Academic

Look at Literature in a Whole New Way

iPad reading

Posted August 7, 2015

Noted Russian poet and author once said, “Literature is the art of discovering something extraordinary about ordinary people, and saying with ordinary words something extraordinary.”

Literature opens doors to understanding ideas, people, and cultures. Extraordinary tools enable greater understanding and expand opportunity for discovery. And now, with upcoming enhancements, three landmark Gale literature resources will provide a more welcoming and accessible experience for literature researchers at all levels.

Read moreLook at Literature in a Whole New Way

21 Voices, Predictive Findability, and What Have Your Students Taught You Lately

By Daniel Marano

At Gale and Cengage Learning, we conduct hundreds of user studies in any given year. In each study, we talk to and observe dozens of users as we iteratively design or modify our resources and tools. We have been doing and learning from this user-centered design approach for years now, and have a centralized user experience department that conducts this research for the entire organization.

What this traditional form of user-centered design leaves out, however, are certain types of longitudinal data, and the evolving habits and technologies that a student moves through over time. That’s why last year we launched a novel new research study called 21 Voices.

Read more21 Voices, Predictive Findability, and What Have Your Students Taught You Lately

Content Updates for Gale’s In Context (Week of 7/20/2015)

Posted on July 24, 2015

Updates have been made this week to the rich content found in Gale’s In Context products. Check-out what’s new.

Canada In Context

New homepage spotlights have been added featuring updated content on Evangeline Lilly and Jack Layton. Also look for new content additions on Alexander Graham Bell.

A new video has been added to the home page from the CBC on the Dieppe Raid: “70th Anniversary of Ill-Fated Invasion in Dieppe, France.”

Research In Context

The newest database in Gale’s In Context family has even more content that’s been added this week. Some of the additions to the homepage spotlights include:

Read moreContent Updates for Gale’s In Context (Week of 7/20/2015)

New Titles Added to the InfoTrac Collections in June 2015

 

The titles below have been recently added and can be located in the product using Basic or Advanced Search forms. Titles can be found via Browse Publications within two weeks. For complete coverage information please see the product title lists.

Read moreNew Titles Added to the InfoTrac Collections in June 2015

Introducing Business Collection: Business is Looking Up!

Library users who count on your library to support their business interests look for relevant, reliable content that’s accessible and easy to use. Well, thanks to upcoming changes to Gale’s business resources, they’re keeping the former and getting more of the latter.

Beginning August 7, PROMT, European Business ASAP, Business Index ASAP, Business & Company ASAP, General Business File, and Business International & Company Profiles will be automatically upgraded and replaced with Business Collection, a comprehensive, innovative new resource that incorporates their content.  With nearly 4,000 leading business and trade publications, this resource provides the coverage and depth your business information consumers need most. And it delivers this information on the newly reimagined InfoTrac platform.

Read moreIntroducing Business Collection: Business is Looking Up!

New Reports and Enhancements to DemographicsNow

DemographicsNow Public Library Business Resource

Posted on June 30, 2015

Both DemographicsNow! and DemographicsNow! Business and People  have new tools and new EZ reporting great for start-ups and small business.

Enhancements to DemographicsNow include the following:

  • New EZ Report: Sizing Your Market— Calculates the market size based on geography selections and expenditure variables to see which local areas may have a need for a certain type of business.
    • User inputs up to 25 geographies and a customized Census Area Projections and Estimates (CAPE) variable tree with current year estimates and 5 year projections.
    • The output report contains:
      • Bar chart comparing the average expenditure ($) of user selected geographies
      • Number of households in the geography
      • Average expenditure per household
      • Market Size
    • Users can now save and upload report templates with custom variables.
    • Users can edit report titles that display on the preview screen and the downloaded version of a custom report.
    • Link to CAPE variables spreadsheet.
    • Thematic coloring default turned off.

Read moreNew Reports and Enhancements to DemographicsNow

Google Sign In and Tools Available within Gale In Context Resources

Posted on June 25, 2015

Exciting News! Now available through Gale’s In Context suite of products is the ability for students to seamlessly login using Google Account credentials. The Gale In Context products that will provide this new Google functionality include Biography, Canada, Opposing Viewpoints, Science, Student Resources, U.S. History and World History. Now a Google for Education* partner, this new relationship supports Gale’s efforts to evolve from a traditional library content provider into the ed tech space by providing the educational technology, instructional tools and content to help our users be successful in school, work and life.

Read moreGoogle Sign In and Tools Available within Gale In Context Resources

In Other News: Race

three hands from different race people clasping hands

A look at a current news item through the lens of different titles available on GVRL to find research inspiration.

By Michelle Eickmeyer

A fair skinned woman with a weave claims to be black. A white kid with twisted views killed nine innocent blacks while attending a Bible study. The president said the n-word. A lot of people are talking about a flag. The last two weeks have been filled with conversations of race and what it means in America.

Read moreIn Other News: Race

Student & Instructor Perceptions on Libraries and Research

By Jennifer Albers-Smith

When it comes to student and instructor perceptions about academic libraries and research, some interesting insights are revealed – as well as lot of questions.

In spring 2015, Gale’s parent company, Cengage Learning, issued its Engagement Insights survey to some 3,000 students and nearly 700 professors, gathering feedback on different topics including how both audiences valued the library, how they often they took advantage of its resources and more.

Read moreStudent & Instructor Perceptions on Libraries and Research