If You’re Reading this Blog, Thank a Techie

eBooks for Techies

Technology-savvy people are the explorers and gladiators of our great Information Age.  Without them, we’d have no blogs, our phones wouldn’t be smart, and none of us would be able to look up the name of that actress we always forget from you-know-that-one-show in a few keystrokes.  The Techie’s thirst for knowledge – whether budding young techies or adult tech users – is boundless.

Read moreIf You’re Reading this Blog, Thank a Techie

Help Patrons Get Ahead of Movie Releases by Stocking Up on Large Print

Before they were stars…soon-to-be movie blockbuster titles available in large print!

Ahem…and cue the announcer! “IN A WORLD dominated by video and movies, a plucky group of librarians dares to put large-print books into the hands of readers starved for stories in the most readable format available.”

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50 Years of Busing

By Shannon Ostrowski
Sr. Marketing Manager and planner of all Gale/ALA related fun

Welcome to Detroit!

In 1965, the U.S. military was entrenched in the Vietnam War, the average cost of a new home was $21,500, the price of a first class stamp was $0.05, and the Green Bay Packers won the 33rd, and final, NFL Championship game.

Also in 1965, Gale, known back than as Gale Research Company, started sponsoring the ALA shuttle buses.

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Two Hours in Portland

By Michelle Eickmeyer

ACRL, here we come! Conference travel can be an interesting beast. I love experiencing the show with you (and hearing both your concerns and victories) but it can drag on a bit if I’m not careful. As an exhibitor, I’ll be spending 3 full days in Portland working, followed by a red-eye home. There will be down time, but often conference down time is not down enough. And very often it is filled with “regular work” from back at the office.

As a conference attendee, the list of sessions I want to attend is longer than the time I have to give. I have a list of people to meet, check in with, and catch up with. If you are one of those left behind at your library/university/office, conference travel can seem romantic and alluring. Yes, I’m traveling to Portland. No, I won’t actually get to see much of the city beyond the cab ride to the hotel, the walk to the convention center, and, if I’m lucky, a dinner or two. Beyond that, you’ll find me in the exhibit hall. (Seriously! Come find me! We’re in booth 427. And we’re giving away beer!)

What if YOU (or, dare I dream, I!) have some free time? What could you do with a few hours in Portland? A lot!

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New Titles Added to the InfoTrac Collections in February 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.

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Partner Interview: SAGE

SAGE is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets. Founded in 1965, SAGE also publishes under the popular CorwinCQ Press, and SAGE Reference imprints, among others.

In this post, Todd Baldwin, Executive Director of Online Library & Reference Publishing at SAGE, discusses his personal and professional philosophies, what makes the company stand out, the people served and the needs addressed by their titles, and one SAGE title on GVRL that gives him particular pride.

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Librarians Overcome Distance and Tradition with GVRL eBooks

GVRL eBook Success Story

Terry Beck, the Information Services Manager for Sno-Isle Libraries north of Seattle, knows firsthand how to deal with logistical nightmares. Beck is responsible for serving approximately 697,000 people in two counties across 21 community libraries. To complicate matters further, Beck lacks a central or main library location from which to work and was quickly running out of room for reference materials.

“We don’t have one great big place,” Beck bemoaned. “We knew we needed to grow our reference collection but we had no room for additional print materials.”

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In Other News: The Skeleton Video

A look at a current news item through the lens of different titles available on GVRL.

By Michelle Eickmeyer

Most of my colleagues know I write this post, and often ask me throughout the week what topics are in the running for the post. There is often one or two stories or events which immediately seem like good options. Once I even did two posts. But the idea that it’s easy to find something which you could explore, on a scholarly level, and find accredited, proper sources for a research paper or project is exactly the point of this blog. I do not write this to remind graduate professors how easy some students have it and how random those first years of honing a research skill can be. I write this post to encourage those who support the often rudderless-ships of undergraduate, introductory level, new to a topic or new to research students. Research doesn’t have to be scary, or daunting, or incredibly complicated to be appropriate, credible, and respected. Studies prove that the most difficult parts for inexperienced or beginning researchers are selecting an appropriate topic and finding good sources. Getting started is the hardest part. Hopefully, there have been take-aways in this series which have helped you show students that “research” can be found anywhere.

Read moreIn Other News: The Skeleton Video