Press Room

Gale Launches Groundbreaking Reference Source - Slavery and Anti-Slavery: A Transnational Archive

2009-06-26T10:16:17-04:00

Farmington Hills, Mich., June 26, 2009 – Gale, part of Cengage Learning, today introduced a new electronic resource offering the most comprehensive archive available chronicling slavery from the 16th Century through the early 20th Century. Slavery and Anti-Slavery: A Transnational Archive, represents the first-ever, large-scale database to make available historical books, manuscripts, newspapers, periodicals, court records, and other sources in one cross-searchable location.

“Slavery and Anti-Slavery is a flagship of Gale’s expanding program of digital archives designed to serve the needs of academic researchers and students,” said Jim Draper, Gale’s vice president and publisher of Digital Collections. “This source is the gateway into the global study of race relations, religion, education, politics, economics, and law through the lens of slavery.”

The first of the four-part series, Debates over Slavery and Abolition, explores the varying viewpoints and debates that surrounded the practice, experience and eventual abolition of slavery in the U.S., as well as in Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It will be followed by Part II in 2011. Once completed, the entire four-part digital archive will comprise 5 million pages of documents.

This collection--Debates over Slavery and Abolition, Slave Trade in the Atlantic World, Institution of Slavery, Age of Emancipation--embraces the historical study of slavery in a comprehensive, conceptual and global way.

Collections drawn from institutions such as Amistad Research Center, Oberlin College, Yale University, and Oxford University allow for unparalleled depth and breadth of content. Scholarly reference materials are drawn from MacMillan Reference USA, Charles Scribner’s Sons, and Gale encyclopedias, among others, and contextual commentary has been created specially for this collection. With documents from 7,242 books and pamphlets, 80 newspapers and periodicals and over 600,000 pages of manuscripts, teachers and researchers will have access to a comprehensive array of opposing views and perspectives in one database.

A sampling of the sources represented in the series –

Books and Pamphlets

Anti-Slavery Collection from Oberlin College
Anti-Slavery Collection from Oxford University
Eighteenth Century Collection
Sabin Americana
Slavery Tracts and Pamphlets from the West India Committee Collection
The Slave Trade Book and Pamphlet Collection; 1680-1865 from the Royal Commonwealth Society

Manuscripts

The American Missionary Association Archives, 1839-1882 from the Amistad Research Center
The Slave Trade Papers: Papers of Sir Thomas Fowell-Buxton from Oxford University
The Lewis Tappan Papers from the Library of Congress
The Salmon Chase Papers from the Library of Congress

For more information, please contact Linda Busse at linda.busse@cengage.com.

About Cengage Learning and Gale
Cengage Learning delivers highly customized learning solutions for colleges, universities, professors, students, libraries, government agencies, corporations and professionals around the world. Gale, part of Cengage Learning, serves the world's information and education needs through its vast and dynamic content pools, which are used by students and consumers in their libraries, schools and on the Internet. It is best known for the accuracy, breadth and convenience of its data, addressing all types of information needs – from homework help to health questions to business profiles – in a variety of formats. For more information, visit www.cengage.com or www.gale.com.

###

Gale Releases PowerSearch 2.0 - Increased Searchability of Library Content and Enhanced Interface Functionality

2009-06-24T14:32:53-04:00

Farmington Hills, Mich., June 24, 2009 – Gale, part of Cengage Learning, today announced the launch of PowerSearch 2.0, an enhanced version of the original PowerSearch platform which provides the library community comprehensive access to authoritative reference, periodical and primary source information, providing greater “power to the user.”

PowerSearch 2.0 simplifies browsing through Gale’s more than 20,000 publications, providing the ability to search across more than 150 million documents. The new interface provides users a Web-like experience and includes added features that will appeal to and empower library patrons, students and other researchers.

Key enhancements provide more customization options for the user, allowing them to create their own custom profile. Users can modify the home page so that the topics and publications they are interested in are fed through RSS feeds directly to the page at login. In addition, users have better navigation options such as the new Publication Browse with hover technology which allows users to see more publication details without clicking through.

