A Publishing Executive’s Perspective on the Value of Older Titles

Relevancy in older book titles

By Frank Menchaca

Library collections are developed with a keen eye towards selection criteria like quality, currency, and relevancy. These are logical considerations for any budget, but especially in today’s landscape, where libraries of all types and sizes are being tasked to make an increasingly greater impact, often with fewer financial resources.

When consulting with our library partners, we discover that oftentimes, currency implies relevancy and older titles, though tried and true, are quickly dismissed.

In the spirit of the old adage, “make new friends, but keep the old,” we’ve asked Frank Menchaca to share his personal perspective on the value of offering a collection which includes these older, but not outdated, research eBooks. Frank is the Senior Vice President of Global Product Management for the Gale, National Geographic Learning, and Professional groups at Cengage Learning.

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Truth Be Told: 5 Fast Facts about Juice Fasting

juicing library resources

By Harmony Faust

There are several people in my inner circle who regularly and voluntarily consume nothing but fruit, vegetable and plant juices for days at a time. This. Blows. My. Mind. Juice fasting is a practice I’ve been hearing about for years and I still don’t get it.

If I’m being completely honest, the crux of my problem with juice fasting probably lies at the intersection of my natural skepticism and laziness—I don’t have a great track record with activities related to health and fitness.

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Featured Partner: Oxford University Press

An ongoing look at the partner publishers available through GVRL.

By Melissa Rayner

Oxford University Press has been one of the biggest names in academic publishing almost since the industry’s inception. The first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, and although the formal press had not yet been born, Oxford University involved itself with several printers over the century that followed. Now, the press publishes over 6,000 titles and sells more than 110 million units each year. It has offices in 50 countries and is the largest university press in the world.

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Gale’s InterLink Brings Better Discovery to Academic Libraries

By Michelle Eickmeyer

Discovery is one of the most discussed and sought after experiences among librarians, students and faculty in academic libraries. They may call those experiences different things, but discovery is the thread running through the needs of these groups. Librarians want all materials to be called upon — find-able by any user at the moment of need. Students often encounter the library’s holdings with a vague understanding of either what they are looking for, or how to find it. Or both. Or neither. Faculty look to support the scholarship of their students and, often, their own research needs as well.

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InterLink Enables Discovery Within Library Holdings

And librarians around the globe rejoice!

On April 30, 2014, Gale launched InterLink, a new, free service available to libraries which own any of the periodical resources of InfoTrac and any eBook on the GVRL platform. But “service” is such a limiting word. Feature, enhancement. tool — they all fall short. InterLink is so much more than a bell or a whistle. With InterLink, research, search, and discovery have changed. And it’s amazing!

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Out of the Office: In Germany!

Explore travel DK publishing

By Bethany Dotson

For Christmas last year, my husband bought me the Rosetta Stone German Level 1-5 Set. He was so excited to give it to me, in fact, that he convinced me to open it five days early (I have to admit—I wasn’t hard to convince).  But upon opening the gift, I had to wonder out loud—why German? I had never expressed any interest in learning German—had I?

My patient husband, who is a mechanical engineer by education, by natural inclination, and by trade, responded that he knew that I wanted to take another trip to Europe, and he had settled on Germany as his #1 choice: not because of the fantastic history or culture, or even because of the food and beer, but because, and I quote, “they have a lot of engineers there and their trains run on time.”

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In Other News: Tornadoes

A look at a current news item through the lens of different titles available on GVRL.

By Michelle Eickmeyer

Spring. Millions of people around the country have been counting the minutes until spring, well, springs. But the yearly battle of warm, southern air to (finally!) unseat the cold northern air makes for some of the most dangerous weather. From as far north as Michigan and Ohio, through America’s heartland, this week has been the first of the 2014 tornado season.

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Discover new titles for Explorers like Chris

Explore travel ebooks DK publishing

By Kim Martin

Meet Chris, the explorer. He’s passionate about adventure, travel and discovering the world. Ever since he can remember, he wanted to know as much about other countries—their people, cuisine, geography, whatever he could possibly take in.  As someone who loves to immerse himself in other cultures, he needs the right resources and tools, for excursions near and far.

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Featured Partner: IGI Global

An ongoing look at the partner publishers available through GVRL.

By Melissa Rayner

Founded in 1988, IGI Global grew rapidly to become a leading international academic publisher of more than 2,300+ reference books, 155+ journals, encyclopedias, teaching cases, proceedings, and databases. They aim to offer a unique interdisciplinary approach to cutting-edge applied technology – with an especially strong focus on the role, impact, and effective use of new technology.

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Do you keep your library’s business resources hidden?

Who Needs Business School? The Hidden Startup Resources at your Local Library

By Harmony Faust

Samantha Cole, an editorial intern for Fast Company magazine, just gave your library a present—did you accept it graciously and immediately put it to good use? If not, you might be missing out on an opportunity to leverage the gift of free advertising. Keep reading; it’s not too late.

Cole’s article, “Who Needs Business School? The Hidden Startup Resources at your Local Library,” perfectly tells the value story of public libraries and specifically, how you support local entrepreneurs and foster economic growth. Do you ever read or hear something and think to yourself, “I couldn’t have said it better myself!”? This is one of those moments. What Cole has explained about libraries—and how she has explained it—is evidence-based and right on point.

Read moreDo you keep your library’s business resources hidden?