Featured – Page 96 – The Gale Blog

Relevance Default Sort Enabled In InfoTrac Products

February 26, 2018August 19, 2016

Good News! In an effort to further improve the user experience by delivering the most relevant articles among the first search results returned, we have enabled the default sort to Relevance for all InfoTrac products. Results will be ordered by relevance, and because currency is an important element of periodical content, the determination of relevance will contain a significant boost for recency. Users still have the ability to toggle and view by newest/oldest date if they choose during their research session.

Additionally, Gale has retired the “My Account” feature in InfoTrac products including PowerSearch, in favor of Google and Microsoft 365 collaboration tools our users are already employing. This change will provide one simple, seamless login experience, further enabling users to access Gale content anytime, anywhere, and from any device.

Library Crusaders: How You Can Help Your Community’s Workforce

September 13, 2016August 19, 2016

By Kim Martin

Libraries as Workforce Development Partners

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, which became effective July 2015, identifies public libraries as potential partners of the American Job Center network and acknowledges the ability of libraries to provide an expansive array of job search services. Increased funding for career-related resources are available from the act. Additionally, the new law recognizes libraries as important providers of federally supported programs in adult education and literacy. These types of resources can increase training and employment possibilities for patrons.

How We’re Rockin’ COHS in California

August 29, 2016August 18, 2016

By Janet Coles It’s not earthquakes rockin’ California these days. 43 public libraries are partnering with the California State Library on a new state-funded Career Online High School (COHS) pilot program. The program, which officially began in November 2015, will extend until at least the end of next fiscal year (June 30, 2017), and through it … Read more

Digital Humanities and The Six Degrees of Francis Bacon

September 21, 2016August 12, 2016

A digital humanities project out of Carnegie Mellon University has been awarded the prestigious National Endowment for the Humanities grant. The project titled Six Degrees of Francis Bacon puts a historical twist on the popular game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.” In lieu of connecting hollywood stars, Six Degrees of Francis Bacon draws connections between early modern artists, playwrights, … Read more

75th Anniversary of the Jeep: One Man Behind the Machine — Karl K. Probst

December 18, 2018August 10, 2016

By Ryan Lee Price

“As to the riding qualities of the Jeep, a chiropractor should be standard for each car.” —Charles “Harry” Payne

The Jeep is ubiquitous as America itself. It has been to battle, to camp, to the highest mountain and the lowest valley. It is a car fit for danger, adventure, and any rough road in between. In a story written by Colonel William F. Lee, the officer in charge of new developments for the U.S. Army, and specifically, the development of the Jeep for World War II, he described it thusly: “Its a quarter-ton runt with a mechanical heart and a steel constitution; it has more speed than a backfield full of All-Americans; it can climb mountains; it can fly; it can swim; it can jitterbug across rough terrain at 50 miles an hour, hauling four armed soldiers and a 37 min gun with the same ease a hound dog carries fleas, and it is the first silk stockingless subject to enter a conversation whenever two or more Army men get together.”

Fun, New Ways to Celebrate Book Lover’s Day

September 24, 2018August 9, 2016

By Tara Blair

Readers rejoice—Book Lovers Day (August 9th) is here, encouraging you to kick back and relax with a great book. From shaded spots under arching trees to being tucked in a warm bed, there is no better way to celebrate the holiday than reading. To keep you from growing tired of the norm, we thought of a few ‘out-of-the-box’ ways to honor the occasion.

Read some new ways to observe the classic holiday!

Find a Literary Haunt Near You
Did you know F. Scott Fitzgerald frequented Oak Bar in New York City’s Plaza Hotel? Or that Victor Hugo found inspiration to write Les Miserables while strolling Paris’ Luxembourg Gardens? No matter where in the world you reside, you can find a great place to get closer to your favorite author while reading.

Exciting Changes Coming to Gale Literature Resources

December 8, 2016August 8, 2016

On December 20th, users of Artemis Literary Sources, Something About the Author Online, Literature Criticism Online, and Dictionary of Literary Biography Complete Online will be automatically updated to a new mobile-responsive experience. These accessibility, usability, and feature-rich updates provide an improved user experience, as well as the ability to cross-search all of Gale’s literature databases … Read more

Midlife Crisis? Open a Business

August 11, 2016August 3, 2016

By Holly Hibner

Business reference: librarians either love it or hate it. Thankfully, Gale’s Small Business Resource Center make’s it easy for us. Seriously – if you haven’t looked at SBRC recently, do yourself a favor and check it out. You’ll thank me later.

My husband and two business partners recently decided that what they really should do for their midlife crisis is open a brewery. He couldn’t just buy a Corvette – he decided to open a small business. He (and both partners) are engineers, so they don’t have a lot of experience opening or running a business. Gale’s Small Business Resource Center came to their rescue. (Well, my rescue if I’m being honest. Who do you think did a lot of the research for them?)

Diving into The Olympics

August 11, 2016August 1, 2016

By Tara Blair

9781680200058_00010 — Zeus prepares to hurl his trademark thunderbolts.

More than 70% of the world’s population tune in to the Olympics, it’s no surprise that the event is ranked as the most common shared experience on Earth. We know the world is well informed of the quadrennial event held and are patiently waiting for August 5th. I backtracked nearly 3,000 years on Gale resources to uncover some knowledge and history most fans are unaware of.

Read what I found!

Originating in 776 BCE, the Olympics began as a festival to honor the mythological Greek god, Zeus. As the son to the supreme god of time, Cronus, and goddess of fertility, Rhea, Zeus was the leader of the heavens and earth. After overthrowing his father through a tremendous war with a few devoted Titans and his destructive thunderbolts, Zeus proceeded to take control of the universe. Ruling from their court on Mt. Olympus, Zeus, as well as the other Titans, became known as Olympian gods. As the story goes, religious festivals developed on the foot of the mountain to worship Zeus and approach his strength. In order to commemorate the greatest of all gods, the Greeks believed they should offer him the best of everything , which included dexterous athleticism. Thus, the Olympics were born.

Try Something Different this Summer

August 8, 2016July 27, 2016

By Mary Kelly

One of the more tired phrases in publishing and library world is the use of the phrase “beach reads”. Evidently summer reading is about the light and easy book choices. Usually, this pops up when we talk about romances, women’s fiction (or domestic fiction) and books that are somehow not “serious”. Summer reading or a beach reads often implies a lesser type of read.