Other Improvements include –

Web 2.0 sharing tools including Del.icio.us, MySpace, Reddit, Digg, Facebook, Newsvine, Twitter and others to connect users with their community. These tools allow users to push interesting articles out to the Web to share with others.
ReadSpeaker (text-to-speech technology), allowing users to have all articles available from within the platform read aloud. All articles are fully downloadable in MP3 file format and can be played on an iPod or other audio devices.
Addition of “named user” functionality, allowing researchers to create custom profiles, name and save any search and modify RSS feed on the product’s homepage, thus facilitating ongoing research and supporting user’s interests.
Search results that incorporate portals of context sensitive multimedia (images, video and podcasts).
On-demand translation of documents into 11 different languages, helping institutions support a global community of users.

Beginning in July, PowerSearch 2.0 will be fully implemented for all customers. Current Gale customers can enable PowerSearch 2.0 now by contacting Gale Technical Support at 1-800-877-4253, option 4. Libraries can get a head start on learning how to use the new design by clicking on the “Find Out More” link on the PowerSearch Web site: www.gale.com/powersearch.

For more information, please contact Linda Busse at linda.busse@cengage.com.

About Cengage Learning and Gale
Cengage Learning delivers highly customized learning solutions for colleges, universities, professors, students, libraries, government agencies, corporations and professionals around the world. Gale, part of Cengage Learning, serves the world’s information and education needs through its vast and dynamic content pools, which are used by students and consumers in their libraries, schools and on the Internet. It is best known for the accuracy, breadth and convenience of its data, addressing all types of information needs – from homework help to health questions to business profiles – in a variety of formats – books and eBooks, databases and microfilm. For more information visit: www.cengage.com or www.gale.com.

Gale and Rough Guides Enter into Agreement - Travel Titles to be Included in Gale Virtual Reference Library

2009-06-23T11:54:22-04:00

Farmington Hills, Mich., June 23, 2009 – Gale, part of Cengage Learning, and Rough Guides Ltd., part of Penguin Group, announced today a licensing agreement that will allow for the inclusion of more than 100 travel titles in the Gale Virtual Reference Library, Gale’s popular eBook platform.

Rough Guides publishes guidebooks and online content for hundreds of destinations worldwide. Known for its extensive coverage of travel destinations through content and photos, Rough Guides help independent-minded travelers plan entire trips with a broad range of useful information on topics such as transportation, history, cultural attractions, eating, shopping, accommodations and more.

Gale Virtual Reference Library offers thousands of electronic reference books from dozens of publishers allowing libraries to provide the convenience of an online search engine with the accuracy and authority of Gale’s 50-year publishing legacy. With Gale Virtual Reference Library, libraries can fill their virtual shelves with electronic reference sources covering a wide variety of topics and subjects – ranging from current events to classics and from arts and humanities to small business – and users can enjoy unlimited access anytime of day from anywhere with an Internet connection.

“By adding Rough Guides to Gale Virtual Reference Library we are expanding our subject offerings. Users will now be able to access detailed travel-related content while taking advantage of cross-searchability, connecting popular updated information with historical reference,” said Jay Flynn, Gale’s vice president and publisher for social science and K-12.

“Rough Guides is really thrilled to be partnering with the Gale Virtual Reference Library on the inclusion of digital editions of our travel guides,” said Tom Hall, director of digital licensing. “This licensing agreement will give the Rough Guides list increased exposure to anyone who is seeking up-to-the minute, thoroughly researched travel information in our brand’s signature accessible style.”

For more information, please contact Linda Busse at linda.busse@cengage.com or Judi Powers at judi.powers@dk.com.

About Rough Guides
Rough Guides, a division of Penguin Group, publishes guidebooks for independent-minded travelers to more than 200 destinations around the globe, from Alaska to Zanzibar. The guidebooks are designed for independent travelers on a range of budgets seeking the best cultural and historical coverage but who are just as interested in finding-out-of-the-way beaches and clubs. Each Rough Guide combines opinionated reviews with the most up-to-date information on accommodations, restaurants, sights, and activities. The Rough Guides list is distributed internationally and has offices in London, New York City and Delhi.

