Gale

Gale in Context: Environmental Studies


Between natural disasters, record-breaking temperatures, PFAS in makeup (and more) the environment is rightfully in the news lately. For patrons that want to know more about environmental issues, be sure to check out Gale in Context: Environmental Studies database (formerly GREENR, courtesy of Pennsylvania’s Power Library).

This database includes news, statistics, and commentaries on environmental topics such as sustainability, healthcare, climate change, and more. Patrons can browse from an alphabetized list of issues or search directly in the search bar. On each issue page, you can view case studies, references, magazines, images, news stories, videos, academic journals, audio clips, websites, as well as related topics. You can also search within those results to further refine the topic. 


Rebecca

Northland Public Library

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Heart This Resource

It’s that time of year. Roses abound, Cupid’s bow is drawn, and hundreds of pounds of chocolates will be consumed.

But nothing says love more like heart health, am I right?

Thankfully, there is a great resource for all things health related in Gale’s Health and Wellness Resource Center (which we will call HWRC – because who doesn’t love more acronyms?). With information on diseases, drugs, diagnostics, therapies and more, this database is a one-stop-shop for your health-related questions.

Searching for information in the HWRC is straight forward. There is a basic search bar at the top, which can automatically propagate suggested search topics.

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There is also an advanced search feature that lets your search get wild! You can search by subject guide, publication, or even use the topic finder to break down different subject areas into further categories. This feature is exceptionally helpful if your knowledge of a specific health topic is limited – offering other search areas you may want to explore.

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Furthermore, results include reference materials, academic journals, videos/pictures, audio, and news/magazine articles – with easy to use filters to limit results to relevant information.

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Go ahead and find out what’s more to love about the Gale Health and Wellness Resource Center! <3

 

 

Richelle – Sewickley Public Library

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PowerSearch & The Economist

One of the state resources is PowerSearch, which enables one-stop searching of many Gale databases.  It shows results from magazines, news sources, academic journals, and more.

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While searching for slightly varied terms can yield wildly different results, it is nice to be able to start in one place.  Don’t hesitate to tweak your search terms repeatedly.

One publication that is indexed is The Economist.  While it’s certainly not a graphic-friendly browsing experience, it is one way to read articles, now that RB Digital is going away as a County resource.  Currently, neither Flipster or OverDrive offer The Economist.

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Articles from The Economist can also be found in Gale’s General OneFile and Infotrac Newsstand.

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In any of these Gale databases, on the main screen, under the search box is a button for Publication Search.  (Alternately, you can choose the Advanced Search icon, then choose the Publication Search tab).  Within Publication Search, you can click the link to show a list of All publications in that database or just type your targeted name in the search box.  With just a few more clicks, you will be at a list of issues, then a list of articles.

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Christy, Carnegie Library of McKeesport

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Digging into Database Content

Most of us are generally familiar with how a database works, how to perform a simple search and download an article. But do you know which sources of information make up those results pages?

All of that information is readily available for you to discover, if you have the time.  Having an idea of some of the most common magazines, reference sources, and journals make up the database content might make answering patron questions easier.  Having that information will allow you to recommend more appropriate resources to assist in research.

MasterFile Premier title sources can be downloaded as Excel or HTML files from here: https://www.ebsco.com/products/research-databases/masterfile-premier . Included in the information is data on the start and stop date of full text data, web publishing delay information (embargo), and PDF availability.  This can be helpful, especially for patrons doing research with a specific publication target date.

Let’s take a look at how our patrons are using specific resources. In 2017 these magazines/journals are included in the most downloaded in Allegheny County:

  • Consumer Reports
  • American Record Guide
  • Knight-Ridder Business Newsfeed
  • Library Journal
  • Consumer Reports Buying Guide
  • USA Today
  • Publishers Weekly
  • Talent Development
  • New Yorker
  • Christian Science Monitor
  • Time

You can find title lists for other resources as well.  To find title lists for Gale products like US History inContext, Literature Resource Center, or Opposing Viewpoints inContext scroll to the bottom of the page after you are inside the product and click on “About…”.  On the about page you will find title lists available.

Dustin/ Lynne, Sewickley Public Library

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