Introducing the New DemographicsNow

A new look and additional functionality are coming to the popular resource that provides small business owners and researchers with actionable demographic, company and residential data. Beginning this fall, users will experience a new, mobile responsive, easy-to-browse interface for DemograhicsNow and DemographicsNow: Business & People Library Edition. The new DemographicsNow and DemographicsNow: Business & People … Read more

Human Diseases and Conditions is “an Excellent Addition to Libraries”

Are your patrons seeking authoritative health information? Offering in-depth coverage of all areas of health and disease, Human Diseases and Conditions, 3rd ed. offers current and accurate information on approximately 450 diseases and conditions. This edition includes nearly 75 new and 360 completely reviewed and revised articles. In addition, the comprehensiveness of 425 photos, informative … Read more

Amelia Earhart – Mystery Solved?

| By Mark Mikula |

History is a dynamic field of study. New discoveries and ongoing research often provide opportunities to learn new facts about the people and events that have shaped our world. One of American history’s long-standing mysteries regards the fate of the storied aviator Amelia Earhart, whose plane went missing in 1937 during her attempt to circumnavigate the world with navigator Fred Noonan. Various theories regarding her disappearance have been put forward, but a few years ago, a photograph was discovered in the National Archives that is being analyzed to determine whether its subjects include both Earhart and Noonan on one of the Marshall Islands. If their likenesses can be confirmed, it will add credence to speculation that Earhart and Noonan survived after their plane went down.

The photo was found by an enthusiastic former government employee who was investigating the aviator’s disappearance. Its discovery demonstrates that careful examination of physical evidence can result in a more complete picture of the world we inhabit regardless of one’s level of experience.

Read more about current efforts to solve the mystery >>

Read moreAmelia Earhart – Mystery Solved?

The Macmillan Interdisciplinary Handbooks: Religion Series Receives Phenomenal Reviews

Having difficulty supporting patrons’ grasp of religion and nonbelief? The Macmillan Interdisciplinary Handbooks: Religion Series provides readers with a deeper understanding of religion and alternatives to religion with 10 volumes using film, literature, art, and other lenses for an innovative approach to introducing the field.

Ready to support the study of religion in your university or library? Start with a few reviews published in the American Reference Books Annual, spring 2017 edition:

Religion: Beyond Religion

“Due to its breadth of coverage and the depth of research upon which it is based, this is an important addition to the literature of both religion and nonbelief. Thus, it is an essential purchase for any library that seeks to acquire materials related to the study of religion, for academic libraries that support religion majors, and for all seminary libraries.”

—Gregory A. Crawford

Religion: Embodied Religion

“This volume is a very strong entry into the series. Questions and information on religious experience and how gender, desire, and embodiment are interpreted, celebrated, abhorred, and justified are well represented in this compendium of scholarly works. This book will be well suited for researchers and scholars of history, sociology, theology, and global studies. Highly recommended.”

—Janis Minshull

Read moreThe Macmillan Interdisciplinary Handbooks: Religion Series Receives Phenomenal Reviews

Libraries Mean More than Business

We know libraries mean business. But in a lot of ways, the public library means more than just business. When it comes to career advice, personal fulfillment, health, and even parenting, you are an indispensable resource to your patrons. That’s why we’ve recently partnered with The American Management Association (AMACOM) to provide coverage on subjects … Read more

Exploring Central Park by Foot and by Mouse

| By Debra Kirby |

After spending five days in New York City, much of it in and around Central Park, I decided to give my tired feet a rest and engage in some online exploration in honor of National Parks and Recreation Month, which has been celebrated in the United States during the month of July since 1985.

I already knew that Central Park was designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed Detroit’s Belle Isle Park—where I spent many childhood weekends, picnicking with my family and wading through the mucky sand of the beaches of the Detroit River. But there was so much more to discover, so I jumped into U.S. History In Context and learned:

Read moreExploring Central Park by Foot and by Mouse

Register Today! Driving Decisions with Data Webinar

Is Your Library Measuring Up? How can you ensure your library’s goals and initiatives support households in your community? It can be tricky, but with Analytics On Demand, you can add value to your library’s existing data and unlock key insights about your community. Join us, and American Libraries, July 24th for a free episode … Read more

Uncovering the Controversy of Thirteen Reasons Why with GVRL

| By Traci Cothran |

There’s been a bit of controversy about this Netflix series, based on the teen novel of the same name, Thirteen Reasons Why.  The novel is about the suicide of a teen girl, and concerns have been expressed about the content as well as the visual depiction of the suicide on screen.  Parents should decide for themselves what is best for their children, and Gale’s GVRL collection (from Novels for Students, 51) provides information about this novel that is useful in making that determination.

Read moreUncovering the Controversy of Thirteen Reasons Why with GVRL

Pride Parades throughout the Years: Celebration and Resistance

During LGBTQ Pride Month, we celebrate this community and the impact its members have had on local, national, and international history. Pride is celebrated each June in honor of the Stonewall Uprising, which took place in 1969 in Manhattan. Ever since Pride began as a single-day commemoration in 1970, marches and parades have been part … Read more

Gale and Book Aid International: A Shared Mission for Empowerment

| By Jessica Edwards |

Although I spend most of my time working for the Gale International Marketing team, I’m also a Publisher Ambassador for the charity Book Aid International. After touring the Cengage warehouse last year and learning about operational processes, including the scrapping of books, I was inspired to research ways of extending the lives of books marked for pulping. I consequently came across Book Aid International, a long-established charity who ship new books from UK publishers out to sub-Saharan Africa, and was immediately impressed with the value and scale of their work.

The charity not only accepts book donations, but establishes librarian training programmes and funds refurbishments at partner libraries in sub-Saharan Africa and the occupied Palestinian territories. Some of these libraries are in communities with a very limited access to books such as refugee camps, prisons, and slums, others are in hospitals or universities where resources are extremely dated. Book Aid International works with some of the largest UK publishers, and all the books shipped abroad are new. In 2016, they sent over a million books. They also work with local publishers to source books in local languages.

It can be hard to appreciate quite how desperate the need is, but a few particularly powerful stories go some way towards demonstrating. The Menelik II Referral Hospital in Ethiopia is a hospital with no internet connection, and therefore no online resources. Thus, the library is vital for medical staff to access the up-to-date information they require. Nearly all the books in the hospital library are provided by Book Aid International. Samuel’s story in the video below is also a powerful indication of how the work of Book Aid International helps individuals pull themselves out of poverty. The video also outlines the charity’s many achievements over the last year.

Read moreGale and Book Aid International: A Shared Mission for Empowerment