Gale Databases
Discover It
This session will focus on Gale resources. They cover a wide variety of topics: health, business, kids, biography, history, books and literature, world view and issues, and much more. Emphasis will be on searching and topic exploration in sources for adults and the older student.
Video Segments
Introduction to the Gale Databases (6:14)
Health and Wellness Resource Center (7:59)
Global Issues in Context (5:17)
Student Resources in Context (5:19)
For more segments on Gale resources for the older student, refer to the sessions: Get them out of Google (Opposing Viewpoints in Context) and History (U.S. History in Context and World History in Context). For more applicable databases go to GoWYLD.net/dbases and click on Students.
For Gale resources for the younger student, refer to the session: Hands on Tools for Pre K-8 and check out KidInfoBits.
Try It
- Select General One-File.
- Begin by miss-spelling a search term. For example, enter xeroscape. Note the message on the right, “did you mean?” Click on xeriscape.
- Refine results. For example, for homeowner interest, refine with garden.
- Select an article with pictures. View a PDF. Mark several articles and create a citation list. Note the Marked Items link listed on the navigation bar.
- Select Grzimek’s Animal Life.
- Select Biomes. Select Rain forest on the right side of the map.
- Scroll to What is a Biome and select Rain Forest and then Plant life. Note the glossary (hold your cursor over a dotted underlined word).
- Use the Animal Finder to locate species living in the rain forest.
- How might you promote/use this resource? For example, if your library is using #1 Ladies Detective Agency for a book group or book discussion, you might introduce Grzimek’s Animal Life and look at grasslands and use the animal finder and photos/illustrations to locate those discussed in the book. You could also use Global Issues in Context and look up Botswana. Here you will find an Overview, Quick Facts, and Global Viewpoint articles.
Please share your comments about the database and your ideas for promoting this resource below.
November 22, 2010 at 12:49 pm |
vey informative
November 22, 2010 at 2:40 pm |
Nice lesson and thorough overview. Chris’s pleasant voice and steady delivery are a plus. Great to be able to do this in short segments at one’s own pace. Thank you.
November 22, 2010 at 4:36 pm |
The Health & Wellness Resource is a great compliment to MedlinePlus. I’m looking foward to using it with patrons.
November 22, 2010 at 6:35 pm |
Excellent and easy to accomplish! It will be fun to have the kids check out reindeer for the holidays. Thanks for all your work.
November 22, 2010 at 8:21 pm |
You’ve given me some great information to share with my teachers in an upcoming inservice. I really like the “in context” databases for students to make connections. Talk about everything you need at your fingertips!
November 22, 2010 at 10:01 pm |
The format for this new learning system of the WYLD resources is wonderful. The videos are perfect for learning about the resource and can be used in the classroom or with our teachers. The “Try It” section has good ideas for actually using the resource. This is very hands on and I look forward to each week’s resources. Great job, Chris!
November 23, 2010 at 9:33 am |
This is a good reminder that I need to keep exploring our databases. There is so much information there! I was especially interested to see the different ways of searching the Health and Wellness database. The health assessments and drug information will be very useful for sharing with patrons.
November 29, 2010 at 8:14 am |
This has been very helpful. We don’t have the time to just go in and try to find our way through these and the hints (like the dotted undeline/glossary) save us time. I have watched them twice and taken notes and feel more confident that I am not overlooking something. And the sessions are a nice length-leave us time to try out what we have just watched! Thanks, Chris
December 1, 2010 at 7:25 pm |
Love exploring “Try It”. You get us to learn even more. Got a little “folder crazy” in General One-File but that’s not a bad thing, right?
December 2, 2010 at 5:43 pm |
I’m glad to know about the options and details that appear when hovering over certain menus/covers. The quick “Also Recommends” is also well-done and quick to use in an RA interview.
December 2, 2010 at 5:44 pm |
Oops, wrong spot to post! I meant to leave that in Novelist…..
December 10, 2010 at 2:55 pm |
I took a look at Grizmek’s Animal Life and am wowed at the information contained within. I immediately went to the biology teacher and when they get to this section in the spring she invited me to work with the students! Thanks!
December 11, 2010 at 4:04 pm |
I enjoyed the lessons. They were very informative, but short enough to keep me from being overwhelmed. I was fascinated with Grzimek’s Animal Life and amazed at the wealth of information in the Health and Wellness database.
December 14, 2010 at 3:48 pm |
I really like the short segments. They are very informative and well presented. I am going to share this information with the teachers I work with. This information will be a big time saver for both them and me.
December 15, 2010 at 7:05 pm |
Great use of Camtasia! I use Global Issues all the time,kids with country studies, college students doing research, and for my personal use. I showed it to my daughter when she was the International Advisor in Laramie and they LOVED it!
Grzimek’s is also a really good one, great pis too! I didn’t know about the Student Resources but will remember it now!
Great.
December 30, 2010 at 11:55 am |
These Gale databases have so much to offer! I was especially impressed with the two “In Context” resources with their variety of topics and multiple sources of information (audio, video, images, primary, as well as the usual magazines, journals & reference materials). It is extremely helpful to have Chris walk us through these, otherwise I wouldn’t learn as much on my own. Thank you for this opportunity!
January 6, 2011 at 2:19 pm |
This was interesting. I didn’t realize how much was available at our fingertips. Easy to follow and listen to. I am anxious to try the Grzimek’s Animals portion with my patrons
January 14, 2011 at 10:45 am |
Wow, I had no idea that the Gale databases had so much to offer. I’m anxious to help a patron with health & wellness questions. I already have pictures pulled up on another computer from Grzimek’s to show my storytime kids as we are doing a “polar friends” theme today. Thanks Chris for all your time in sharing these great resources!
January 24, 2011 at 2:56 pm |
I was so excited to learn about the Health and Wellness Resource Center and the Global Issues in Context. I studied Health and wellness in college so I was excited to find a way to keep up on the topics. With the global issues that is a topic my husband is drawn to with his line of work. I went home and told him about this site.