10 Reasons Why GVRL is Ideal for Classroom Use

To aid in the adoption of eBooks for instruction, here are 10 reasons we hear Gale eBooks on GVRL is uniquely positioned to support instruction and affordability initiatives. In the course of developing this list, we consulted with librarians, faculty partners, as well as our own instructional designers and product managers. This list should clear up … Read more

Gale Helps Cody High School Discover MeL Resources

Posted on April 21, 2016

By Tracey L. Matthews

Some schools acquire Gale resources on a state-wide level, offering broad access to our authoritative resources. But not everyone knows they’re available. Detroit’s (MI) Cody Academy of Public Leadership is one example.

In the course of setting up a mentoring program nearly two years ago with Cody High School’s Academy of Public Leadership, one of the first things we learned was that the staff was unaware they had access to any reference content. Like many other schools in the Detroit school district, their media specialist positions had been eliminated, leaving busy and challenged teachers with no help identifying resources for their students, who not surprisingly relied primarily on Google for their research needs.

Our first service to Cody was to hold a training session with Cody staff to introduce them to the Michigan Electronic Library (MeL), through which they had easy access to a wide variety of reference and periodical databases, including Gale products like Opposing Viewpoints In Context.

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GVRL Pleases Patrons, Young and Old, in Santa Clara County Library District

GVRL eBook Success Story

Lora Cokolat is a Collection Development and Reading Librarian for the Santa Clara County Library District, working in the District’s Services and Support Center in

Campbell, California. Lora purchases e-books, DVDs, book club kits, and e-magazines to support patrons who use the district’s seven libraries and two bookmobiles. Part of the District’s mission is to provide diverse resources on a wide variety of subjects and viewpoints, and to help people use those resources — a task right up the alley of GVRL eBooks.

“We are committed to offering a variety of subject areas, topics, and viewpoints,” says Lora. “Providing electronic versions of reference sources can be more cost effective than print copies at multiple locations.”

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Educators Embrace Technology to Verify Digital Resource Quality

GVRL eBook Success Story

Lauren Stokes, the Virtual Library Manager at the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, often envisions customers in their bedtime pajamas. “I want them to be nice and comfortable,” Stokes joked. Stokes has good reason to picture users in this manner. It’s her job to ensure the 1.2 million people served by the 25 libraries in her county not only have access to but are using the district’s investment of digital resources.

To accomplish her goal, Stokes first had to convince educators and customers the library’s digital offerings were of the same quality as its print collection. “It just didn’t seem to click that it’s the same content whether you’re looking at it online or on a piece of paper,” Stokes said.

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Re-thinking Ready Reference with GVRL

nonfiction ebooks

By Holly Hibner and Mary Kelly

In the olden days before computers, ready reference collections were the soul of a library. Librarians helping patrons to answer questions or understand a topic always started in the reference section of the library. They were the most expensive materials and librarians were vigilant in guarding those precious items. I have been admonished by a librarian more than once for not handling these books carefully.

Ready reference collections have adapted to the new world of instant access, anywhere and anytime. Patrons still have questions and are trying to understand topics as always, but now they want it faster, more convenient, and always reliable. The reference need is still there, but now librarians have to think about access and delivery to patrons.

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Featured Publisher: ABDO Publishing

An ongoing look at partner publishers available through GVRL

By Geoff Schwartz

ABDO Publishing Company (ABDO) is a leading educational publisher of books and digital resources for today’s libraries and schools. For more than 25 years, ABDO has strived to provide the best in reading and research for children and young adults.

Gale is proud to carry ABDO’s educational nonfiction eBooks for grades 5-12. They contain high-quality text features including a table of contents, a glossary, an index, timelines, maps, diagrams, sidebars, full-color photos and captions, primary source materials, and more. Each book is leveled using grade-appropriate language to promote reading success, and is designed to be visually appealing and interesting to children and young adult readers.

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Featured Publisher: ReferencePoint Press

An ongoing look at partner publishers available through GVRL

By Geoff Schwartz

Established in 2006, ReferencePoint Press is an independent educational publishing house focused on high-quality series nonfiction for students and researchers in grades 6-12.

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Featured Publisher: Rourke Educational Media

An ongoing look at partner publishers available through GVRL

By Geoff Schwartz

Rourke Educational Media (Rourke) has been publishing eye-catching, engaging nonfiction children’s books that comply with national curriculum standards since 1980.

Read moreFeatured Publisher: Rourke Educational Media