By Tina Creguer
Okay, so maybe the Wizard of Oz’s Dorothy has a point: there’s no place like home. But, for many people, there’s nothing more invigorating than being on the open road and exploring new places.
According to the U.S. Travel Association, Americans took 2.1 billion person-trips* in 2013 for both leisure and business. That’s a whole lot of travel! 78% of those trips were for leisure purposes; 22% for business. The association also reports that trip planning sources have shifted over the last several years, with social media and mobile devices being used more often.
With members of your community looking to electronic resources to support their travel planning, what resources do you provide to support their need for adventure and exploration?
Your go-to for going
Give travelers access to unparalleled electronic resources that will enrich and enlighten their adventures. Gale offers high-demand titles in eBook format that patrons can access anytime, anywhere – whether from an airport in Mumbai, a park bench at Disney Land, or their favorite easy chair. Among the dozens of titles include these:
- DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: California
- DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Caribbean
- DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Costa Rica
- DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Sri Lanka
- Eyewitness Travel Family Guide Washington, DC
- The Rough Guide to Fiji
- The Rough Guide to New York City
- Top 10 Delhi
- Top 10 New Orleans
- Top 10 San Francisco
Explore these resources the GVRL eBook platform, lauded for its quality content from the best nonfiction publishers and stellar functionality. GVRL wins praise from librarians and users alike for these attributes:
- Everyone can access resources at the same time. With free unlimited simultaneous usage, you’ll never hit a limit that blocks users. And anonymity is built in, so users can feel comfortable finding information on any topic.
- It’s easy to use. GVRL provides HTML and PDF formats, cross-searching, and tools to highlight, cite, print, email, listen, and more. And with indexing at the title, chapter, and article level, users can pinpoint information quickly.
- Links don’t break. Persistent URLs at the article/chapter level allow users to bookmark content and return to it at any time. And you can embed direct links in outreach materials with confidence that patrons will have ongoing access to that information.
- Continuous improvement. GVRL gets better every day/month/year, with ongoing enhancements and innovations. Coming soon: responsive design that optimizes content to any browser size, device, or smartphone screen (no more pinching and scrolling).
- Affordability. Gale offers collections and bundles that make this resource within reach for libraries of all sizes. Or choose titles a la carte and find volume discounts. Once you own the eBook, you’ll receive 75% off the print version.
For a firsthand look at how easy it is to use GVRL, check out this YouTube video showing how to search and explore eBooks – with seamless access to related information across titles.
Bring the world to your library – for free
Request your free trial today and consider giving your community a surefire way to discover new places and plan excursions they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.
* Person-trip defined as one person on a trip away from home overnight in paid accommodations or on a day or overnight trip to places 50+ miles from home
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About the Author
Tina has been a library fan-girl since childhood, when she visited weekly with her family. She can be found many mornings standing outside her hometown library at opening time, waiting to nab a study room.
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