ECCO the World, and Why…

Published on December 18, 2015

Gale’s Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO) recently celebrated its 14th anniversary on December 4th and it got me to thinking.  Most commonly, the conversations surrounding the 18th century point to the major stories or developments of the American Revolution, French Revolution, and Industrial Revolution. For example, the industrialization of the world and manufacturing of powered, special-purpose machinery, factories, and mass production.  Others might think about the American Revolution’s Boston Tea Party or the Battle of Bunker Hill, for instance.  But what about the moments that lead up to these events?

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If You’ve Got your Health….

Posted on December 17, 2015

Note to librarians:  if you have this title, you may want to share this blog post with your patrons.  (Be sure to link it to your GVRL collection.)  And if you want to learn more about this title, access a free trial today!

Help patrons maintain good health, with essential information about nutrition, exercise, mental health, and even medical insurance.

Live long and prosper: Health information for you
If you’re interested in health information, you’re not alone.  In 2008, health news was the 8th biggest subject in the national news, comprising 3.6% of all coverage, according to the Pew Research Center – more than three times the amount of coverage for education or transportation.  Whether it’s learning more about healthy eating option, good exercise programs, maintaining or pursuing good mental health, and evaluating medical insurance programs – the demand for trustworthy information is great.

Resources for the health conscious or those who strive to be
To support your interest in reliable health information, now the library provides free access to a great resource:  Life & Career Skills: Health & Wellness.

Read moreIf You’ve Got your Health….

Product Updates for Literature Resources

Posted on December 17, 2015

On December 21st, Literature Resources Center, LitFinder, and MLA International Bibliography will fully transition to a mobile-responsive interface, with enhanced features. The outstanding content remains the same, as well as the ways you search. Here are the exciting changes coming to your library:

  • Google Drive Integration: After authentication, users can seamlessly login with their Google Apps for Education account to access tools like Google Drive and Docs Learn more
  • New Look and Feel: Modern design with high-quality and easy-to-use toolset
  • Mobile Responsive Design: Optimized for all screen sizes, regardless of device
  • Improved Navigation: Content featured in prime locations with toolbars and filters on the right
  • Enhanced Accessibility: High-contrast banners and improved tool buttons make web content easier to locate

No Action Required: If your library has yet to upgrade to the new experience, an automatic migration will take place on December 21st. If your library took advantage of an early migration, we hope you are enjoying your new experience!

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New Titles Added to the InfoTrac Collections in November 2015

Posted on December 16, 2015

The titles below have been recently added and can be located in the product using Basic or Advanced Search forms. Titles can be found via Browse Publications within two weeks. For complete coverage information please see the product title lists.

Academic OneFile

  • Best Cities for Successful Aging (Milken Institute)
  • 2013 Global Opportunity Index: Attracting Foreign Investment (Milken Institute)
  • Archaeology International (Ubiquity Press Ltd.) 2048-4194 Peer-reviewed
  • Capital Markets in Developing Countries: The State of Play (Milken Institute)
  • Checkup Time: Chronic Disease and Wellness in America (Milken Institute)
  • CNN Wire (Spanish) (CNN Newsource Sales, Inc.)
  • Corrosion Reviews (Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG) 0334-6005 Peer-reviewed

Read moreNew Titles Added to the InfoTrac Collections in November 2015

See You In Beantown!

By Michelle Eickmeyer

In just over three weeks, we’ll once again be coming together to celebrate the role and value of librarians, and librarians and staff. Though the winter meeting is not as widely attended (and is quite a lot of meetings), the excitement of an ALA is difficult to match.

As vendors attending the show, we’re able to hear from you directly what concerns and issues you are trying to overcome and sharing some of the exciting things we have going on at Gale.

And there’s a lot!

Google for Education Partner

Earlier this year, Gale embarked on the strategic decision to become a Google Apps for Education Partner. This enables us to both make content more discoverable (and trackable to you!) AND easier to save/return to later. Tens of thousands of users have saved documents from the Gale resources they access through your library with their Google credentials. Students and teachers are accessing their In Context resources directly through apps in Google Classroom. Students and faculty beginning their research in Google Scholar are being directed to the library’s Academic OneFile. We’re so excited about our partnership with Google, and everything we’re working on next with them! More information can be found here.

Read moreSee You In Beantown!

Content Updates for Kids InfoBits (week ending 12/18/2015)

Posted on December 14, 2015 Kids InfoBits has added new content to its product. The following now appears: Kids InfoBits Presents Astronomy Over 60 update entries have been posted including some of the following topics: Asteroids Constellations Earth Galaxies Hubble Space Telescope Mars Meteors and Meteorites Moon Pluto Space Stations Stars   Kids InfoBits Presents Canada … Read more

Tales for the ‘Every-day Reader’: Winston Churchill and the ‘War in the Indian Highlands’

Posted on December 14, 2015

By: Daniel Pullin, Publishing Assistant, Gale, a part of Cengage Learning

When the name ‘Winston Churchill’ is mentioned, images of a heroic war leader with cigar in mouth and face set in steely determination are usually the first to come to mind. His wartime speeches became iconic in symbolising gung-ho British determination to battle on through endless bloodshed, helping steer Britain through the turmoil of a cataclysmic conflict. Yet, with perhaps less well-known flair, the former Prime Minister proved equally adept on paper.  This is evident in his first published material: a series of war letters commissioned for British newspaper The Daily Telegraph.

Between October and December 1897, Churchill wrote and published the eleven letters while accompanying the Malakand Field Force in India. With Gale’s The Telegraph Historical Archive, 1855-2000 now available, these letters are fully-searchable in digital format for the first time. This gave me the perfect opportunity to explore their contents.

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Upcoming Analytics On Demand Maintenance

Analytics On Demand Public Library

On Wednesday, December 23, Analytics On Demand will be upgraded to the Alteryx 10.1 Gallery. Analytics On Demand will be unavailable from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST for this maintenance, which will result in:

  • Improved performance: Reports run faster.
  • New look and feel: Improved user interface.
  • Mobile accessible: New scrolling workflow works better on tablets.
  • Easy access to collaboration: We have added the Collaboration App to its own district for easy access.
  • 30-day report storage: “App Results” will be renamed “Workflow Results” and reports will be saved to the gallery for a rolling 30 days.

Read moreUpcoming Analytics On Demand Maintenance

Prosper (TX) High School Streamlines Research Lessons with Gale’s In Context and Google Drive

Re-posted December 9, 2015

Located north of Dallas, Prosper ISD is experiencing a population boom. Prosper’s sole high school, Prosper High School, is home to approximately 2200 students and 190 staff members.  Prior to the 2015-2016 school year, I was the only librarian on campus, which proved very challenging when trying to schedule and teach research lessons with multiple teachers at one time. I had to find more efficient ways to teach research skills while still providing in-depth and engaging lessons. That’s where Gale’s In Context and Google Drive comes in!

I was so excited to see the connection between In Context and Google Drive. I had taught myself, and my students, workarounds to save In Context articles to their Google Drive accounts. These workarounds involved a lot of clicks and a lot of practice, which took up a lot of time. While the end result was worth it, I no longer had the luxury of time when I was trying to teach in two (sometimes three!) different classrooms during the same class period.

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A Holiday Present for Our Planet, From Your Class

Posted on December 8, 2015 SANTA IS COMING! As this holiday approaches, why not task your students with creating a present for the planet Earth? Some possible approaches: A critically endangered white rhino just died, leaving only THREE left on our planet. This is alarming! Grab Science In Context and search “Endangered Species” to discover … Read more