s Sons, American in the World. One of the first references with a transnational perspective, this Dictionary of American History supplement focuses on the global role of the U.S. and Americans, while also analyzing global influences on the U.S. Supporting undergraduates, community college students, and high schoolers alike, this text offers signed and peer-reviewed articles as well as some 100 photographs, maps, and graphics.

Learn more about American in the World with Editor-in-chief Dr. Edward J. Blum as he weighs in on the value of America in the World.

Read moreMeet the Growing Need for Transnational History with America in the World

New Apps for Download Make it Even Easier to Access Gale Resources

Posted on February 1, 2016

Many of your favorite Gale products can now be accessed via apps available for free download through the Chrome Web Store. These product apps provide an additional access point to Gale content making it even easier for students, instructors, schools, and public library patrons to easily access resources from their tablets and mobile devices.

Apps you’ll find available include:

·        Artemis Literary Sources ·        Infotrac including PowerSearch
·        Book Review Index Plus ·        Kids InfoBits
·        Contemporary Authors Online ·        Literature Criticism Online
·        Dictionary of Literary Biography Online ·        Literature Resource Center
·        Gale In Context Suite ·        LitFinder
·        Gale eBooks (GVRL) ·        MLA International Bibliography
·        Gale Researcher ·        Something About the Author Online

Read moreNew Apps for Download Make it Even Easier to Access Gale Resources

What’s So Great about GVRL + Google?

Posted January 29, 2016

by Kristin Fust, Product Manager, GVRL

“If it isn’t on Google, it doesn’t exist.”  Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wale’s famous quote about Google rings true for many teachers, professors, and librarians. For years, educators mourned this trend, judging general website searches too limiting to support comprehensive research.  But those concerns dissipate when quality content becomes accessible through Google.  It’s a case of moving the proverbial mountain to Mohammed – putting authoritative content into the workflow of information seekers.

Read moreWhat’s So Great about GVRL + Google?

Put Your Library on the Map with LGBTQ Resources

Posted January 27, 2016

By Tina Creguer

LGBTQ issues were at the forefront of the news in 2015.  A major U.S. Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, high-profile transgender celebrity appearances, and many related stories dominated social news.  Many media have declared the Rainbow Revolution in full effect.  And while LGBTQ resources have been published for many years (the USC library began their collection in 1952), access to materials has been limited and not broadly publicized.  In fact, libraries with significant LGBTQ collections remain small in number (see this map showing library locations).

Read morePut Your Library on the Map with LGBTQ Resources

Librarian Uses DemoNow to Give Students Edge in Ultracompetitive Global Business World

Posted January 27, 2016

Cara Cadena, the Business Liaison Librarian at Grand Valley State University, can see the future and knows exactly what budding college-aged M16013482 Cadena DemoNow success story_finalentrepreneurs are in for: a highly competitive global business world that demands an edge to get ahead. It’s Cadena’s job to help students develop that edge despite a workload that requires her to juggle multiple responsibilities, like teaching library instruction courses, managing the library’s growing collection, and assisting students with research projects.

Today’s college students have terabytes of data at their fingertips. However, that data is not always trustworthy, accessible, or housed in formats that best position students to comprehend and use it appropriately for homework projects. Cadena prides herself on providing the one-on-one research assistance business students need. However, with hundreds of students all vying for an advantage, Cadena lacks the time necessary to provide individual attention to every student who requires it.

Read moreLibrarian Uses DemoNow to Give Students Edge in Ultracompetitive Global Business World

A Look at the New SAT

Posted January 25, 2016

By Rosemary Long

As the March 5 launch date for the updated SAT comes closer, now’s a good time to take a closer look at what the revamped test is all about. Detailed information abounds, so the goal of this post is to winnow it down to the essentials.

New Features

Perhaps bowing to the competition, the new SAT features content that is similar to the ACT. And it has also adopted two ACT features. Test takers don’t lose points for wrong answers—so there’s less temptation to leave an answer blank—and they are offered only four choices of response instead of five.

Read moreA Look at the New SAT

WorldMark Global Business and Economy Issues Wins Big!

Posted on January 19, 2015

ALA’s RUSA (Reference & User Services Association) awarded Worldmark Global Business and Economy Issues as a 2016 Outstanding Reference Source and the Dartmouth Medal Honorable Mention.

This title is available in print or eBook format, on GVRL— the research-optimized, mobile accessible platform.

Read moreWorldMark Global Business and Economy Issues Wins Big!

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