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What is Autism?

Posted on April 22, 2016

By Traci Cothran

Have you heard of it?  It’s Autism Awareness Month – the Cairo Tower in Egypt, the Empire State Building in the US, City Hall in Tel Aviv, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, and many other buildings around the world were bathed in the color blue on April 2 to raise global awareness of Autism.

So what do you know about this disorder?  Are you up on the latest medical developments?  No?  Then grab that mouse and start looking in our Gale products for the answers!

Here are a few bits to pique your interest:

  • Did you know that Autism was apparent in people prior to the Civil War (but not diagnosed as such)? See 2016 Smithsonian magazine in General One File
  • You may have heard of animal behavioral scientist and author, Temple Grandin, but are you aware of her widespread impact on the livestock industry? See Biography In Context
  • From our Gale eBooks (GVRL) collection, The Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders delivers lots of authoritative information
  • Not sure how to approach the topic with younger kids? Try our Kids InfoBits article, “Autism Spectrum Disorder,” (Diseases and Conditions, Gale, 2016) – it offers clear facts at an appropriate reading and comprehension level.

Read moreWhat is Autism?

Histories of Everyday Life in Totalitarian Regimes – “Highly recommended. All libraries. All levels.”

Posted on April 21, 2016

Guided by a five-person advisory board of distinguished scholars, examine what life was like during the twentieth century under totalitarian rule with Histories of Everyday Life in Totalitarian Regimes, 1st Ed. This set spans multiple disciplines and holds a wealth of information for various college courses as well as high school teachers encouraging the analysis of primary and secondary sources.

This title review was recently published by Choice Reviews Online. Read what they had to say!

Read moreHistories of Everyday Life in Totalitarian Regimes – “Highly recommended. All libraries. All levels.”

New library program can earn students a high school diploma

Posted April 20, 2016

By Livi Stanford

Originally published in the Daily Commercial

TAVARES, FL — Crystal Siblag lost her father at age 10.The event crippled her. She found it hard to focus on her studies. “My mom remarried when I was 16 and I took that hard,” Siblag said.

As a result, she did not graduate high school — a decision that affected her in numerous ways. But it was not until 15 years later that the decision came back to haunt her.

When Crystal’s husband was having a conversation with her son, Hunter, he informed him in passing that his mother did not graduate high school.

Hunter, in disbelief, had to directly confront his mother on the issue.

When Crystal faced her son to confirm her husband’s statement, she knew it was not a reality she wanted to live with for the rest of her life.

“I wanted to improve,” she said.

Read moreNew library program can earn students a high school diploma

The Biggest Large Print Myths Busted!

Thorndike Large Print Books Same Size!

Spoiler Alert: The large print format offers benefits for people under the age of 60 with perfectly good eyesight.

Have you ever been so good at something you’ve found yourself pigeonholed? Being typecast can feel like a mixed blessing—your claim to fame shines bright, creating the shadow in which your other great qualities hide. If large print books were people, they would feel this acutely.

No doubt, large print books are a well-known solution for visually impaired readers, and those readers are typically seniors. Unfortunately for large print, being so good at solving this one problem for this one audience has led to a narrow, and sometimes inaccurate view of the usefulness of the format overall.

We’d love to enlist the expert MythBusters Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman to explore the issue in detail, but if you’ve ever seen the Discovery Channel show, you know their mythbusting process tends to involve blowing things up, and we’d hate to see our beloved books so abused.

So, without the pyrotechnics, here are the biggest large print myths: BUSTED!

Read moreThe Biggest Large Print Myths Busted!

Baby, You Can Drive my Car

Posted on April 18, 2016

By Mary Kelly

One of my favorite databases to play with is Gale’s Chilton collection. Not because I am a car person. (To me a car is a giant purse on wheels.) Not because as a librarian it is the easiest way to do car repair reference (which is very true). The Chilton database is more like my own personal marriage saver. This is because I have been married to an auto engineer for more than thirty years and car vocabulary is constantly the lingua franca of our household. This arrangement is great since I really don’t have to worry about car stuff. However, I do have to listen to all sorts of talk about cars. I am also told (in great detail) about car maintenance issues and why it is important.

Chilton is my personal car vocabulary resource/translator for about 75% of our conversations. (Yeah, this database is bookmarked for me.) It helps me explain my car problems to the Engineer husband, followed by criticisms of my general lack of car knowledge and failure to follow regular maintenance schedules.  This discussion is usually punctuated by people shouting and swearing. (Note: The current version does not include any definitions for the accompanying swearing associated with car repairs. Perhaps Chilton’s can consider adding swear words as a “feature” in future releases, until that happens, you are on your own.)

Read moreBaby, You Can Drive my Car

InfoTrac: Environmental Studies and Policy: A “Solid” and “Viable” Collection

Searching for a “solid” resource of “considerable substance” to answer inquiries about environmental concerns? Your search ends here with the InfoTrac: Environmental Studies and Policy Collection, featuring over 5.4 million articles and “more searching flexibility than that of most platforms.” Engage and support students with an easily searchable, mobile-responsive design and integrated Google Apps for Education tools.

Read a review from Library Journal, April, 2016

Read moreInfoTrac: Environmental Studies and Policy: A “Solid” and “Viable” Collection

Recommended For 5-Year AdvancED/SACS/NCA/NWAC Re-Accreditation

Published April 4, 2106

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, March 18 – Dr. Howard Liebman, Superintendent of Schools, announced today that Smart Horizons Career Online Education (SHCOE), the world’s first private online school district, has been recommended for AdvancED 5-year re-accreditation. Cited for creating a “culture of hope” for so many individuals who have been disengaged from our educational system, the AdvancED administrative lead Dr. Darrell Barringer said he will “forever forward remain an evangelist for this program.”

Read moreRecommended For 5-Year AdvancED/SACS/NCA/NWAC Re-Accreditation

Peaceful and Quiet Conduct on the Streets of the Village: New York City in the Years following Stonewall

Posted April 7, 2016

By Caitlyn Colman-McGaw

It’s now widely acknowledged that the Stonewall Riots of 1969 represent the historical tipping point of the Gay Rights movement. Years and years of work by LGBT folks in New York City and beyond culminated in riots on the street of the Village. With this year representing the 45th anniversary of Stonewall I decided to take a look back at what was it like in the years after Marsha P. Johnson & Company threw the first brick and ignited a movement. Specifically, what was it like to be a lesbian in the 70s in New York City? Gale’sArchives of Human Sexuality and Identity is a fantastic place to discover more fantastic information.

Read morePeaceful and Quiet Conduct on the Streets of the Village: New York City in the Years following Stonewall

Plan Your Summer Vacation with New Travel Guides from InfoTrac Collections

Posted on April 1, 2006

By Sara Constantakis

Thinking about summer travel? Gale’s InfoTrac collections have a new set of resources to help you research and plan an unforgettable vacation. The award-winning, bestselling DK Eyewitness Travel Guides are now available in General OneFile to help you plan trips to more than 175 destinations around the world. These comprehensive guides are full of detailed information on every aspect of your trip. With sample itineraries, dining and lodging recommendations, and transportation information, all the legwork is done for you.

Read morePlan Your Summer Vacation with New Travel Guides from InfoTrac Collections