Gale

Boosting STEM Achievement Through Visual-Spatial Learning

If you have ever taken a basic chemistry course, you probably remember making molecular models out of marshmallows and tooth-picks or whatever comparable substitute was lying around the science lab. This kind of molecular modeling is not only a great excuse to eat marshmallows in class; it also enhances spatial literacy, an essential part of … Read more

American Governance Benefits Beginning Students and the Civic-Minded Reader

“…the coverage and treatment of American Governance appears to be among the most extensive to date, and the concepts presented will not grow quickly outdated.”  – CHOICE

Searching for a “highly factual and researched” resource for beginning students? American Governance  provides a clear and authoritative depictions of ideas that are core to the U.S. system of governance. Presented alphabetically, the 700 original, peer-reviewed entries written by content specialists also includes approximately 300 images and primary source documents. American Governance assists learners in developing  America’s  system of governance understanding.

This review is published in the August 2016 issue of CHOICE

Read moreAmerican Governance Benefits Beginning Students and the Civic-Minded Reader

A New Gale.com Experience!

By Thomas Piggott

Home Page Screenshot
The new Gale.com homepage with reorganized navigation. Click to enlarge or visit the website.

Gale.com is changing! We’re proud to announce a new and improved experience, with even more to come as we continue to make updates.

Hi, I’m Thomas Piggott, the User Experience Designer for Gale.com. I wanted to be the first to introduce you to some of the new features of the website, along with providing a peek into what’s to come.

Gaining a Better Understanding

At Gale, our goal is to empower libraries and learners by partnering with you. About a year ago, we began thinking about how our website could help us live up to that goal. We delved into understanding what capabilities the site needed in order to make your life easier. We collected feedback from interviews with more than 40 customers around the world and held discussions with our sales representatives and customer success managers who know what you ask for the most.

Read moreA New Gale.com Experience!

Relevance Default Sort Enabled In InfoTrac Products

Good News! In an effort to further improve the user experience by delivering the most relevant articles among the first search results returned, we have enabled the default sort to Relevance for all InfoTrac products. Results will be ordered by relevance, and because currency is an important element of periodical content, the determination of relevance will contain a significant boost for recency. Users still have the ability to toggle and view by newest/oldest date if they choose during their research session.

Additionally, Gale has retired the “My Account” feature in InfoTrac products including PowerSearch, in favor of Google and Microsoft 365 collaboration tools our users are already employing. This change will provide one simple, seamless login experience, further enabling users to access Gale content anytime, anywhere, and from any device.

Read moreRelevance Default Sort Enabled In InfoTrac Products

Library Crusaders: How You Can Help Your Community’s Workforce

By Kim Martin

Libraries as Workforce Development Partners

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, which became effective July 2015, identifies public libraries as potential partners of the American Job Center network and acknowledges the ability of libraries to provide an expansive array of job search services. Increased funding for career-related resources are available from the act. Additionally, the new law recognizes libraries as important providers of federally supported programs in adult education and literacy. These types of resources can increase training and employment possibilities for patrons.

Read moreLibrary Crusaders: How You Can Help Your Community’s Workforce

Exciting Changes Coming to Gale Literature Resources

On December 20th, users of Artemis Literary Sources, Something About the Author Online, Literature Criticism Online, and Dictionary of Literary Biography Complete Online will be automatically updated to a new mobile-responsive experience. These accessibility, usability, and feature-rich updates provide an improved user experience, as well as the ability to cross-search all of Gale’s literature databases … Read more

Midlife Crisis? Open a Business

By Holly Hibner

Business reference: librarians either love it or hate it. Thankfully, Gale’s Small Business Resource Center make’s it easy for us. Seriously – if you haven’t looked at SBRC recently, do yourself a favor and check it out. You’ll thank me later.

My husband and two business partners recently decided that what they really should do for their midlife crisis is open a brewery. He couldn’t just buy a Corvette – he decided to open a small business. He (and both partners) are engineers, so they don’t have a lot of experience opening or running a business. Gale’s Small Business Resource Center came to their rescue. (Well, my rescue if I’m being honest. Who do you think did a lot of the research for them?)

Read moreMidlife Crisis? Open a Business

Diving into The Olympics

By Tara Blair

9781680200058_00010
Zeus prepares to hurl his trademark thunderbolts.

More than 70% of the world’s population tune in to the Olympics, it’s no surprise that the event is ranked as the most common shared experience on Earth. We know the world is well informed of the quadrennial event held and are patiently waiting for August 5th. I backtracked nearly 3,000 years on Gale resources to uncover some knowledge and history most fans are unaware of.

Read what I found!

Originating in 776 BCE, the Olympics began as a festival to honor the mythological Greek god, Zeus. As the son to the supreme god of time, Cronus, and goddess of fertility, Rhea,  Zeus was the leader of the heavens and earth. After overthrowing his father through a tremendous war with a few devoted Titans and his destructive thunderbolts, Zeus proceeded to take control of the universe. Ruling from their court on Mt. Olympus, Zeus, as well as the other Titans, became known as Olympian gods. As the story goes, religious festivals developed on the foot of the mountain to worship Zeus and approach his strength. In order to commemorate the greatest of all gods, the Greeks believed they should offer him the best of everything , which included dexterous athleticism. Thus, the Olympics were born.

Read moreDiving into The Olympics

Working Like a Dog

By Tara Blair 

This work week was unlike any other. I eagerly awaited Thursday—yes, I said Thursday—for a day that otherwise only existed in my dreams. It was the day that Gale celebrated Take Your Dog To Work Day (TYDTWD), where staff members were invited to bring their best friend to the office. As I walked into Gale with my employee badge and my Australian Cattle Dog, I couldn’t help but think, “does this day offer any substantial benefits, or is it just pure amusement?”

After a small amount of research, I found that a doggone good time isn’t the only reward to sharing a cubicle with your four-legged companion.

Sit, stay….and read about all the perks of TYDTWD and check out some photos from Gale’s dog day.

Read moreWorking Like a Dog

Lasell Library Uses GVRL to Enhance Student Research

Jill Shoemaker, a librarian at Lasell College in Newton, Massachusetts, where over 1,700 students have come to expect quick search results cShoemakeromparative to Google, but with relevancy and accuracy. Lasell Library uses Gale eBooks on GVRL as a “one-stop shop” to provide students “exactly what they’re looking for.” What they are looking for is easy to use access to digital research materials that meet academic standards. “I would definitely recommend GVRL,” says Shoemaker, “the books are excellent, the professors really like it, and it’s wonderful for the students—who love it!”

Challenge

  •  Information literacy librarian struggles to ensure honors students have access to and use digital research materials that meet academic standards.
  • Convince students who constantly compare digital learning tools to Google and the open web to use trusted reference sources.

Solution 

Read moreLasell Library Uses GVRL to Enhance Student Research