Gale Receives Marketing Honors

2009-06-17T13:37:06-04:00

Farmington Hills, Mich., June 17, 2009 – Gale, part of Cengage Learning, is pleased to announce it is the recipient of six Hermes Creative Awards and four Target Awards.

The Hermes Creative Awards are administered by the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals (AMCP). This international competition recognizes excellence in writing and design of promotional material. Winners were chosen by the AMCP judges from 3,700 entries in the 2009 competition.

The Target Awards, presented by the Direct Marketing Association-Detroit, is Michigan’s premiere direct marketing awards program. The award recognizes the talent of Detroit area agencies and marketers, evaluating not only design and writing, but also campaign results.

“We are honored to receive these prestigious awards and are proud of the work our teams have done,” said Tina Creguer, Gale’s vice president of marketing communications. “The creative work recognized here is a reflection of our efforts to partner with libraries and give power to the user.”

Gale’s awards are as follows:

Hermes Creative Awards

PLATINUM AWARD - Integrated Marketing Materials
(Gale Digital Collection)

PLATINUM AWARD - Integrated Campaign
(Global Issues in Context)

GOLD AWARD - Catalogs
(Gale Supplemental Catalog)

GOLD AWARD - Web Interactive Capabilities
(Librareo site and contest)

HONORABLE MENTION - Web Multimedia Games
(Monster Vote 2008)

HONORABLE MENTION - Posters
(Online resources post-sale posters)

Target Awards:

FIRST PLACE – Publishing/Entertainment over $500/M
(Boost Usage campaign)

SECOND PLACE – Publishing/Entertainment under $500/M
(Re:Sources enewsletter relaunch –Gale Virtual Reference Library newsletter)

SECOND PLACE – Publishing/Entertainment over $500/M
(Gale Virtual Reference Library webinar)

THIRD PLACE – Publishing/Entertainment under $500/M
(Power to the User internal and external launch)

For more information, please contact Linda Busse at linda.busse@cengage.com.

About Cengage Learning and Gale
Cengage Learning delivers highly customized learning solutions for colleges, universities, professors, students, libraries, government agencies, corporations and professionals around the world. Gale, part of Cengage Learning, serves the world's information and education needs through its vast and dynamic content pools, which are used by students and consumers in their libraries, schools and on the Internet. It is best known for the accuracy, breadth and convenience of its data, addressing all types of information needs – from homework help to health questions to business profiles – in a variety of formats. For more information, visit www.cengage.com or www.gale.com.

###

Gale Announces New MARC Records Site

2009-06-09T11:59:25-04:00

Farmington Hills, Mich., June 9, 2009 – Gale, part of Cengage Learning, announced a new MARC records delivery site to connect library customers to Gale Directory Library (GDL) materials. This complimentary site allows librarians to designate a MARC record for each of their Gale eDirectory titles, providing library users direct access to Gale resources from the library’s online catalogue or library Web site.

In addition, libraries may use this site to generate lists of URLs that provide direct-to-eDirectory links for use in promoting titles on their library sites. Librarians can access the new MARC records site at http://access.gale.com/gdl.

Gale provides complimentary delivery of GDL MARC records in .MRC format via this Web site, automatically adding the library location information and other necessary information into the MARC field link.

To use the site, the library should have a list of their Gale eDirectory titles and location ID information. If the library does not have their location ID number, they should contact Gale Technical Support at 1-800-877-4253.

Customized MARC records can also be accessed for the Gale Virtual Reference Library.

For more information, please contact Linda Busse at linda.busse@cengage.com.

###

Encyclopedia.com Named 2009 CODiE Award Winner

2009-06-05T10:36:16-04:00

Farmington Hills, MI, June 5, 2009 – Gale, part of Cengage Learning, today announced that Encyclopedia.com (http://www.encyclopedia.com) was named the 2009 CODiE Award winner for Best Online General Reference Service. The Software & Information Industry Association’s (SIIA) 24th Annual CODiE Awards, the only peer-reviewed honor in the industry, celebrate achievement and vision in software, education technology and digital content.

