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Gale and Book Aid International: A Shared Mission for Empowerment

| By Jessica Edwards |

Although I spend most of my time working for the Gale International Marketing team, I’m also a Publisher Ambassador for the charity Book Aid International. After touring the Cengage warehouse last year and learning about operational processes, including the scrapping of books, I was inspired to research ways of extending the lives of books marked for pulping. I consequently came across Book Aid International, a long-established charity who ship new books from UK publishers out to sub-Saharan Africa, and was immediately impressed with the value and scale of their work.

The charity not only accepts book donations, but establishes librarian training programmes and funds refurbishments at partner libraries in sub-Saharan Africa and the occupied Palestinian territories. Some of these libraries are in communities with a very limited access to books such as refugee camps, prisons, and slums, others are in hospitals or universities where resources are extremely dated. Book Aid International works with some of the largest UK publishers, and all the books shipped abroad are new. In 2016, they sent over a million books. They also work with local publishers to source books in local languages.

It can be hard to appreciate quite how desperate the need is, but a few particularly powerful stories go some way towards demonstrating. The Menelik II Referral Hospital in Ethiopia is a hospital with no internet connection, and therefore no online resources. Thus, the library is vital for medical staff to access the up-to-date information they require. Nearly all the books in the hospital library are provided by Book Aid International. Samuel’s story in the video below is also a powerful indication of how the work of Book Aid International helps individuals pull themselves out of poverty. The video also outlines the charity’s many achievements over the last year.

Read moreGale and Book Aid International: A Shared Mission for Empowerment

Mastering Workflow: Connecting Learners to Your Library

As digital demands continue to rise, the emphasis on creating a seamless workflow becomes all the more important: eliminating multiple logins, developing efficiencies in how materials are prepared and distributed, and building a collaborative environment with students and peers are all essential to today’s educators. Gale is proud to announce additional authentication options with single … Read more

Election Scandal, Russian Spies, and FBI Surveillance

Five new collections in Archives Unbound containing declassified Federal Bureau of Investigation internal files digitized for the first time give researchers an unprecedented view of the state of government surveillance in times of great political and social upheaval in the United States. New Titles: FBI File: House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) FBI File: Alger … Read more

InfoTrac: A Trusted Source for Current, Accurate, and Balanced News

| By Sara Constantakis |

In our internet-driven world, news comes at us from every direction and from many different sources. But just because a news story shows up in our Facebook or Twitter feed doesn’t mean it’s credible or authoritative. The proliferation of fake news is a growing problem, since the internet makes it easy for anyone to publish something that looks like a real news story. In addition, many news publications lean in one direction or another on the political spectrum, which influences the way they present information. That’s why it’s important for everyone, from the student to the general reader, to understand where news comes from and how the source of an article may influence its presentation of the facts.

Read moreInfoTrac: A Trusted Source for Current, Accurate, and Balanced News

You Think You Know What Librarians Do?

| Originally publish on BubbleUp Classroom by Corey Thornblad|

This week I had the pleasure of participating in the annual Virginia Association of School Librarians conference in Norfolk, Virginia. I’ll admit that I was a fish out of water — the only teacher in a sea of school librarians. Even though I don’t know much about the Dewey Decimal system or online catalogs, they made me feel right at home.

As I sat at dinner, listening to their conversation about teaching and learning, I realized that unless you have had the privilege of working in a school over the past decade you may not understand what school librarians actually do.  Librarians are not a braggy bunch; so I feel inclined to set the record straight on their behalf. You probably think they spend their entire day shelving and checking out books, while shushing students. It’s time to set aside these stereotypes and give librarians their long overdue kudos.

Librarians teach — a lot 
First and foremost, school librarians are teachers. If you walk into our school’s library on any given day you are likely to see one of our librarians co-teaching or independently teaching a lesson. In order to pull this off, librarians have to be content experts in everything from science to math to PE. Moreover, librarians have the ability and desire to teach children of all levels and learning styles.

Librarians are Apple Geniuses in disguise
Librarians know A LOT about technology. Our librarians are the go-to teachers in our building for everything tech. They help us search the web, use Twitter, create our own websites, and help us learn how to use Google Classroom.

Read moreYou Think You Know What Librarians Do?

The Macmillan Interdisciplinary Handbooks: Philosophy Series is an “Excellent Source”

Supporting the knowledge of philosophy can be tough, but it doesn’t have to be with the Macmillan Interdisciplinary Handbooks: Philosophy Series. Using film, literature, art, case studies, and other disciplines, the handbooks provide illustrations of human experiences to work as gateways to questions philosophers try to address. Composed of ten volumes (available individually) that serve undergraduate college students who have had little or no exposure to philosophy, as well as the curious lay reader, the Macmillan Interdisciplinary Handbooks: Philosophy Series is recommended for undergraduate and public libraries.

See how the Macmillan Interdisciplinary Handbooks: Philosophy Series is a must have resource with two reviews posted in the American Reference Books Annual, Spring 2017 Edition:

Read moreThe Macmillan Interdisciplinary Handbooks: Philosophy Series is an “Excellent Source”

Create an Immersive Experience with Gale Interactive

Gale Interactive: Human Anatomy and Chemistry have been positively reviewed recently by Magan Szwarek, a director of Reference Services. A lover of audiobooks and a dedicated readers’ advisor, Magan serves on the Steering Committee of the Adult Reading Round Table and is enthusiastic about re-imaging what public libraries can offer the communities they serve. This impressive review, published … Read more

Unearth the Story Behind Hulu’s Riveting New Series, The Handmaid’s Tale

| By Traci Cothran | The Handmaid’s Tale is a new TV series on Hulu, and it’s getting a lot of attention. The Guardian calls it a “timely adaptation [that] scares with dystopian dread.”  USA Today dubs it “a wake-up call for women.”  James Poniewozik from The New York Times says, “It is unflinching, vital and … Read more

Not One, but Three Remarkable Reviews for Melton’s Encyclopedia of American Religions

Looking for a way to support researchers’ knowledge of religious groups in North America? Look no further! Melton’s Encyclopedia of American Religions provides students and the general public alike with coverage of more than 2,300 North American religious groups in the U.S. and Canada. With the culmination of more than forty years of research, you won’t be surprised by what reviewers had to say:

Read moreNot One, but Three Remarkable Reviews for Melton’s Encyclopedia of American Religions

eBooks: Offer a Fresh Perspective

The library plays a vital role in developing points of view; providing a space for diverse groups of people to pursue curiosity. Many titles on GVRL offer comprehensive coverage on the cultural and historical impact of emerging topics such as, innovating and global industries,  American governance, gender, and much more. Take a look at some … Read more