Gale Directory Library

By Holly Hibner I work in a medium-sized public library in Michigan, and our business reference collection has been named an official “Business Resource Center” by the Michigan Small Business Development Center. We provide business materials in a variety of formats to help business people and entrepreneurs to be successful. Our Business Resource Center includes most … Read more

Winter in Michigan—It Could Be Worse!

By Debra Kirby What do winter in Michigan, the Detroit Zoo, and the “greatest survival story of all time” have in common?  Answer: The Shackleton Endurance Exhibit that runs through the end of the year at the Detroit Zoo, one of my favorite local hang outs—with or without kids in tow. I visited the exhibit … Read more

Public Libraries can be a Health Lifeline for People Most at Risk

Originally posted in Reuters Health by Madeline Kennedy, November 2016 Public libraries can provide vital support for people at high risk for health problems such as new immigrants and people dealing with homelessness, mental illness and substance use, say U.S. researchers. Their analysis of Philadelphia libraries and how communities use them concludes that libraries can … Read more

Smithsonian Primary Sources in U.S. History: “A Treasure Trove”

History is not just a list of dates and events. But history taught well is vibrant, relevant, and engaging. And nothing brings history to life like primary sources that give students a close-up look at history as it unfolded.

Gale and Smithsonian have partnered to deliver an online resource that includes unique and seminal primary sources, including documents, maps, historical objects, and other materials from the museums and archives from the collections of the Smithsonian and from Gale’s leading digital collections: Smithsonian Primary Sources in U.S. History.

Designed for use by both teachers and librarians, this resource from Gale supports core and Advanced Placement U.S. history programs. Primary source images are hand-curated by scholars at the Smithsonian – experts who have a unique knowledge of U.S. history as seen through the Smithsonian’s valuable collections and shaped for the school curriculum by an advisory board of teachers.

See how a reviewer feels about the collection of Primary Sources.

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The Telegraph Historical Archive, 1855-2000: A “Must-have”

Provide multi-disciplinary research with a fully-searchable digital archive of what was once the world’s largest selling newspaper. The Telegraph Historical Archive, 1855-2000 provides a fascinating picture of politics, society, and culture through approximately one million pages of the newspaper’s backfile. Offering a balance of personal interest stories alongside incisive analysis, The Telegraph Historical Archive, 1855-2000 delivers a fascinating glimpse into daily life as it was experienced over the past 150 years.

Get more details with a review:

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China from Empire to Republic is a “Preferred Tool”

Provide researchers with unique, firsthand accounts of the cultural interactions and conflicts that gave rise to today’s modern China with China from Empire to Republic:  Missionary, Sinology and Literary Periodicals 1817-1949 Archive. These periodicals illuminate the thoughts of Chinese intellectuals and Westerners, mainly missionaries, about China – and, more importantly, their efforts to understand and study Chinese history, culture, language, and literature.

Read the very first review on this enticing archive:

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Philosophy: Sources, Perspectives, and Methodologies “Inspires Curiosity”

Looking to support researchers’ knowledge in philosophy? Philosophy: Sources, Perspectives, and Methodologies, a valuable primer in the study of philosophy, provides the philosophical information students need. By employing literature, film, art, history, and other disciplines, the twenty-seven thematic chapters identify areas of critical thought and practice in the philosophical study.

Read the review:

Read morePhilosophy: Sources, Perspectives, and Methodologies “Inspires Curiosity”

Literary Reflections on Thanksgiving

Readers who seek insight into the meaning of Thanksgiving can find a generous serving of literary criticism on the topic in the digital pages of Literature Criticism Online. Perhaps unsurprisingly, authors have found in the holiday a fruitful setting for explorations of family dysfunction and ruminations on the American national character. 

Read moreLiterary Reflections on Thanksgiving

The “Excellent Content” of British Library Newspapers, Part V

Sourced from the extensive holdings of the British Library, British Library Newspapers delivers a wide range of irreplaceable local and regional voices to reflect the social, political, and cultural events of the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. These newspapers, emerging during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as a crucial channel of information in towns and major cities, provide researchers with a unique, first-hand perspective on history. Support researchers with “excellent content” on United Kingdom history with more than 750,000 pages from 36 newspapers from 1746-1950.

See for yourself with a review:

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Energy: In Context: “Useful Across the Curriculum”

Provide middle school students with more on a subject that impacts lives and economies across the globe: energy! Energy: In Context fosters the understanding of energy science, while also exploring the social, political, economic, and cultural factors that impact how we find, use, store, and waste energy. With 50 primary source documents, along with 270 color images, illustrations, and other graphics, Energy: In Context will be your one-stop source for all things energy.

Still not convinced? Read what a librarian has to say:

Read moreEnergy: In Context: “Useful Across the Curriculum”