|By Stacey Zusy, Sr. Product Manager|
With Gale eBooks, librarians and administration can foster an environment where students, patrons, and educators thrive by providing top-quality content to drive learning forward. Gale eBooks is a supplemental platform that delivers high-interest non-fiction titles in an accessible, digital environment. Find expertly curated eBook collections on Gale eBooks to support K-12 and academic curricula, college and career readiness, professional development, and more!
New and improved functionality will be available in the Gale eBooks platform to enhance the search and navigation experience in the coming months. After months of consulting with our Customer Advisory Board members and other key stakeholders, the following small but mighty improvements have been identified to make the most significant impact for an enhanced user experience.
Share Enhanced Search Features
Publication Date Filter: The long-anticipated Publication Date Filter within Basic Search is here. You can now sort search results by relevance and use the Publication Date Filter to narrow results, allowing users to get to where they need to go faster. We are beyond excited to release this new and improved search functionality. If it looks familiar, you’ve likely seen it within the Advanced Search section of the platform. When our customers recommended that searching by publication dates in the Basic Search filters would be beneficial, we agreed!
Default Text View: When you click on a cover image or title from the Gale eBooks homepage or search results, have you ever wondered why you land on the Table of Contents (TOC) page? To help improve the platform experience, users will now be taken directly to the text view of the article or title anytime they click on the corresponding cover image, title, or article name.
Default Spanish Bookshelf: Another small change that will make a large impact is the addition of a Spanish bookshelf. As you know, each user’s Gale eBooks library is unique and includes the titles you have purchased. If you’ve purchased Spanish language titles, you will see them compiled into the new Default Spanish Bookshelf. These titles may also show up on other bookshelves where appropriate depending on how they are indexed. We hope this update allows users to access Spanish content more easily, as it is the most requested language, aside from English.
Offer Improved Navigation
Preview & Next Buttons: Another small but significant change is the addition of the “Previous” & “Next” buttons at the top of the page. Previously, users had to scroll to the bottom of the page to access these buttons when in text view. For easier navigation, we’ve duplicated these buttons and added them to the top as well.
“Purchase eBooks” Button: This navigation improvement will only affect those with the Librarian Login credentials accessed under the bookshelf navigation panel. Once a librarian logs in, they can access the “Purchase eBooks” button near the top right-hand side of the screen. This button will take them directly to the Gale eBooks e-commerce site, saving users a step of navigating to that site separately and then filtering to “Print and eBooks” to make eBook purchases.
What’s Next?
Look for these enhancements this month and beyond. No action is needed on your end—your Gale eBooks platform will automatically update to the new experience. Support will be available to ensure a smooth transition for everyone. Stay tuned for more information!
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