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Readers’ Advisory: Banned Books Week, Sept. 27 – Oct 3, 2014

Banned Books Week

By Holly Hibner and Mary Kelly

Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read. It began in 1982, when there was a sudden uptick in the number of books being challenged in schools and libraries. An astounding number of challenges happen each year (307 reported in 2013, according to the Office of Intellectual Freedom!), and Banned Books Week is a way to celebrate the value of open access to information (1). It is important to point out that of those 307 challenges, few of them were actually banned. The diligence of teachers, librarians, and informed citizens ensured the freedom to read in most situations.

Read moreReaders’ Advisory: Banned Books Week, Sept. 27 – Oct 3, 2014

Content Updates for Gale’s In Context (week ending 9/25/2015)

Posted on September 24, 2015

New content has been added and existing content has been updated in a number of Gale’s In Context products.

Biography In Context

New portals were launched for Biography In Context this week. They include:

  • Popular MMA fighter Ronda Rousey
  • Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia
  • Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha
  • Late poets Lucille Clifton and Denise Levertov

Updates have been made for content reflecting the ousting of Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot, the retirement of Floyd Mayweather, Jr., and the recent passing of Moses Malone.

Narrative content has been added for:

Contemporary Black Biography, Volumes 125 and 126 which covers 110 biographies across the 2 volumes. Some of the individuals covered include:

  • Jeh Hohnson U.S. Homeland Security head
  • Somali-American runner Abdi Abdirahman
  • American ballet dancer Misty Copeland
  • British actor David Oyelowo
  • Zimbabwean author NoViolet Buluwayo
  • Joseph Kabila, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Read moreContent Updates for Gale’s In Context (week ending 9/25/2015)

Improve Your In-Library Resources for Job Seekers

Help your patrons developing or refreshing skills to get a job, advance a career, and improve their lives.

eBooks to Easily Search with Content for Keeps

Researching job seekers can find what they’re looking for in relation to interview tips, resumes, career exploration, and more with GVRL eBooks. Users can email or save key articles in PDF or HTML format for future reference.

Read moreImprove Your In-Library Resources for Job Seekers

Life Coach, Anyone? Self-Guided, Online Support for Better Living

Life and Career Skills eBooks for young adults

Achieving personal and professional excellence doesn’t “just happen” for most people. Success typically results from persistence and guidance.  For some, turning to a life coach is useful – receiving personal assistance with decision-making and skills acquisition. But with rates averaging $100 to $300 per hour, that service is out of reach for most young adults.

But hiring a professional isn’t the only path. With new resources from Gale, those eager for coaching can find help at the library.  (In fact, at YOUR library!)

Read moreLife Coach, Anyone? Self-Guided, Online Support for Better Living

Gale Technical Solutions: Branding

By Scott Steward

Welcome back to the Gale Technical Solutions blog series!

I thought it would be good to start with some of the basics.  Today, I will be discussing Branding.

Now when I say branding, I’m not talking about the Gale brand;  I’m talking about your library’s brand within your Gale products.  Did you know all Gale products have dedicated space reserved in the interface for your library’s branding?   In this reserved area we can display text, an image, or some custom code (Javascript, PHP, HTML, jQuery, etc).

Read moreGale Technical Solutions: Branding

State Libraries Gain an Enthusiastic New Partner

Posted on September 9, 2015

“To initiate, maintain and support cooperative action for the improvement of library services.”  Who could resist a mission statement like that?  With our history and culture of library advocacy, certainly not Gale.  That mission statement, by the way, belongs to the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA).

Read moreState Libraries Gain an Enthusiastic New Partner

Content Updates for Gale’s In Context (week ending 9/11/2015)

Posted on September 11, 2015

Take a look at the latest content updates made to Gale’s In Context products.

Biography In Context
New homepage spotlight images have been added this week. In addition you’ll find that these images have special “hotspots” that allow users to hover over portions of the image to find fast facts about the topic and links to additional content. The new spotlights include:

  • Selena Gomez, actress and singer
  • Tennis player, Serena Williams who was the winner at the 2015 Wimbledon Championships which marked her 21st Grand Slam title
  • The late Jim Henson, creator of “The Muppets”
  • Satchel Paige, who at 59 years old on September 25, 1965 pitched 3 innings of a Major League baseball game
  • United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, will mark the International Day of Peace by ringing the Peace Bell on September 21, 2015

A new portal page has been added that features Lindsey Graham and updates have been made to biographies for Elizabeth II, Queen of England and Stephen Colbert. In addition a new video is available on the home page featuring Bill Gates and the future of technology.

Read moreContent Updates for Gale’s In Context (week ending 9/11/2015)

Driving Electronic Content Discovery and Usage: Communication – Part 2

Posted on September 9, 2015
Posted by Jan Snyder and Jennifer Maurer

Part II 

As we wrote in Part I of this series, we feel privileged to have a very rich collection of Gale databases and eBooks at our fingertips to use with students and staff, at zero cost to us, through the Oregon State Library’s Statewide Database Licensing Program. Statewide access provides consistency for students as they move from elementary to middle school and then high school.

But the real value and power of these resources are unleashed when librarians and educators collaborate and communicate.  In the second part of this blog series, we’ll discuss – from our own perspectives – communication.
(If you missed it, be sure to also read Part I — Driving Electronic Content Discovery and Usage: Collaboration.)

Jennifer

Electronic Mailing List:
While presenting about Gale databases to various audiences falls under the heading of training, it is also a form of communication. However, I also have a direct channel of communication about OSLIS and its resources, including the statewide databases. The State Library created an electronic mailing list called OSLIST. As I learn about new school library staff in Oregon, I automatically subscribe them. Through OSLIST, I share ideas for how to use the databases as well as communicate about new Gale products and features.

Read moreDriving Electronic Content Discovery and Usage: Communication – Part 2

Gale’s In Context Just Keeps Getting Better!

Posted on September 3, 2015

There is more exciting news for our fans of Gale’s In Context suite. Recent enhancements rolled-out this week make it even easier for students and teachers to quickly access, use, and share content for homework and class assignments. Take a look at what’s new:

Read moreGale’s In Context Just Keeps Getting Better!

Put Preschoolers in Your Community on a Path to Learning

Pre-K learning for public libraries

Offer highly-visual and content-rich digital learning that will appeal to young children who are at the peak of curiosity and wonderment. With accessibility on tablets and smart phones, and anytime, anywhere access, educational materials are now easier than ever to integrate into daily life.

Read morePut Preschoolers in Your Community on a Path to Learning