GALE Databases: Gale powersearch

1. ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION SOURCES GALE Databases:Gale powersearch

2. Bibliographic Citation • http://www.gale.cengage.com/servlet/ItemDetailServlet?region=9&imprint=000&titleCode=TGPS&type=4&id=227657 • Gale is based in Farmington Hills, Michigan • Additional offices are in the U.S., and in the following international regions: • Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Latin America.

3. Review Sources • "There are now over three million documents in 2,025 ebooks on this well-known platform. Many of the titles are highly specialized, thus offering excellent depth and quality of results."--Library Journal, November 15, 2008 • "Thomson Gale consistently provides a quality content product and this product certainly rates an A. As more school librarians begin to explore the opportunities of providing ebook content, the popularity of Gale's Virtual Reference Library within schools is sure to grow." --School Library Journal (December 2006)

4. About Gale • Best known for its accurate and authoritative reference content as well as its intelligent organization of full-text magazine and newspaper articles, the company creates and maintains more than 600 databases that are published online, in print, as eBooks, and in microform.

5. PowerSearch • 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 interface provides users a Web-like experience and includes added features that will appeal to and empower library patrons, students and other researchers.

6. Cost • “Affordable pricing options are available for new subscribers based on number of students or population served. Please contact your Gale Representative for a quote.”

7. Authority

8. Viewpoint/ Objectivity • opposing viewpoints • thousands of different articles, primary sources, reference materials

9. Purpose • to provide a wealth of quality information to students in an effective and efficient way

10. Scope • periodicals • reference materials • multimedia • primary source information • covers all core curriculum areas, including history, literature, science, social studies • current events • college preparation

11. Timeliness/ Currency • Since its launch in 2002, the Gale PowerSearch platform has offered comprehensive access to authoritative reference, periodical and primary source information. • Gale, part of Cengage Learning, has incorporated new enhancements, creating PowerSearch 2.0, a platform providing even greater ease -- "giving more power to the user." • Continues to update its database and revise its organization

12. Format/ Arrangement • Gale PowerSearch has 8 different content specific resources for students to use

13. Gale Student Resources in Context • For research on a broad range of topics, people, places, and events. • Reference content is supplemented with full-text magazines, academic journals, news articles, primary source documents, images, videos, audio files and links to vetted websites

14. Student Edition • Now with over 1100 titles, cross searchable with E-Books, this periodical database is designed for high-school students with access to a variety of indexed and full-text magazines, newspapers, podcasts, and reference books for information on current events, the arts, science, popular culture, health, people, government, history, sports and more.

15. Gale Virtual Reference Library • Adatabase of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. • These reference materials once were accessible only in the library, but now you can access them online from the library or remotely 24/7. • Because each library creates its own eBook collection, the content you see may vary if you use the database at different libraries (your school, your public library, or your office).

16. Gale Science in Context • An engaging online experience for those seeking contextual information on hundreds of today's most significant science topics. • Gale's authoritative reference content is supplemented with full-text magazines, academic journals, news articles, experiments, images, videos, audio files and links to vetted websites.

17. Testing and Education Reference Center • Search thousands of college and graduate schools • Scholarship information • On-line practice tests and test prep eBooks

18. Literature Resource Center • Find up-to-date biographical information, overviews, full-text literary criticism and reviews on more than 130,000 writers in all disciplines, from all time periods and from around the world. • Optional MLA International Bibliography module adds citations for hundreds of thousands of books, articles and dissertations from 1926 to the present, linked to full text where available.

19. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context • For those seeking contextual information and opinions on hundreds of today's hottest social issues. • Features continuously updated viewpoint articles, topic overviews, full-text magazines, academic journals, news articles, primary source documents, statistics, images, videos, audio files and links to vetted websites.

20. Special Features • Users can create their own custom profile. • Users can modify the home page so that the topics and publications they are interested in are on the homepage • 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. • Web 2.0 sharing tools including Del.icio.us, MySpace, Reddit, Digg, Facebook, Newsvine, Twitter allows users to share articles with others. • ReadSpeakertechnology (text-to-speech technology),. • All articles are fully downloadable in MP3 file format and can be played on an iPod or other audio devices. • Search results include images, video and podcasts. • On demand translation of documents into 11 different languages

21. Audience • libraries • schools • businesses • Gale also licenses its proprietary content for integration within Web-based information services. Nearly 100 organizations — including Looksmart, Borders, Dow Jones and Thomson Financial — presently enjoy strategic business distribution partnerships with Gale.

22. Multicultural Treatment • language translation • opposing viewpoints

23. Personal Reflection and Evaluation • Not impressed with database information part of website • Huge wealth of information • I like how you can search within each database, or do a search within them all • It would look more congruent if each database’s page had a similar theme