Here are the latest titles added to Gale Virtual Reference Library.

Gale is committed to adding value to the library and delivering power to users. As part of this mission, we regularly use this blog and its companion, the Re:sources eNewsletter to share best practices on how librarians are building and promoting their reference collections. Best Practices will become a searchable category on this blog.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) recently launched a podcast series, "Libraries to the Rescue," which cover a range of topics, and features librarians speaking directly about what steps they are taking to connect with their communities. We learned about these great discussions on the official blog of the Public Library Association and are eager to spread the good word.

Listen to the podcasts: http://www.imls.gov/resources/podcasts_Jun09.shtm

Read the press release: http://www.imls.gov/news/2009/062409.shtm

Patrick Cavendish (1939-2000) made his mark in the publishing industry when the British Printing Corporation (BPC) put him in charge of partwork marketing. In that position, he was responsible for the spectacular success of a History of the Second World War.

At BPC, Cavendish met Norman Marshall (1925-1980) and together they ran partworks for the British publisher. In 1967, they left BPC to set up Marshall Cavendish; the following year the firm published its first partwork, “Mind Alive” – an encyclopedia for young people.

Cavendish, as marketing director, demonstrated that he was ahead of his time in the skillful use of television and market research. “Mind Alive” was advertised in every television commercial break in a single evening. Although the practice was promptly banned by the Independent Broadcasting Association, Cavendish had met his objective - the first of issue of “Mind Alive” sold 700,000 copies.

Other successful series followed, including The Game (about sports), the Encyclopedia of Gardening, the Book of Life and Golden Hands, a guide to knitting, and needlecraft.

The Times Publishing Group acquired Marshall Cavendish in 1980. They have published over 150 complete collections encompassing the fields of Education, General & Reference, Business, Home and Library Reference, among others.

Eight Marshall Cavendish titles are included in Gale Virtual Reference Library, among them "Animal and Plant Anatomy," "Diseases and Disorders" and "Exploring American History." New titles will be added later this year.

View a list of Marshall Cavendish titles on the Gale Virtual Reference Library.

Students at Detroit Country Day School (Beverly Hills, MI) can access eBooks from the school’s collection as well as those offered by the State Library of Michigan through the Michigan Electronic Library (MeL). 

This school year, special eBook collections were added for the Middle School and Upper School.  Additionally, Middle School Media Specialist Cheri Dobbs created Gale Virtual Reference Library subcollections and posted links to them on project resource pages on the library Web site. 

For her project pages, Dobbs pulled in direct URLs and pictures of specific eBooks to direct the students’ research more closely.

Last December, Dobbs feared that she wouldn’t have time to fit 8th grade research assignments into her teaching schedule as history teachers began  assigning research.  The solution: Dobbs created an eBook subcollection for them and posted the link on the project resource page on my Web site. Then Dobbs recorded a screencast to engage student interest and demonstrate how to use the eBook collection.  They were very successful with finding what they needed.  

When Dobbs added an eBook search widget to her library home page, usage soared -  in a 30-day period from February to March, 22% of the school’s annual total of eBook searches were recorded. 

“The students love that they can download articles and use them offline,” said Dobbs. “Both students and teachers love that they are getting reliable, authoritative sources so easily.” 

Here are the latest titles added to Gale Virtual Reference Library.

Marking the 30th anniversary of the first edition, Melton's Encyclopedia of American Religions, 8th Edition covers more than 2,800 North American religious organizations, including nearly 200 entirely new listings.

 
Edited by J. Gordon Melton, founding director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion, the publication provides coverage of the American religious landscape for students, scholars and general researchers. Dr. Melton has authored many Gale titles including the New Age Encyclopedia, Religious Leaders of America, The Churches Speak Series and The Vampire Book: Encyclopedia of the Undead.

Melton's Encyclopedia of American Religion is available for your Gale Virtual Reference Library collection.

Here are the latest titles added to Gale Virtual Reference Library.

Stationed in the Panama Canal Zone during World War II, Frank N. Magill pondered all of the great books he had read and others he had never found time to read. He believed people would appreciate a source that would recall the plots of the world's great works of literature or provide a concise summary of books worth reading. Following the war, Magill followed up on his idea, publishing the first edition of “Masterplots.”

That title became the foundation for a growing list of reference works and established a career for Magill as publisher and editor-in-chief of Salem Press, which he continued to pursue until his death in 1997.

More than 30 titles from Salem Press are currently available in the Gale Virtual Reference Library, including the award-winning “Milestone Documents in American History” - a new series combining full-text primary source documents with expert analysis and commentary.

See a list of Gale Virtual Reference Library titles from Salem Press.

President John F. Kennedy designated May 1963 as Senior Citizens Month, encouraging the nation to pay tribute to older people across the country. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter's proclamation changed the name to Older Americans Month, a time to celebrate those 65 and older through ceremonies, events, and public recognition.
 
There were nearly 40 million people 65 and older in the United States on July 1, 2007, accounting for 13 percent of the total population. 

As you build an eBook subcollection to address the needs of older Americans in your community, here are two that you might consider:

Gale Encyclopedia of Senior Health: A Guide for Seniors and Their Care Givers

Here are the latest titles added to Gale Virtual Reference Library.

Help your community find the facts about H1N1, often known as the swine flu. Download this widget and add it to your Web page to share free access to scientific and historical facts about H1N1 through Gale’s newly created portal in Global Issues in Context.

Like you, we’re dedicated to providing up-to-date news and information about vital issues from around the world. Here’s your chance to offer your users access dozens of eBooks and other resources from Gale and our publishing partners.

Preview and download free resources today: http://www.gale.cengage.com/flu/

Here are the latest titles added to Gale Virtual Reference Library.

You’ll hear it everywhere soon -  two great new enhancements are coming to the Gale Virtual Reference Library eBook platform in May, including the addition of ReadSpeaker technology and subject guide searching!

ReadSpeaker allows users to select any portion of text or an entire article to be streamed as audio. With a click of a button, the text from a Gale Virtual Reference Library article can be read aloud via the user’s computer, making it accessible in a new way. These audio segments can also be saved as MP3 files for use on MP3 players for listening at a later time.

Once Subject Guide searching is enabled, your users will be able to search subjects across your entire Gale Virtual Reference Library collection delivering results beyond the basic keyword and title search options.

Watch for future RE:sources Blog posts, or check with your Gale Representative for more information.