Encyclopedia.com, a free online resource with more than 500,000 entries from over 200 different encyclopedias and dictionaries, provides authoritative answers that are verifiable against multiple sources. For example, the Encyclopedia.com page about Abraham Lincoln (http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Abraham_Lincoln.aspx) enables visitors to check their facts across multiple encyclopedias and also displays helpful links to images, videos, related reference material and recent newspaper and magazine articles.

With more and more Web users seeking credible information, Encyclopedia.com, the largest provider of trusted, editorially verified content, has experienced a nearly 500 percent increase in traffic over the last two years.

“Gale is honored to receive this prestigious CODiE award recognizing Encyclopedia.com as a world-class product for reference content,” said Dave Guttman, General Manager, Senior Vice President of Open Web at Gale. “Our next step is to work with our many great library customers to provide Web users greater access to more content, and to support libraries in finding new ways to engage their customers.”

Encyclopedia.com joined Gale through the acquisition of HighBeam Research in 2008 and now provides value to both individual users and Gale’s core library partners. Encyclopedia.com will soon enable library patrons to access millions of reference articles from Gale Virtual Reference Library with their library cards.

For more information, please contact Linda Busse at linda.busse@cengage.com.

About Cengage Learning and Gale
Cengage Learning delivers highly customized learning solutions for colleges, universities, professors, students, libraries, government agencies, corporations and professionals around the world. Gale, part of Cengage Learning, serves the world's information and education needs through its vast and dynamic content pools, which are used by students and consumers in their libraries, schools and on the Internet. It is best known for the accuracy, breadth and convenience of its data, addressing all types of information needs – from homework help to health questions to business profiles – in a variety of formats. For more information, visit www.cengage.com or www.gale.com.

About HighBeam™ Research, Inc.
HighBeam™ Research, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, operates three online services designed to meet the needs of information hungry individuals: the award-winning subscription-based HighBeam Library (www.highbeam.com) that enables individuals to access 50 million proprietary newspaper magazine and journal articles from 3,500 sources; Encyclopedia.com (www.encyclopedia.com), an award winning provider of credible reference content from multiple authoritative reference publishers; and Smart QandA http://qanda.encyclopedia.com, the online source for verified, trusted answers.

###

Register to Win a Blu-ray DVD Home Theatre at www.MovieRetriever.com

2009-06-02T10:55:57-04:00

Free Online Community Features Movie Reviews, Ratings, Lists and Blogs

MovieRetriever.com is a growing, interactive community for film buffs to hang out, explore and share the best and worst that Hollywood has to offer. From June 2 through August 31, 2009, the Web site is also the place for newly registered users to win a Blu-ray DVD home theatre, including a 40-inch television and surround sound system.

Who: Movie lovers who register at www.MovieRetriever.com/bluraycontest.

What: Enter for a chance to win a Blu-ray DVD home theatre (40” television & surround sound system). To enter, simply register for a new account.

When: June 2 through August 31, 2009

Where: Register for a free account at www.MovieRetriever.com/bluraycontest and have a chance to win the home theatre contest. (All contest rules and regulations are available on the site.)

Bred to answer the question, “What should I watch next?” www.MovieRetriever.com is the definitive guide to movies at the theater and on DVD, featuring the irreverent ‘Barks with Bite’ blog, candid reviews and outrageous movie lists, written by both editorialists and community members.

For more information on www.MovieRetriever.com, from Gale, part of Cengage Learning, please contact Linda Busse at linda.busse@cengage.com.

###

Gale Announces Renewed and Expanded Contract with the Connecticut State Library

2009-05-26T10:41:36-04:00

Farmington Hills, Mich., May 26, 2009 – Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, today announced the renewal of a contract with the Connecticut State Library, to deliver a broad range of Gale resources via iCONN.org – Connecticut’s re-search engine that provides students, faculty and state residents with online access to essential library and information resources.

In addition to previously available Gale resources including Academic OneFile, Business & Company Resource Center and Health & Wellness Resource Center, the new contract will provide residents access to the following:

Science Resource Center is an in-depth curriculum-oriented science resource focusing on such topics as earth science, life science, and space science.
History Resource Center: U.S. puts the tools of the historian in the hand of the student and general researcher covering U.S. history from pre-colonial times to the present.
History Resource Center: World is a comprehensive online collection of full-text periodicals, reference works and primary source documents covering world history topics from pre-antiquity to the present.
What Do I Read Next? identifies similarities in various books, listing everything a reader needs to know to make a new selection.
50 e-Reference Books cover a wide range of topics including history, literature and world cultures.

