| By Holly Hibner | Here in Michigan, we take our automobiles pretty seriously; it is very common for laypeople to perform routine maintenance and basic repairs on their own vehicles. My husband wouldn’t dream of paying for an oil change or a tire rotation! But when both got new vehicles in 2016, general maintenance wasn’t as easy … Read more
| By Tracy Junker | Before you get stuck in the snow, here are some items to keep in your vehicle and some tips on how to get moving again. What to Carry in your Vehicle Small or collapsible shovel Boots (if you don’t regularly wear them) Sturdy pair of gloves or mittens and a … Read more
Most think of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol (1843) as the heartwarming story of how a coldhearted miser turns from his ruthless and greedy ways to a life of charity and joy, embracing love and egalitarianism as a reflection of the Christmas spirit. Some scholars, however, would argue that such a reading gets it wrong. The novella, which receives thorough treatment in the digital collections of Gale Literary Sources, has been the subject of unexpected interpretations by critics who seek to illuminate its author, contextualize its composition, and explicate its allegorical content.
| By Gale Staff | As the men in your community forgo shaving for the month of November to bring awareness to men’s health issues, your library has the perfect resource to answer questions and shed light on these very serious topics. From authoritative information on prostate cancer to peer-reviewed journal articles on the latest … Read more
|By Mark Mikula | On January 27, 1945, the Russian Army liberated Auschwitz. Auschwitz, perhaps the most notorious World War II concentration camp, is also the name of a region on the border of Germany and Poland. Millions of people—primarily Jews—were forced into labor and killed by the Nazis during World War II in what … Read more
| By Andrea Corvin, Edgewood Community Library, New Mexico | A young patron entered the glass doors of our small library in central New Mexico and began to hesitantly browse the nonfiction section. I perked up right away because kids of his ilk (tweenagers) are, at times, a rare commodity. Desperate to make contact with … Read more
The new database Gale Small Business Builder is a step-by-step online planning tool for starting, managing and optimizing a business or nonprofit. The program’s intuitive dashboard walks users through five areas of exploration in order to develop a business plan focused on long-term success. For patrons exploring the idea of small business ownership, this resource provides a … Read more
| By Jennifer Mezick, Acquisitions and Collection Development Librarian Pellissippi State Community College |
At Pellissippi State Community College (PSCC), our users have access to many Gale resources through the Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL). Through our TEL setup we are able to track only statistics for PSCC users. From our statistics, we know that Gale resources are heavily used by PSCC patrons and there are a few reasons behind this success:
In Class Instruction
Our students primarily use the resources shown to them during class. PSCC librarians provided research instruction to 137 classes this past fall semester. PSCC librarians and teaching faculty find that students who receive in-class research instruction achieve higher grades on their research assignments. One of the lessons we present to students is the importance of finding background information before searching for journal articles. Opposing Viewpoints In Context is our go-to database for demonstrating background research. All the “In Context” databases contain Topic Pages for select topics, which provide histories and explain the different viewpoints of those topics or issues.
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Faculty Outreach
Because not all of our faculty can find the time in a 5 to 16 week semester to have us in their classes, educating our faculty about our resources is the next best way to reach our students. Our faculty learn about Gale databases at our New Faculty Academy, where we introduce library resources, and at Faculty In-Service, where we demonstrate new databases or changes and new features to current databases. Librarians at PSCC are faculty and serve as subject liaisons. With this designation comes the responsibility to serve on campus academic committees and attend academic department meetings (and sometimes share after-work beers). Relationships with faculty are formed through these committees. I find that these relationships make faculty more comfortable talking with librarians about research assignments and available resources, which provides us the opportunity to recommend the most appropriate resources for their upcoming assignments (or their own research).
| By Lori Warren | Located in Chattanooga, the STEM School opened in the Summer of 2012 on the Chattanooga State Community College Campus. The high school’s name stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. All students enrolled: receive an iPad, participate in Project Based Learning Units, and pursue a STEM focused curriculum. As their … Read more
By Lori Warren Another plus for using Gale databases for library and research instruction is the integration of Google and Microsoft Tools. The STEM school on our campus uses the Google tools and our college students and faculty use the Microsoft tools. As our high school students move into college classes, they transition naturally to … Read more
