| By Traci Cothran | On Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. day this past week, I was privileged to hear Dr. Bernard Lafayette, Jr. speak at a church in downtown Detroit about the civil rights era and his last days working with MLK. Lafayette is a long-term member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee … Read more
| By Aimme Keener | Gale’s credo starts with the statement “We believe in the power and joy of learning,” and the technology team truly embraces this. Once a month, our team stops all of its day-to-day work on the floor and participates in a hackathon. Hackathons aren’t new. They have become mainstream in the … Read more
Question: When research often starts with a Google search and dubious results, how do we get online library reference materials in the hands of those who need it? Answer: Opposing Viewpoints In Context’s Google Chrome Extension! Melinda was doing her Social Studies homework the other night and needed facts on gerrymandering. Instead of using her … Read more
Current, authoritative, media-rich information—you’ll find it in Gale’s In Context family of online resources, which meets the needs of today’s students with a user-friendly, mobile-responsive design. Eye-catching, engaging, topical databases seamlessly integrate trusted content with curriculum-aligned materials that span key subject areas. Users can easily access G Suite for Education and Microsoft Office 365 tools … Read more
Science In Context is an engaging online resource that provides contextual information on hundreds of today’s most significant science topics. Drawing students in with captivating subject matter, Science In Context showcases how scientific disciplines relate to real-world issues ranging from bacteria to obesity and weather. At Gale, we strive to stay current and up-to-date on all events. Hurricane … Read more
Current, authoritative, media-rich information—you’ll find it in Gale’s In Context family of online resources, which meets the needs of today’s learners with a user-friendly, mobile-responsive design. Eye-catching, engaging topical databases seamlessly integrate trusted content with curriculum-aligned materials that span core subjects. Users can easily access G Suite for Education and Microsoft Office 365 tools to … Read more
After spending five days in New York City, much of it in and around Central Park, I decided to give my tired feet a rest and engage in some online exploration in honor of National Parks and Recreation Month, which has been celebrated in the United States during the month of July since 1985.
I already knew that Central Park was designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed Detroit’s Belle Isle Park—where I spent many childhood weekends, picnicking with my family and wading through the mucky sand of the beaches of the Detroit River. But there was so much more to discover, so I jumped into U.S. History In Contextand learned:
Keeping up with current events can be a full-time job—never mind understanding the history behind what’s in the headlines. Take the ongoing coverage of the investigation of Russian involvement in the 2016 U.S. Presidential elections for example. This story seems to change daily—sometimes hourly. Even if you’re checking in multiple times per day and managing to keep up with the basics, references to historical events and underlying facts relayed by experts and political pundits can leave you wanting to learn more.
For instance, a number of commentators, when discussing the recent firing of FBI director James Comey by President Trump, have referenced similarities to Nixon’s firing of Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. Is that a valid reference?
To get the background details needed to better understand what’s behind these and other references, start your research with U.S. History In Context, where you will discover in-depth coverage of such topics as:
Throughout 2017, Canada is commemorating the 100th anniversary of the WWI Battle at Vimy Ridge (France). It was a seminal event in Canadian history—a fierce battle against the German forces, which resulted in heavy casualties, including the loss of 3,598 Canadian soldiers and some 20,000 Germans, with tens of thousands more wounded. Remarkable as it was, this victory against the Germans wasn’t solely a battlefield feat; because the Canadians prevailed where French had failed many times (at an enormous loss of life) and paved the way to Allied victory, the event helped unify Canada, and solidify its independence in the international community. Commemorative events are planned throughout Canada, as well as in France.
| By Jennifer Mezick, Acquisitions and Collection Development Librarian Pellissippi State Community College |
At Pellissippi State Community College (PSCC), our users have access to many Gale resources through the Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL). Through our TEL setup we are able to track only statistics for PSCC users. From our statistics, we know that Gale resources are heavily used by PSCC patrons and there are a few reasons behind this success:
In Class Instruction
Our students primarily use the resources shown to them during class. PSCC librarians provided research instruction to 137 classes this past fall semester. PSCC librarians and teaching faculty find that students who receive in-class research instruction achieve higher grades on their research assignments. One of the lessons we present to students is the importance of finding background information before searching for journal articles. Opposing Viewpoints In Context is our go-to database for demonstrating background research. All the “In Context” databases contain Topic Pages for select topics, which provide histories and explain the different viewpoints of those topics or issues.
Click for Larger Image
Faculty Outreach
Because not all of our faculty can find the time in a 5 to 16 week semester to have us in their classes, educating our faculty about our resources is the next best way to reach our students. Our faculty learn about Gale databases at our New Faculty Academy, where we introduce library resources, and at Faculty In-Service, where we demonstrate new databases or changes and new features to current databases. Librarians at PSCC are faculty and serve as subject liaisons. With this designation comes the responsibility to serve on campus academic committees and attend academic department meetings (and sometimes share after-work beers). Relationships with faculty are formed through these committees. I find that these relationships make faculty more comfortable talking with librarians about research assignments and available resources, which provides us the opportunity to recommend the most appropriate resources for their upcoming assignments (or their own research).