“Gale is proud to be a primary partner with the Connecticut State Library, helping Connecticut’s libraries bring power to the user,” said Nader Qaimari, vice president, market strategy for Gale. “Using iCONN.org, residents will have easy access to their entire collection of electronic resources through a one-search homepage which leverages Gale PowerSearch technology.”

“This enhanced package of Gale products allows us to bring hundreds of reference works, primary sources and a rich collection of multi-media to all public, K12 and academic users in Connecticut,” said Bill Sullivan, iCONN.org administrator. “At the same time, we will be leveraging Gale’s search technology to deliver a unified search experience for users across both Gale and non-Gale content.”

For more information, please contact Linda Busse at linda.busse@cengage.com.

###

Gale Offers Free Access to Resources Providing H1N1 Information

2009-05-08T09:27:41-04:00

Farmington Hills, Mich., May 7, 2009 – Gale, part of Cengage Learning, announced today it is providing free access to Global Issues in Context and health and medical related eBooks from the Gale Virtual Reference Library in an effort to make reliable, expert information regarding the H1N1 virus, commonly known as the swine flu readily available.

Librarians can install a widget (http://www.gale.cengage.com/flu/) to their homepage, Facebook page or blog, allowing their community to access the information at the library or from any computer with an Internet connection.

“As we continue to be bombarded with information about the swine flu everyday, it is easy for rumor and misinformation to be widespread,” said Jay Flynn, Gale’s vice president and publisher for social science. “Gale and its library partners can provide reliable information and want to help the public make use of authoritative and accurate data. Effective immediately, Gale is providing free access to Global Issues in Context and health-related eBooks, helping library users to learn all they need to know about the H1N1 virus.”

Global Issues in Context now features a swine flu portal including editorial perspectives from international publications such as Africa News Service, Chicago Tribune, and The Independent (London, England), dozens of podcasts from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and thousands of news articles. Global Issues in Context also includes CDC, WHO, pandemic preparedness and influenza portals.

Through Gale Virtual Reference Library, sources like Encyclopedia of Genetics, Encyclopedia of Public Health, American Decades, and Infectious Diseases in Context provide users access to authoritative articles about the swine flu, other strains of influenza, emerging diseases, pandemic preparedness and other issues related to public health. Users can also read factual, historical accounts of previous outbreaks of the swine flu in 1918 and 1976.

These resources provide content for all levels of interest, from general information to more in-depth analysis for researchers or health care professionals.

For more information, please contact Linda Busse at linda.busse@cengage.com.

###

Gale Supports Women’s Health Week with Free Access to Health & Wellness Resource Center

2009-05-05T13:28:19-04:00

Farmington Hills, Mich., May 5, 2009 – In support of National Women’s Health Week, Gale, part of Cengage Learning, is providing one month’s free access to Health & Wellness Resource Center, an electronic resource providing a comprehensive array of medical reference and periodical materials. To obtain access to the resource center, libraries can download a specialized widget throughout the month of May at http://access.gale.com/widgets/whm.

National Women’s Health Week, which runs May 10 through May 16, encourages women to take steps toward a longer, happier, healthier life, reminding women to educate themselves about ways they can improve their physical and mental health and prevent disease. Health & Wellness Resource Center provides one-stop access for all levels of research, from finding answers to general interest questions to locating in-depth information on a particular health care topic.

Health & Wellness Resource Center provides:

A broad and deep collection of disease and condition overviews
Access to full-text articles from reference and periodical literature outlining recent medical research
Pamphlets, news and other easy-to-read content
Access to key, trusted health Web sites

A single search on Health & Wellness Resource Center gives users access to hundreds of journals, pamphlets, encyclopedias and other sources. National Women’s Health Week provides a reminder of how important it is for women to keep themselves educated on the health-related topics that affect them.

For more information, please contact Linda Busse at linda.busse@cengage.com.

###