Schools

Tales from the “Olden Days”

By Debra Kirby

You know those stories adults like to tell kids about how much harder they had it when they were young? Like having to walk uphill for miles in the snow to school every day or having parents who made you eat every morsel of food on your plate – even liver. The message behind these stories of course, is to get listeners to appreciate how good they have it compared to life in the “olden days.” Working on  our exciting new 3D product Gale Interactive: Science recently got me thinking about how much I hated  biology labs, where I was actually expected to do such disgusting things as dissect frogs (never mind the horrid smell of formaldehyde) and how kids today can dissect a virtual frog instead if they have access to a product like Gale Interactive: Science.

Read moreTales from the “Olden Days”

Diving into The Olympics

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.

Read moreDiving into The Olympics

Product Update for Academic OneFile

Academic OneFile now includes a unique new browsing experience for users. Committed to improving user experience and based on feedback from students, this feature is designed to address significant searching needs.

  • Defined topics for ease of browsing
    Users won’t need to guess what to type in the search box—we’ve identified the topics for them. Gale has created browse-able topics by combining our superior subject indexing with taxonomies from Cengage Learning textbooks to create the most relevant periodical content around their research needs.
  • Navigating advanced searches 
    This feature does the searching for you, making it ideal for the user who struggles with effective Advanced Search strategies and overwhelming results. Users can drill down within one of six subject areas–like Marketing, Psychology, or Criminal Justice–to view relevant results in their topic of interest.
  • Focused and relevant results 
    Content is tailored to specific topics. Smaller and more targeted results will empower users to quickly find relevant content. Publications are hand-selected by subject-matter experts to ensure content is focused on the selected subject area.

This new browsing feature adds to the current Academic OneFile experience.  All the familiar searches–like Basic, Advanced, Subject, and Publication–are still available options.

Read moreProduct Update for Academic OneFile

Tricks of the Trade

By Tara Blair

Most professionals discover a few tips and tricks during their career that allows them to complete a job with ease and quickens their work flow. At Gale, we’re no different. We have a few tricks up our sleeves, and thought why not share a couple of our favorites with our readers? Although we use a handful of media and imagery applications on a daily basis, we chose two of our favorites to share with you today. Without further ado, I introduce Canva and Word Swag. Two helpful applications that can be utilized in marketing (and everyday life).

My personal favorite, Word Swag, allows users to add text to photos in seconds. Creating beautiful, custom text layouts is easy with the “Exclusive Typomatic Engine” – a term appropriately coined to describe the one tap text layout modifier Word Swag is famous for. Color, size, and skew are a few more easily operated text options offered to make your caption pop. And just in case writer’s block gets the best of you, the app inspires creativity with hundreds of pre-designed quotes, thoughts, and jokes. Best of all, not only are there over 290,000  Pixabay background photos to choose from, but uploading personal photos right from your phone is also an option. Word Swag is an easy-to-use graphic designer app that makes marketing and advertising seem effortless, even on the go! Take a look below at some samples made by everyday users!

thebaseproject amongmany  LOY2016

richardlazarte  wordswagapp2  he_is_my_strength

 

Read moreTricks of the Trade

Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History:an “Interesting” and “Informative” Title

Looking for an “interesting” and “informative” resource that offers comprehensive coverage of American economic history from the arrival of Europeans to the present? The Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History is an “exceptional” one-stop resource that provides clear explanations on difficult topics for high school and college level learners.

Read what a few of our patrons had to say!

Read moreEncyclopedia of U.S. Economic History:an “Interesting” and “Informative” Title

Life and Career Skills:An “Engaging” Series with “Pertinent Information”

The Life and Career Skills series currently stands as a four volume set aimed at developing skills your users need to transition successfully in the real world with themes ranging from personal finance to social skills. Offering the most “up-to-date” content delivered in an “engaging” and “logical” question and answer style, the Life and Career Skills series supplies “foundational” information.

Read a review posted by the American Reference Books Annual, June, 2016.

Read moreLife and Career Skills:An “Engaging” Series with “Pertinent Information”

Gale’s In Context: “A Comprehensive Instructional Reference” with Modern Tools

Searching for a “core, essential, and vitally important addition” to add to your library? In Context family of online resources are a “valuable addition for high school, college, or public libraries.” With current, authoritative, media-rich information, In Context, meets the needs of today’s students with an easily searchable, mobile-responsive design and integrated Google Apps for Education tools.

Check out some user reviews below!

Read moreGale’s In Context: “A Comprehensive Instructional Reference” with Modern Tools

Let the Colors Flow

By Candy Jones-Guerin

Think quickly…who is your favorite American Artist?  Did you think of Andy Warhol or Andrew Wyeth, Georgia O’Keeffe or Mary Cassatt?

In August we celebrate American Artists Appreciation Month and pay homage to the visionaries that color our world. Take some time to look up your favorite or choose from the selection below and spend some of your summer reading time learning about these great American icons as well as those around the world that have had an impact on the art community.

Impressionism, 1st Edition
ReferencePoint Press
December 2015
Born in the mid-1800s, the Impressionist movement redefined the way artists approached their craft, opening the doors to previously unheard-of freedom in methods, viewpoint, and execution. This book examines Impressionist art, the tools, the techniques, the artists, and the artwork that so many generations have come to know and love.

Read moreLet the Colors Flow

Working Like a Dog

By Tara Blair 

This work week was unlike any other. I eagerly awaited Thursday—yes, I said Thursday—for a day that otherwise only existed in my dreams. It was the day that Gale celebrated Take Your Dog To Work Day (TYDTWD), where staff members were invited to bring their best friend to the office. As I walked into Gale with my employee badge and my Australian Cattle Dog, I couldn’t help but think, “does this day offer any substantial benefits, or is it just pure amusement?”

After a small amount of research, I found that a doggone good time isn’t the only reward to sharing a cubicle with your four-legged companion.

Sit, stay….and read about all the perks of TYDTWD and check out some photos from Gale’s dog day.

Read moreWorking Like a Dog

Time to Hit the Trail

By Candy Jones-Guerin

Did you know that there are National Parks in 27 states? July is National Parks and Recreation Month and we think it’s the perfect time to hit the road and explore our great country. First let’s take a look at National Geographic’s quick list of the 10 most visited National Parks:

1. Great Smokey Mountains
2. Grand Canyon
3. Rocky Mountain
4. Yosemite
5. Yellowstone
6. Zion
7. Olympic
8. Grand Teton
9. Acadia
10. Glacier

Read moreTime to Hit the Trail