So a Non-Librarian Walks into a Library Full of Librarians…

By Kelly Torpey 

As I walked into the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library to attend Library Journal’s Transformative Power of Community Engagement workshop, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew where I was, and what I was attending, but I wasn’t entirely sure what I (a non-librarian) would glean from the experience.

I joined Gale as a marketing team member just over six months ago. I’m new to the world of libraries, and in truth, I was hoping to listen. To listen to what libraries and librarians go through on a daily basis; their conversations, struggles, and triumphs. I was also hoping to add some type of value to the conversations I was a part of, even though I knew (or, at least I thought) my own professional and personal experiences may not be 100% relatable.

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Understanding Community Goals Leads to Success for Libraries and Communities – A post from the 2016 Library of the Year

By Leah Sewell, Communications Editor, Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library

Have you ever been on the other line of a survey call? I haven’t, personally, but I’ve often wondered if I would be a willing participant. Perhaps in the midst of a particularly juicy book, soaking up one-on-one time with my fast-growing 9-year-old or closely watching a new recipe simmer, what would compel me to answer the phone, but also to converse with a researcher for an indeterminate spell? Well, for one thing, I’d pretty much drop everything and let dinner burn to gab with any stranger, on the phone or otherwise, when the topic is libraries.

You see, in my career as the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library’s Communication Editor, I am enamored with the “public” part of the public library. How does the public feel about our services? How will they react to a minor or a major change? How can we woo them, engage them, help them feel a part the community through literacy and learning, and subsequently change their lives for the better?

My library is focused on the public and the public good. It’s asking the right questions, discovering people’s goals and needs and assisting them so they can reach them. Ultimately, it’s about making a difference in the community by working with our fellow citizens to make their lives better. That’s a good chunk of the reason why we’re the Library Journal / Gale, a part Cengage Learning 2016 Library of the Year. We have our ears to the ground.

When the 2016 Pew Research Center report, Libraries at the Crossroads, was released in September 2015, I wondered about the people on the other end of those cell phones and land lines. Those individuals that Pew cites variously as “a share of Americans” or “a majority of Americans,” or “low-income Americans” are real individuals with busy lives, loved ones and their own dinners to prepare. Yet, they all sat a spell to gab about libraries.

Read moreUnderstanding Community Goals Leads to Success for Libraries and Communities – A post from the 2016 Library of the Year

HOW RESEARCH PARTNERS DEMONSTRATE THE IMPORTANCE OF TODAY’S LIBRARY

Published on March 11, 2016   To illustrate how Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, bridges the librarian-faculty gap, we worked with Thomson Reuters on a State of Innovation article to show how librarians can facilitate academic collaboration. In the article Sarah Tanksalvala, a copywriter at Thomson Reuters, shares Thomson Reuters’s ideas as well as … Read more

Ferguson Municipal Public Library Named 2015 Library of the Year

Ferguson Public Library

By Kristina Massari 

loyFerguson Municipal Public Library of Ferguson, MO has been named the 2015 Library of the Year by Library Journal magazine and Gale, a part of Cengage Learning. The small suburban library rose above the chaos and stepped up to provide sanctuary and resources for all in a community in crisis, and remained steadfast to that call over months of duress. The library leadership’s modest “it’s what we do” stance resonated worldwide through social media and news coverage. It placed libraries in the center of the solution, and created a model for other libraries in communities experiencing strife.

Library of the Year is a prestigious recognition that goes to a public library that profoundly demonstrates service to community, creativity, leadership and innovation in developing community programs. Nominated by over 100 U.S. library leaders, Ferguson Municipal Public Library was recognized for its outstanding commitment to service and its extraordinary role as community anchor.

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ChiltonLibrary: Highly Recommended and “Makes Users Happy”

Chilton Auto

Tune up your patron’s auto repair know-how!

For reliable car repair information, turn to Chilton, the car-care experts for more than 100 years. Find the most up-to-date coverage for almost every year, make, and model. Only available online! 

  • Save time and money with do-it-yourself car repairs
  • Access 24/7 from library, home or on-the-go
  • Look up recalls and service bulletins
  • Find estimated labor time
  • Prepare for ASE mechanic certification with test prep quizzes

In April, both Library Journal and Booklist reviewed ChiltonLibrary. Read what they had to say! 

Read moreChiltonLibrary: Highly Recommended and “Makes Users Happy”

Gale Sponsors Library Journal’s Lead the Change Professional Academy

Professional Development for Libraries

Library Journal’s Lead the Change, a professional development program for librarians available online and in a series of live events across the country, is launching next month.  As series sponsor, Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, is helping to fund the event and making unique tools available to librarians.

Lead the Change offers timely resources and tools to help librarians stay ahead of innovations and changes affecting the library profession.  Library staff at all levels can participate in hands-on live events, access insightful on-demand webcasts, and participate in a new online learning program. 

Read moreGale Sponsors Library Journal’s Lead the Change Professional Academy

Global Issues in Context named “Biggest Hit with Patrons” by Library Journal

We are proud to announce that Global Issues in Context, Gale’s online resource covering the modern world’s most important topics, was recently named “Biggest Hit with Patrons” by Library Journal in their “Best Databases 2014” roundup. The recognition means even more because the winners are nominated by LJ’s readers, many of whom use our products every day. The nominating librarian stated that the product is “wildly popular with students,” and that she is “amazed at the usage statistics generated by my institution.”

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GVRL Delivers What You Want from eBooks

By Pat Coryell

As the Vice President and Publisher over GVRL, I focus my time immersed in market research, customer feedback, and user testing data to best understand the gaps and pain points in today’s eBook landscape, as well as identify the gains Gale might deliver to our library customers and users.

I’m often in problem-solving mode, as we and our customers across academic, public, and school libraries, take on the many challenges involved with shifting to meet evolving user needs brought about by changes in student/community demographics, differentiated learning styles, and the introduction of new technologies.

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“Amazing… Highly Recommended… A Boon to Students.” Library Journal Likes Liberty Magazine Historical Archive.

By Melissa Rayner

And the good news just keeps on coming! In this month’s issue, Library Journal concluded:

“The day-to-day details of middle-class living that are indexed here are amazing. The database is highly recommended for public, academic, and special libraries everywhere. This file will be a boon to students and frontline librarians for the ads alone.”

Want to know more?

Read more“Amazing… Highly Recommended… A Boon to Students.” Library Journal Likes Liberty Magazine Historical Archive.