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Shifting Perception: Libraries = Education

Frederick Road Howard County Library System

By Valerie J. Gross

There’s a powerful movement afoot and it’s gaining momentum.

Hailed byLibrary Journalas “a 21st-century library model, with a position, doctrine, purpose, and curriculum worthy of study and consideration by every other library in America, if not the world,” this effective strategy takes libraries back to their original purpose.

At the turn of the 20thcentury, libraries were established as educational institutions to deliver equal opportunity in education for everyone. Somehow, a century later, we find ourselves with a diluted purpose—so much so that fully one third of Americans do not know what we do.

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Shifting Perception: Why Essentialness is Not the Problem

Chattanooga Public Library

By Corinne Hill

The fact that the topic of “the essentialness of libraries” is trending right now reveals a completely different issue that has nothing to do with the library being essential.

这个趋势topic and ensuing discussions reveal about our profession is that we’re totally insecure. We are frantic in our zeal to be everything to everyone, and we’re so busy and distracted with the gathering of evidence to defend our existence that we forget who we are.

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Highlights and Notes tool coming to Gale’s digital resources

We all know the rules – don’t take notes in your textbooks and don’t write in books you’ve checked out from the library, or else you might face a fine.

As eBooks and digital resources have become more and more popular, a similar problem has presented itself: how can a user easily take notes without opening a separate program? Gale has found the solution with our newHighlights and Notestool, scheduled to launch on or around Tuesday, September 30, inArtemis Literary Sources,GVRL,In Context*,InfoTrac,Kids InfoBits,Literature Resource Center,LitFinder, andPowerSearch.

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New Customer Data Upload Feature for DemographicsNow! Business and People

DemographicsNow Public Library Business Resource

Now, business researchers andsmall business ownerscan be even savvier with more customer knowledge. A new feature withinDemographicsNow!gives your users the ability to upload their customer or business data and blend it with rich consumer information, like demographics, psychographics, and Experian consumer segments!

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Gale Artemis: Literary Sources gives you more with cross-searching

Artemis Literary Sources

Did you hear the news?Gale Artemis: Literary Sourcesis taking another step towards helping you get the literary information you need when you need it with the additions ofSomething About the AuthorandDictionary of Literary Biography！如果你有这些系列中,你现在可以cross-search with other incredible literary sources likeTwayne’s Authors Online, Scribner Writers Online, Literature Criticism Online,等等。

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Weekend Travel Reads

Large Print Book on a Beach

By Holly Hibner and Mary Kelly

You’re going away for the weekend. You have a few hours to kill on the plane, or maybe in the car, and you love to read. You don’t want to think too much, though – after all, you’re on vacation! You need a book you can devour in a weekend. What’s it going to be? Here are some suggestions for quick, light reads perfect for vacation.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Societyby Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows (2008)
History buffswill find this short work of fiction (274 pages) a perfect vacation read. German-occupied Guernsey Island during World War II is the setting, and the characters are a lovable, eccentric group who form a literary club. A writer named Juliet is intrigued by their society, and joins them on Guernsey Island. Her letters detail her experiences with people who become true friends, and their struggles during the occupation of their home during the war.

Big Girl Pantiesby Stephanie Evanovich (2014)
There’s something for everyone on this list! Fans of chick lit, gossipy style, and a little (ok, a lot…) of sexy romance will enjoy this quick read. Holly Brennan, a young widow, hooks up with a trainer to get her into shape. Of course, there is undeniable chemistry between them! This one isnotrecommended for a family car ride audio book! Load up your e-reader and bring a fan, because this one is hot, hot, hot! Perfect for the beach!

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The History of Transcontinental Travel: The Unknown Horizon

American Progress, by John Gast, 1872. Chromolithograph published by George A. Crofutt. Source: Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress.

By Ryan Price

John Gast was a painter based in Brooklyn when he was commissioned to paint this picture for George Crofutt, a publisher of a popular series of western travel guides. The images Gast put to canvas represent a historical timeline of transportation technologies up until 1872 when the painting was completed. The Indian travois, the covered wagons, Pony Express, overland stage and the three railroad lines are not only progressively pushing one another forward (from East to West) but also driving the indigenous inhabitants — buffalo, bear and Native Americans — almost literally off of the painting. In the wake of this expansion are the tall ships in the Atlantic. Meanwhile, Columbia (a personification of the United States) guides the way, holding a schoolbook in one hand while stringing telegraph wire with the other. The imagery is a vivid and dynamic telling of not only thehistoryof westward expansion but the future of it as well.

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Genealogy Tips to Handle the Pitfalls of Passenger Records

Genealogy Public Library Resources

By Michael Tepper

Researchers often run into problems when they are on the trail of an immigrant ancestor. The most common misconception about passenger lists is the belief that people had their names changed when they got to Ellis Island. In fact, immigrants did not change their names unless they applied for a change of name by deed poll at a courthouse or when they were naturalized. During processing at Ellis Island, officials had the actual ships’ manifests in front of them. They called each immigrant by name, according to the manifests, and often put a check next to the name after it had been called. So the passenger records are an exact reflection of the immigrants’ identities before they crossed the Atlantic, not after.

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