The New GVRL: Online eBook Browsing and More

Gale Virtual Reference Library GVRL

While uptake on eBooks has been phenomenally fast around the world, many users still long to see book content displayed in a traditional book format. Readers like the sense of “place” they experience on the printed page, the comfort of a familiar layout, and the reading breaks afforded by page turns.

The book-like online reading experience is prevalent across popular reading platforms, and user expectations have now translated to research eBooks as well.

Read moreThe New GVRL: Online eBook Browsing and More

Behind the Screen: At the Dibner Library

By Jennifer Albers-Smith

I’ve been to the Smithsonian a couple times before, and I’ve always thought of it as just a museum (and a glorious one at that) – giant covered wagon, old-fashioned cars, sewing machines, etc. I had absolutely no idea what lay behind the exhibits until my recent trip to do some filming for our latest Behind the Screen video at the National Museum of American History.

We lugged our film equipment through the side entrance and took a long walk through a dimly-lit maze to get to a wooden door – the entrance to the Dibner Library. I had never noticed the sign for the Dibner Library before. It’s right off the main entrance to the museum, and open to the public, but it’s tucked away, and most visitors have no idea it exists… What’s inside is an absolute treasure trove.

Read moreBehind the Screen: At the Dibner Library

“Amazing… Highly Recommended… A Boon to Students.” Library Journal Likes Liberty Magazine Historical Archive.

By Melissa Rayner

And the good news just keeps on coming! In this month’s issue, Library Journal concluded:

“The day-to-day details of middle-class living that are indexed here are amazing. The database is highly recommended for public, academic, and special libraries everywhere. This file will be a boon to students and frontline librarians for the ads alone.”

Want to know more?

Read more“Amazing… Highly Recommended… A Boon to Students.” Library Journal Likes Liberty Magazine Historical Archive.

In Other News: The World Cup

A look at a current news item through the lens of different titles available on GVRL.

By Michelle Eickmeyer

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!

Soccer. Football. The beautiful game. Ready or not, here comes the World Cup! (For the sake of sanity and simplification in this post,”soccer” refers to the game with the round ball while “football” refers to game with the oblong one.)

For most of the world, the most exciting month has just begun and Brazil is the place to be. For years, soccer has been a second-class sport among Americans. While there are always die-hard exceptions, soccer has struggled to gain a serious following. Which doesn’t make any sense at all.

Read moreIn Other News: The World Cup

The Changing Student Demographic

By Jennifer Albers-Smith

Student demographics are changing–foreign, traditional, non-traditional, online. The way people access learning and research is changing. The Parthenon Group surveyed 3,200 students. Only 24% of those students were considered traditional. There is no doubt that the world has changed drastically in the last decade. Here at Gale, we know that your library plays a critical role in preparing your students, making them more successful in their courses, and helping them meet faculty expectations.

Read moreThe Changing Student Demographic

In Other News: D-Day

A look at a current news item through the lens of different titles available on GVRL.

By Michelle Eickmeyer

True story: I saw “Saving Private Ryan” in the theater twice because the fist time I couldn’t bear to watch the 27 minute opening scene — reputedly known for being one of the most accurate (read: horrifying) recreations of nearly 10,000 men injured or killed on a beach. (I also passed out while holding my breath during the final scene of “Black Hawk Down”; my fear and knowing the truth behind the real-life version of what happened next getting the better of me. But that is neither here nor there.)

Read moreIn Other News: D-Day

A Publishing Executive’s Perspective on the Value of Older Titles

Relevancy in older book titles

By Frank Menchaca

Library collections are developed with a keen eye towards selection criteria like quality, currency, and relevancy. These are logical considerations for any budget, but especially in today’s landscape, where libraries of all types and sizes are being tasked to make an increasingly greater impact, often with fewer financial resources.

When consulting with our library partners, we discover that oftentimes, currency implies relevancy and older titles, though tried and true, are quickly dismissed.

In the spirit of the old adage, “make new friends, but keep the old,” we’ve asked Frank Menchaca to share his personal perspective on the value of offering a collection which includes these older, but not outdated, research eBooks. Frank is the Senior Vice President of Global Product Management for the Gale, National Geographic Learning, and Professional groups at Cengage Learning.

Read moreA Publishing Executive’s Perspective on the Value of Older Titles

In Other News: Maya Angelou

A look at a current news item through the lens of different titles available on GVRL.

By Michelle Eickmeyer

For many of us, our first introduction to Maya Angelou came in the form of a required reading list. “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” has graced innumerable backpacks and lockers. Her writing style, mission, and general awesomeness has not gone unnoticed. Ms Angelou has won Tony, Emmy and Grammy awards. She has received the Lincoln Medal (2008), the National Medal of Arts (2010), and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2011). She has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.

She is also one of the most banned authors in American history.

Read moreIn Other News: Maya Angelou

In Other News: Memorial Day

A look at a current news item through the lens of different titles available on GVRL.

By Michelle Eickmeyer

Memorial Day. The unofficial start of summer in the U.S. A holiday marked by barbecues, boats, yard work, and more so lately, retail sales on appliances. Random.

But Memorial Day is a time dedicated to remembering those who gave their life in service to the country. We celebrate their dedication to our freedoms by, well, celebrating our freedoms. Particularly the pursuit of happiness (and food and water sports). Originally begun as “Decoration Day,” this holiday takes time to remember and (safely) celebrate those who served. For them, we are grateful.

Read moreIn Other News: Memorial Day

Civil War History is 80% Off

By Geoff Schwartz

The American Civil War produced many legendary commanders whose deeds have been celebrated in song, paintings, and film. But what about the lesser-known participants, those who made an impact without the benefits of high rank and great power? Imagine someone with the guts to remove a musket ball from a jawbone with only a pocket knife, and to storm the beaches near Charleston, SC under heavy fire.

Read moreCivil War History is 80% Off
https://blog.gale.com/category/academic/page/80/
blog.gale.com
crawl=CC-MAIN-2021-04
118294
application/http; msgtype=response
sha1:EDFFTJ5GB734G2YMEBDQWDZVO7WHDS2Q
<urn:uuid:384f0cf6-832a-4f17-97c4-23a528f54980>
2021-01-17T07:21:14Z
141.193.213.20
text/html
sha1:A5RVVRSYGLPMP6HRLMY2A4CAL276RO6Z
<urn:uuid:c903dc8a-c201-4149-b2e6-ba6257fab74b>
https://blog.gale.com/category/academic/page/80/
response
<urn:uuid:381fb8d5-b77a-4a29-811a-db7848b41910>
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2021-04
publisher: Common Crawl
description: Wide crawl of the web for January 2021
operator: Common Crawl Admin (info@commoncrawl.org)
hostname: ip-10-67-67-250.ec2.internal
software: Apache Nutch 1.17 (modified, https://github.com/commoncrawl/nutch/)
robots: checked via crawler-commons 1.2-SNAPSHOT (https://github.com/crawler-commons/crawler-commons)
format: WARC File Format 1.1
conformsTo: http://iipc.github.io/warc-specifications/specifications/warc-format/warc-1.1/