Testing and Education Reference Center Updates

Posted June 29th, 2016.

Gale is pleased to announce upcoming enhancements to Testing & Education Reference Center (TERC) in the coming months. This invaluable education and career database will receive interface updates to the online courses (summer), practice tests (fall), and have a responsive design by year end.

Users will experience:

  • Intuitive navigation
  • Standardized terminology
  • Popular web iconography
  • Improved readability
  • Uniform design across the platform

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Digital Humanities Summer Institute

The Digital Humanities Summer Institute (DHSI), was hosted by the University of Victoria campus in Saanich and Oak Bay within Greater Victoria, British Columbia. The Digital Humanities Summer Institute provides an ideal environment for discussing and learning about new computing technologies and how they are influencing teaching, research, dissemination, creation, and preservation in different disciplines, via a community-based approach. … Read more

Leaving Money on the Table

How to Get Started with Major Gift Fundraising from Individuals

Posted June 29, 2016

By David Baker, JD, Principal, Giving Design Group, Inc.

Giving Design Group, Inc. is one of the few companies that provides comprehensive fundraising & development services for libraries. David Bake, the founder of the organization, shares some knowledge on how to get fundraising for public libraries started. Read what he has to say!

Year after year, about 80% of charitable giving comes from individuals. The most recent Giving USA numbers tell us that 72% of annual giving comes from individuals and 8% of giving is received from bequests (the last wishes of previously living individuals). Only 15% of annual giving comes from foundations and 5% from corporations.

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Leaving Money on the Table

How to Get Started with Major Gift Fundraising from Individuals

Kids are Resilient…Until They’re Not

Posted on June 29, 2016 Well-child visits are a great time for parents to gather information from doctors to help their children remain healthy and injury free. Pediatricians review safety measures, administer vaccines, and discuss ongoing medical information.  But sometimes the information comes fast and furious, and parents don’t remember the details. Or maybe they … Read more

Debates in Digital Humanities

Sacramento Public Library Director Shares Thoughts on Branding

What does the phrase Digital Humanities mean to you? A Google search of the term will reveal many different definitions and explanations. At its root, Digital Humanities can be thought of as the intersection of the humanities and digital technology. Sounds like a good thing, right? Well, not everyone thinks so. In a move that … Read more

Product Update: Interface Enhancements to Gale LegalForms

Posted June 28, 2016

Good news! Gale LegalForms is going mobile responsive and will undergo an interface update August 1. These enhancements improve usability and increase accessibility so that it’s easy for users to navigate Gale LegalForms anytime, on any device.

Users will appreciate the same reliable, up-to-date content on a modern interface with streamlined navigation and responsive design giving access to authentic, professional legal documents—and this is the only digital resource to offer legal forms that are state-specific.

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Brexit and Beyond

By Catherine DiMercurio

On Thursday, June 23, 2016, the people of Great Britain held a referendum on whether to leave the European Union. In the months leading up to the historic vote, the prospect of the British exit from the EU came to be known as “Brexit.” The world was shocked to learn the outcome of the vote: The British people voted to leave the EU. I was shocked as well. My fourteen-year-old son is fairly politically engaged and had a lot of questions, as did I. What our research revealed is that there is a tangled web of cause and effect. Here are a few of the issues at the heart of that web.

What lead the Brits to hold the referendum in the first place?

Those who argued for leaving pointed to the diminished influence Britain has had within the massive bureaucracy of the EU. There were also concerns about the steady increase in immigration to Great Britain. The arguments for staying focused heavily on the importance of economic relationships with the European community and beyond. These arguments are detailed in a number of articles and audio files presented in Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context.

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Broaden Your Appeal: Titles for Masculine Tastes

Posted June 27, 2016

When evaluating reach, most public libraries find they have no problem drawing women.  But men?  That can be more challenging.  According to a January 2011 Harris Interactive Poll: Sixty-five percent of those polled said they had visited the library in the past year; 72% of women had visited, while just over half (58%) of men had.

As libraries try to find new ways to attract men to the library, many librarians have asked for help identifying titles that appeal to masculine tastes – beyond just westerns and nonfiction titles.

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Stars, Stripes, and History

Posted on June 27, 2016

By Candy Jones-Guerin

Our Nation’s largest birthday celebration is just around the corner and we’re excited to get the party started!

On July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies claimed their independence from England, an event which eventually led to the formation of the United States. Each year on July 4th, we don our red, white, and blue to pay homage and celebrate with food, friends, and fireworks.

There are also a lot of lesser known facts about this important day. Take note of these and surprise whomever you celebrate with.

Did you know…

  • Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence on a “laptop,” which was a writing desk that could fit on one’s lap.
  • Including John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, a total of three US presidents have died on July 4th. James Monroe is the third president to share this fate.
  • According to author Kenneth C. Davis, July 2nd is the real day of Independence, but it’s celebrated on the fourth because that’s when congress accepted Jefferson’s declaration.
  • Due to concerns about cracking the iconic instrument, the Liberty Bell has not been rung since 1846. Instead, every year, to mark the Fourth of July, the 2,000-pound bell is tapped 13 times to signal for bells across the country to start ringing.

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American Eras: “A Valued Resource for the Classroom and Library Alike”

Searching for “a valued resource” to provide users with topics in early American History? Look no further, Gale’s American Eras: Primary Sources feature a fascinating, student-friendly reference to provide a unique understanding of songs, speeches, advertisements, letters, laws, legal decisions, newspaper articles, cartoons, and much more! With over 900 primary-source documents that provide vivid first-hand account of key events, trends, and people, Gale’s American Eras will be your go-to source.

Read three reviews on this title:

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