Schools

The Greatest Resistance Stories

| By Debra Kirby |

In honor of Holocaust Month, which is observed in the United States in April, I’m sharing a few of my current reads and older favorites related to World War II resistance groups and individuals. With a background like mine—a lifelong interest in World War II history, French and Polish grandparents, and a tendency toward activism—stories about WWII resistance in Europe have long attracted my interest. Below are a few of my current and longtime favorites, as well as recommendations on which Gale databases you can visit to learn more about WWII resistance.

 Recent Nonfiction Favorites:

The Resistance, 1940: An Anthology of Writings from the French Underground translated and annotated by Charles B. Potter (2016). This fascinating first person accounting of four French Resistance fighters, including national heroes Jean Moulin and Germaine Tillion, would make an excellent primary source student resource.

The Zoo Keeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman (2007) chronicles the experiences of Polish citizens Antonina and Jan Zabinski and their sheltering of Jews on the grounds of the Warsaw Zoo. A movie based on the book and starring Jessica Chastain premiered in Warsaw in early March.

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One Shining Moment in Space and Time

| By Debra Kirby |

While a history major in college, one of my classes was a one-on-one tutorial on the history of science.  During one session my patient professor was able to explain Einstein’s special relativity theory so that I was truly able to understand it—for one bright shining moment. I could almost feel my brain working! It was beautiful! Sorry to say, I was never again able to recapture that moment in quite the same way, despite later taking a “Physics for Poets” class and going through quite the hero worship phase, which included reading every book on Einstein I was able to purchase or borrow. I even hung a poster of him in my bedroom. Because my history focus was on World War II, I found Einstein biographies especially fascinating, since much of his life was intertwined with and influenced by that war.  In honor of Einstein’s birthday today, March 14, I recently visited Gale’s Science In Context to reacquaint myself with the great physicist. Here are just a few of the interesting facts I found:

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Teaching Research Made Easy with Gale

| By Lori Warren | Located in Chattanooga, the STEM School opened in the Summer of 2012 on the Chattanooga State Community College Campus. The high school’s name stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. All students enrolled: receive an iPad, participate in Project Based Learning Units, and pursue a STEM focused curriculum. As their … Read more

Canada oh Canada – Neighbor to the North, East, South (depending)

Canada has been in the United States news more than usual recently, with the visit of Justin Trudeau in early February, the proposed resumption of construction on the Keystone Pipeline, and news that some immigrants residing in the United States are now fleeing to Canada. In many parts of the United States, Canada may not … Read more

Library Media Specialist Points Fellow Librarians to Opposing Viewpoints In Context

Originally posted on School Library Journal, February 15, 2017 Fake news is everywhere, and many Americans in this digital age struggle to sort fact from fiction. As the concern for fake news and what to to with it grows, students and researchers are turning to the library for reliable, authoritative tools to aid proper research. … Read more

New Professional Development Collections from Solution Tree

Gale recently partnered with Solution Tree, a premier provider of professional development resources, that strives to increase student achievement and ensure that every child in every school gets the world-class education he or she deserves. Thanks to this partnership, instructors and administrators can better enhance their professional development eBook collection to further meet strategic goals. … Read more

Hamilton County Schools Explore Gale Pages

By Lori Warren In the summer of 2016, Becky Coleman and Lori Warren partnered with Steve Hicks, Gale Customer Success Manager and Tony Bottrell, Gale Usage Services Manager, to create a HCDE District Library Website and 70 Individual School Websites for the Hamilton County Schools. These websites were created with Gale Pages, a content management system … Read more

Gale Interactive: Science: “Highly Recommended”

With Gale Interactive: Science, users can delve deep into concepts with tools to zoom, rotate and explore models. These engaging, interactive models bring science to life, allowing students to better visualize and understand concepts in biology, chemistry, and earth and space science.

Students and instructors can manipulate and explore 3D models that are paired with reference and periodical content for further understanding. When clicking through each session, relevant reference content related to the images is shown and the user also has the ability to search across content to find exactly what they are looking for.

Learn more with a review from a Library Media Specialist:

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Philosophy: Sources, Perspectives, and Methodologies: Highly Recommended in All Libraries

Looking for a way to stimulate philosophical discussions without lengthy excerpts? The search stops here with Philosophy: Sources, Perspectives, and Methodologies. By using film, literature, art, case studies, and other disciplines to provide an innovative approach to introducing philosophy, this resource will be your one-stop source for all things philosophy.

See what a professor said in CHOICE, February, 2017:

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The Biking Librarian Promotes Resources Throughout the Community

By Sally Robertson, Librarian, Nashville State Community College

I am a bike commuting librarian at Nashville State Community College in Nashville, TN.  My passion job is what I do. I love helping people find the information they need. I am a member of the Tennessee Library Association and a part of the Sustain Round Table of ALA. A bike is sustainable transportation and also a great way to tell Tennessee citizens about TEL. I commute to my job by train and bike. Sometimes when I ride through neighborhoods I will stop and chat with people, always telling them about all the great free resources Tennesseans have access to in TEL, and handing out TEL and database bookmarks!

Some of the reasons I like to promote the Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL) resources so much are that they are: