Did you know…that in the early mid-seventeenth century when the French, English and Dutch were becoming established in the Caribbean, privateers, more widely known as buccaneers, become invaluable military forces in times of war in an age when permanent navies did not exist. They were merchants granted with “letters of marque and reprisal” authorizing their attacks on Spanish shipping and ports. They delivered the captured ships and in return they would be allowed to share the spoils…early days of piracy on the open seas! Read all about it in Gale’s World History in Context. Check it out or call your rep for more information.
A Part of Us
By G.T. I always enjoyed going to the library as a young girl with my grandmother. The quietness and respect in libraries was always magical for me. We moved from place to place in California; over 20 due to my parent’s divorce, starting a new life, remarrying, flipping houses, starting college, out on my own … Read more
Libraries = Sharing
By Dave E. My parents both worked in libraries. I will never forget the way my dad summed up what libraries were all about in one simple word. Sharing. That’s what he would say when people asked what libraries were about… I am now a librarian myself and try to keep that simple answer in … Read more
Saved by the Book
By Sande B. In 1952, after my second younger brother was born, my parents packed us up and joined the rapid migration to the potato farm suburbs of Long Island. Now my favorite aunts and uncles and grandparents were no longer a hop and a skip away. Most days, I was terribly lonely, and after … Read more
A Mile and a Half Walk
By Becky A. I grew up in the 60’s in a family that had six kids, was low income and our Mom did not drive – at least not until the last child was born. One of the things my Mom was good about was making sure we got to the library, even if we … Read more
The Library: Gateway to America
By Eileen S. Growing up in Poland, my mother loved books and was a voracious reader. Unlike other girls, she didn’t like playing with dolls and other toys. If you gave her a book, she was happy as a clam. When she came to the U.S. after marrying my father, she didn’t speak a word … Read more
I am Gale U: Leslie Morgan, University of Notre Dame
By Melissa Rayner
By now, I’m sure you’ve heard of Gale U, our way of putting real names, faces, and stories to the kinds of people who frequent the library, explaining their needs and challenges, and providing creative solutions. Gale U houses 47 unique individuals from librarians, to faculty, to students. Each of these personas was developed via extensive research and by working with real-life individuals to determine our fictitious library users’ needs.
Now, we’d like to showcase just how realistic these personas are by working in reverse and finding real-life people who can relate to each and every one of them. This endeavor kicks off today in the first of a new blog series, entitled I am Gale U.
We’d like to start at the heart of Gale U, the Undergraduate Library. Perhaps you’ve already learned a bit about our resident Undergraduate Services Librarian, Naomi–if not, you can get to know her here. The feature of this article is Naomi’s library twin, Leslie Morgan who serves as the First-Year Experience Librarian for the University of Notre Dame. I was lucky enough to have a chat with this inspirational and lively woman, and I hope her interview will similarly leave you feeling energized!
Read moreI am Gale U: Leslie Morgan, University of Notre Dame
3 Surefire Tips to Help ESL/EFL Patrons Utilize eResources
By Anne Nagrant
My experience living abroad as a Peace Corps Volunteer made me very sympathetic to those in our local communities for whom English is not their native language. No matter the level of English a patron has, public libraries should be prepared to serve all.
Inside the library, signage and pictures can help visitors find what they need. Library staff can enunciate clearly and try saying the same thing in different ways. Because some immigrants prefer reading to conversation, offer flyers and handouts to take home. Order free Spanish-language print materials from Gale’s ProMo site to promote Informe Académico or PowerSpeak Languages.
Read more3 Surefire Tips to Help ESL/EFL Patrons Utilize eResources
Looking to support text analytics at your institution?
By Melissa Rayner
Our textual analysis tools set us apart. Only with Gale can faculty and student researchers easily look for relationships between words and phrases within library resources. And it just got better with new upgrades to our term cluster functionality.
Read moreLooking to support text analytics at your institution?
Facts not Fear: Demystify Ebola and Enterovirus D68
Turn on the news and try NOT to feel a little bit anxious about current public health crises. The onslaught of stories about Ebola and Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68), “a flulike disease that has infected 664 people—most of them children—in 45 states so far and the District of Columbia.” [1] These and other illnesses can be overwhelming…and cause great concern in your community. As rumors and misinformation generate fear, people need expert information to better understand the risks to themselves and their families.
“One of the challenges of combating an Ebola outbreak is the fact that the early symptoms of the infection are similar to those of the flu, malaria, typhoid fever, and several bacterial infections, which occur more often and are not as serious. By the time the true nature of the infection becomes known, many people in a community could have been infected.
Read moreFacts not Fear: Demystify Ebola and Enterovirus D68