Searching for “exceptional” content suitable for high school or undergraduate students? Your search stops here with American Governance. Supported by images and primary source documents, the 700 original, peer-reviewed entries written by content specialists present topics of American governance in a clear and compelling manner. American Governance engages users in developing higher understanding of America’s complete system of governance.
This title was reviewed on Booklist Online, August 2016
By Holly Hibner If there’s one source I love during a presidential election year, it is the Opposing Viewpoints In Context database! This is a librarian’s dream because our patrons are looking for information on all kinds of controversial topics, and matching their own stance to that of the candidates. Opposing Viewpoints presents all sides … Read more
Forty-four percent of public library researchers are seeking health information, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Some of those users may even be looking to try out a new diet.
Patrons will be on the hunt for reliable, authoritative information. They will likely have heard about trendy diets from friends or on the Internet. One diet that is increasing in popularity is the ketogenic diet. A diet that limits the amount of carbohydrates a person intakes in a day to stimulate weight loss and other health benefits. A GVRL search is a great place to find out what’s involved.
Many users come to the library for small business support, especially at the ideation stage as they investigate options and resources for developing a business plan, identify funding sources and research other start-up activities.
A great way to connect local entrepreneurs with business eBooks is to create a custom subcollection or search widget, linked directly from your library’s business resources page. These technique shortcuts a search of the A-Z list of databases and provides additional paths to your valuable content.
People are adapting to new technology on a daily basis. Be ready to answer the not-so-technically-savvy questions about iPhones and iPads, including how to connect with family and friends via tools like Apple’ s FaceTime. Many great GVRL online entries can turn a new iDevice user into an expert overnight.
By Traci Cothran
Reading is central to everything we do here at Gale—and what
you do at your library every day—so it’s a good bet the majority of us use Banned Books Week to rally around the works that cause a little controversy. This year’s Banned Books Week focuses on celebrating Diversity, and runs September 25 – October 1.
I’m an avid reader of middle grade and young adult fiction, so it drives me a little batty when parents ban amazing novels that speak to youth. Some authors are even dis-invited from appearing at schools to talk about their books and the issues affecting kids today. For instance, the graphic novel Drama, by Raina Telgemeier, has caused grumblings for two gay characters kissing, but I’ve yet to meet a middle school girl who doesn’t love this series. Author Meg Medina faced scrutiny with her novel about high school bullying, Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass, because the title has a swear word in it—and you know such language is never spoken in school hallways! Kate Messner was dis-invited from a school speaking engagement while on tour for her book, The Seventh Wish, because the main character’s sister struggles with a heroin addiction, affecting the whole family. But there’s no reason to talk about the real-life heroin epidemic affecting kids in high schools and middle schools across the U.S., is there?
The Decatur Public Library, Forsyth Public Library, Mt. Zion Public Library, and several local entities joined forces in the name of economic development to offer DemographicsNow: Business & People, an online business tool that provides detailed demographic data on more than 24 million active businesses, and 206 million consumers. This new resource makes it easy for all types of users to collect, analyze and act upon information, all from a single location.
Watch this video from Decatur & Macon County to see how DemographicsNow can help local entrepreneurs.
Read moreLibraries Build Community Partnerships in the Name of Economic Development
By Debra Kirby
When my oldest daughter, now a middle school teacher, brought home her first essay, it was on the subject of bullying. She wrote it after reading Judy Blume’s Blubber for a school assignment. The essay, which I still have, provided a preview of what a kind, compassionate person and awesome teacher she would one day become. As the 10th anniversary of National Bullying Prevention Month approaches this October, I thought I’d do a little research on the subject, which was never the focus of national attention when I was a student. It’s only in relatively recent years that bullying has been commonly recognized as something other than a “natural part of growing up” or rite of passage.
Malala Yousafzai, Svetlana Alexievich and Shakespeare
I think of literary criticism as a conversation: an author speaks to an audience, which responds with comments, questions, sometimes praise, and sometimes disparagement. The discussion can last for centuries. In the case of Shakespeare, for instance, in 1592, early in his career, he was dismissed by fellow writer Robert Greene as an “upstart crow beautified with our feathers” and mocked as a “Shake-scene” (whatever that is).
GVRL is a unique eBook platform—the only one designed specifically for research—but sometimes it’s difficult to explain exactly what makes it great. So let’s show you, using four timely examples of how patrons can use GVRL to research exactly what they need to achieve the outcomes they desire.
With summer well under way, you may have a vacation right around the corner! Your next vacation could also still be down the road—it’s never too early to start planning. For this example, we’ve chosen Amalfi.