For those of you who saw Downton Abbey last season, you saw Rose bringing a jazz band (with lead singer Jack Ross) to Downton, shocking many not only because of Jack’s race, but also the music itself.
When I Fell in Love
By Kati D. As I sit here reflecting on my career as a librarian, I can clearly remember the moment I fell in love with libraries. When I was 11 years old, I rode my bike every Saturday to the library. I would take a packed lunch and spend the entire day camped out in … Read more
Analytics On Demand Helps Alabama Library Chart the Path Ahead
Sue DeBrecht is Director of the Emmet O’Neal Library in the municipality of Mountain Brook, 
a wealthy suburb of Birmingham, Alabama with 20,000 residents. Sue loves information, and Analytics On Demand — a data solution that helps libraries quickly and easily learn more about their users and their communities — provides a wealth of it. Emmet O’Neal turned to Analytics On Demand to gain a more granular view of patrons and potential patrons than other sources of demographic data can provide. “We know where we are now, but we need a better idea of where to focus our attention in the next five years,” says Sue.
The library is tightly involved with its community, and is fortunate to have a healthy budget, loyal donors and volunteers, and a library foundation with a $3 million endowment. Still, directors want to make smart budget decisions, and key insights from Analytics On Demand will inform the library’s programming, strategic planning, and marketing.
Read moreAnalytics On Demand Helps Alabama Library Chart the Path Ahead
Keeping the Little Deuce Coupe Running Strong
America has a serious love affair with cars. According to The World Bank, there are 786 motor vehicles per 1,000 people in the US – the highest ratio in the world. The birthplace of mass automobile manufacturing remains its stronghold. And for a large number of car-owners, maintaining and servicing their own vehicle is part of the fun; for others, it’s a necessity.
For patrons looking for do-it-yourself auto repair and maintenance information, you can’t beat the venerable Chilton’s repair manuals. Car-lovers have depended on these sources for dependable, up-to-date information since Kaisers roared down the street. Today auto enthusiasts of all skill levels can access auto repair information in ChiltonLibrary, the continually updated online resource.
Product Updates: New In Context content for 01/26/2015
Gale is continually updating and adding new content to our In Context products, ensuring that they offer timely, authoritative, useful information. The items below were added or updated during the week of January 26, 2015.
Read moreProduct Updates: New In Context content for 01/26/2015
To Change the Way Students Learn, We Must Change Professional Development
By Dan Alpert, Program Director: Equity/Diversity and Professional Learning, SAGE Publications
Each year, scathing critiques of public education flood our newspapers and social media. It may be an old story, but public school K-12 educators are at a critical point in time this school year. We are deep into the massive project of implementing rigorous new standards for college and career readiness. Despite the passage of 60 years since Brown v. Board of Education, 50 years since the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and despite significant shifts in our nation’s demographics, we’ve made little progress closing sizable achievement gaps between our privileged and marginalized student populations. And the inauguration of new high-stakes assessments, the brainchildren of two interstate consortia – PARCC and Smarter Balanced — will undoubtedly launch a fresh, new wave of dire predictions.
Read moreTo Change the Way Students Learn, We Must Change Professional Development
Bridging the Gap Between High School & College: Part 11
This series of blogs will summarize and highlight important portions of our recent white paper, The New York City DOE/CUNY Library Collaborative: Bridging the Gap Between High School and College, which you can view here.
Read moreBridging the Gap Between High School & College: Part 11
New Support Contact for Gale Courses
As part of an effort to streamline support of Gale products, support for Gale Courses will transition to Gale Technical Support on February 2, 2015. This folds all product support into a single primary help contact available 24/7.
In Other News: Martin Luther King Jr.
A look at a current news item through the lens of different titles available on GVRL.
By Michelle Eickmeyer
That the marches which fueled the Civil Rights Movement occurred 50 years ago is unbelievable. How can it be 50 years already… and how can it only have been 50 years? Present history will tell us that race relations in the United States are far from equal and the conversation rages on regarding fair treatment and assumptions.
In Other News: King Abdullah
A look at a current news item through the lens of different titles available on GVRL.
By Michelle Eickmeyer
This week, you get a bonus post. I had nearly finished a post on Martin Luther King Jr when news broke late last night of King Abdullah’s death. Its available, nearly finished, here. Stay tuned for what will surely be an upcoming post on Yemen.