Carnegie Medal Winners in Large Print

Thorndike Press has all three of the shortlisted fiction titles for the  2018 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence.  The American Library Association’s Andrew Carnegie Medals, now in their 7th year, recognize outstanding fiction and nonfiction for adult readers. One of these authors, from a longlist of 46 titles, will be selected for a medal on … Read more

New! BBC Videos Added to Popular Gale Resources

We’re excited to announce the acquisition of 2,250 videos from BBC Worldwide Learning for use across a number of Gale databases, including Academic OneFile, Gale Researcher, and the In Context suite of products. Developed and produced by talented creative teams at the BBC, these videos offer unique and lively insights and perspectives on such wide-ranging … Read more

Success Story: Gale eBooks on GVRL

Lasell College, a coeducational school with over 50 academic programs, struggled to ensure honors students had access to research materials that meet academic standards.  Recently, they acquired GVRL, Gale’s eBook platform, offering more than 13,000 academic titles. Here’s the astounding results:   To learn more about offering Gale eBooks on GVRL to your students, visit gale.com/ebooks.Air Jordan … Read more

Library Journal Weighs in on Gale Small Business Builder

The new database Gale Small Business Builder is a step-by-step online planning tool for starting, managing and optimizing a business or nonprofit. The program’s intuitive dashboard walks users through five areas of exploration in order to develop a business plan focused on long-term success. For patrons exploring the idea of small business ownership, this resource provides a … Read more

Keeping Current on Citation Changes

Beginning in October, the option to export MLA 7 citations will no longer be supported in Gale resources. Why is this happening? It has a lot to do with what our customers tell us and what features are being used. We sat down with Gale eBooks on GVRL product manager Kristin Fust to better understand: … Read more

Seven Reasons to Secure LegalForms in Your Library

| By Holly Hibner and Mary Kelly |

A common reference question received at public library reference desks is whether the library has legal forms. When you get that question as a generalist reference librarian (ie. not a law librarian…), it is very comforting to know that the Gale LegalForms resource is at the ready.

State-Specific
My library has access to the Michigan legal forms, so we know they are relevant to our state laws. There are categories like divorce, bankruptcy, power of attorney, and incorporation (among others). You simply choose a category and then choose from a list of available forms.  Each form gives a full description to help laypeople choose the right one. With one click, the form opens with spaces to click and fill in your own information like your name, city, and even case number. Forms are available in a variety of formats, including Microsoft Word, Rich Text, PDF, and sometimes even Word Perfect. The forms included in the database are official forms that law firms use, so you never have to wonder if they will be accepted by the court system.

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The Pueblo City-County Library District Offers Adults a Second Chance

| Originally posted on The Pueblo Chieftain | The Pueblo City-County Library District offers Career Online High School, an online high school diploma and career certification program. The program is funded by PCCLD in partnership with Colorado State Library and Gale, a Cengage Company. The program is open to residents of Pueblo County who have … Read more

Stepping Up Career Development at Your Library

| By Mary Kelly |

Just recently I had an age crisis at work. A young teen girl asked to borrow the phone on my desk. I pushed the desk phone toward her and said “sure, help yourself, dial 8 to get an outside line.” She stared at me and asked for a “real phone” since she didn’t know how to work those desk phones. I actually had to teach someone how to use a regular desktop phone. This was a first for me, as a librarian. This young teen had never used a traditional phone. In her world, the only kind of phone is a smartphone.

As I am chewing on this little fact, I realize that in my library career of nearly 20 years, I have seen an insane amount of change in technology. It really doesn’t seem all that long ago that computers were a “new” tool in libraries. I remember teaching my first computer class for library patrons and we had standing room only. Without a doubt, computers were an integral part of our daily practice as librarians.

Even as late as 2009 and 2010, my partner and I were regularly presenting a program to other librarians called “Tech Support is Reference” through conferences and other library training. The message of this program was that librarians had a duty to assist patrons regardless of what kind of questions they asked. At the time, there was significant resistance in the profession to assist patrons who asked “tech support” type questions. More than one library professional thought computers would ruin library reference service. (Part of me wants to be petty and say “I told you so” to those librarians who all but accused me of ruining the profession. Luckily, this is published on a website and since they hated computers so much, they will probably not notice my remark.)

The modern library professional isn’t going to last long in a library setting if they don’t embrace change in a very real way. Not only must librarians be knowledgeable, but we also must be able to communicate that knowledge through a variety of mediums. The implication is huge.  It is expected that a modern librarian will be knowledgeable about technology and that we be able to fashion that knowledge into usable content for a variety of learning styles. Regular and consistent training on new technologies, emerging topics and other subjects need to be ingrained as a regular part of the job. Combined with limited budgets and time for professional development means that most of us will have to do this without support.

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A Spotlight on 21st Century Skill Sets and How the Education Industry is Emerging to Meet the Demands

| By Chitraa Sridharan | In the rapidly changing market place today, it is becoming increasingly evident that workplaces need workers who are just not proficient with the core skills but also with people who are prepared to solve complex problems and adapt to changing environments using their 6C (Communication, Collaboration, Critical thinking, Creative innovation, … Read more