public libraries Archives | Page 33 of 35 | Gale Blog: Library & Educator News

May the Fourth Be with You: Using the Force

September 1, 2015May 4, 2014

By Robert Lisiecki

May the fourth be with you. Wait, I thought it was, “may the force be with you.” You know a film made a monumental impact on society when people assign a date in the calendar year to geek out. Let’s get geeky, Star Wars friends.

I’m admittedly not a self-proclaimed Star Wars nerd, but I’ve had a few light saber fights in my day, and I was Jar Jar Binks one year for Halloween; so, that counts for something… right?

It’s fascinating to think about the impactful nature of Star Wars, and how it still remains a force today (they just released the cast for the new movie!). Not only was it a monumental cinematic success, but it also impacted Hollywood, pop culture, and merchandising.

Out of the Office: In Germany!

June 5, 2014May 3, 2014

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.”

Discover new titles for Explorers like Chris

May 23, 2018May 2, 2014

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.

Featured Partner: IGI Global

July 8, 2014May 1, 2014

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.

Do you keep your library’s business resources hidden?

May 23, 2018April 30, 2014

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.

Featured Partner: ABC-CLIO

July 8, 2014April 24, 2014

An ongoing look at the partner publishers available through GVRL.

By Melissa Rayner

Founded in 1955, ABC-CLIO is named for the Greek muse that inspired history, thus symbolizing the company’s origins in publishing historical literature and bibliographies. Today, ABC-CLIO is a leading publisher of both print and digital materials of reference, contemporary thought, and professional development for academic, school, and public librarians.

Large Print Books Mom Will Love

June 5, 2014April 23, 2014

By Ginny Raye

When I was given this topic, I thought, “Oh, please . . . piece of cake.” I started thinking about the types of books that I love, because, hey, I’m a mom! Then I realized that, even though I love a good steamy romance (probably more than I should), my 91-year-old mother would be less likely to sit down to “50 Shades of Grey” and probably leans more toward Nora Roberts. She absolutely loved the Boonsboro Trilogy that I got her for Christmas last year. And it was in large print. Even better. Oh, there is some steam there, but it’s toned down to a small kitchen fire, unlike the five alarm, burning inferno that is my usual choice. Hmm . . . this assignment suddenly became harder than I thought.

I Can See Clearly Now: Window & Wiper Care

February 26, 2018April 18, 2014

By Tracy Junker

April is National Car Care Month and since April showers bring May flowers, it might be a good time to prep your vehicle with some best practices for window and wiper care.

How to check and clean wiper blades
We’ve all been there. It is raining just enough to make a mess of the windshield, but not enough to really clean it. And the wiper blades just make the situation worse!

Howard County Goes Big with STEM for Teens

June 5, 2014April 16, 2014

By Valerie Gross

Two years ago, when Howard County Library System (HCLS) began planning a 50 percent space increase for its Savage Branch, a team of HCLS visionaries proposed an opportunity: Why not design a cool, jazzy space to serve as headquarters for HiTech, HCLS’ cutting-edge STEM education initiative for teens?

This idea led to the HCLS Savage Branch & STEM Education Center, opening this summer. The venue will boast an Einstein Classroom, George Washington Carver Science Lab, Oscar Micheaux audio/video room, Curie Café, Leonoardo DaVinci Conference Room, and Gallileo Laptop Bar — all perfect for HiTech!

How Somers Library Uses Social Media

June 5, 2014April 9, 2014

By Valerie Herman

Social media offers an opportunity that intersects beautifully with the librarian’s role; after all, curating information and disseminating it to the public is what we have always done, but now we can do it faster, better, and more extensively.