Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Gale Virtual Reference Library

So you know about our databases, but have you visited our Gale Virtual Reference Library?

Printed Version
 Homework problems:
  • Maybe you have an overload of web-based sources, but your assignment requires at least one print source.
  • Perhaps you have too many secondary sources, but you are looking for a book containing just primary sources.
  • Or maybe you desperately need access to a reference book, but can't make it to the library because it is closed or you can't get a ride.
  • Perhaps you find the library book you have selected too heavy, and would rather open it in PDF format on your computer or tablet.
Well look no further!! You can do all these things (and more!) with Gale Virtual Reference Library.
Our Virtual Reference collection consists of printed books in electronic format that you can read in the convenience of your home- all you need is your library card. View the books exactly as if you had them in front of you (see picture above).

Or, view books in text format with click-able links (see picture above).

In fact, there's a plethora of viewing and downloading options.


Now you might be wondering how you are going to explain to your teacher that your source was in fact an actual book and not a web page, and also how on earth you are going to cite it on your Works Cited page. Fear not. You will find handy citation generators for each book (see pictures below). Of course, be advised that citation generators are not always perfect, so make sure to double check with an MLA or Chicago Style handbook when you're done.


We think the library just made your homework assignments a whole lot easier. To get started, dig out your library card (you'll need your number) and visit http://galesites.com/pub/fpl. And if you are able to make it into the library (always good), view many of these titles in print format on our shelves as well.




List of Framingham Public Library Gale Virtual Reference Books:
A New Pot of Gold: Hollywood Under the Electronic Rainbow, 1980-1989 (2000)
Acronyms, Initialisms & Abbreviations Dictionary
(2010)
American Decades Primary Sources
(2004)
American Eras
(1997)
An Evening's Entertainment: The Age of the Silent Feature Picture, 1915-1928
(1991)
Ancient Greece and Rome: An Encyclopedia for Students
(1998)
Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians
(2001)
Biology
(2002)
Biotechnology: In Context
(2012)
Boom and Bust: The American Cinema in the 1940s
(1998)
Contemporary Novelists
(2001)
Crime and Punishment: Essential Primary Sources
(2006)
Dictionary of American History
(2003)
Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages
(2006)
Encyclopedia of Bioethics
(2004)
Encyclopedia of Business and Finance
(2006)
Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion
(2005)
Encyclopedia of Education
(2003)
Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence and Security
(2004)
Encyclopedia of Food and Culture
(2003)
Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity
(2005)
Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World
(2004)
Encyclopedia of Major Marketing Campaigns
(2007)
Encyclopedia of Religion
(2005)
Encyclopedia of Small Business
(2007)
Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa
(2004)
Environmental Encyclopedia
(2003)
Environmental Issues: Essential Primary Sources
(2006)
Family in Society: Essential Primary Sources
(2007)
Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear Through the Ages
(2013)
Gale Encyclopedia of Everyday Law
(2013)
Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America
(2000)
Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History (1999)
Gender Issues and Sexuality: Essential Primary Sources (2006)
Gothic Literature: A Gale Critical Companion (2006)
Government, Politics, and Protest: Essential Primary Sources (2007)
Grand Design: Hollywood as a Modern Business Enterprise, 1930-1939 (1993)
Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia (2003)
Human Diseases and Conditions
(2010)
Human and Civil Rights: Essential Primary Sources (2007) 
Immigration and Multiculturalism: Essential Primary Sources (2006)
International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers (2001)
International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences (2008)
Literature and Its Times: Profiles of 300 Notable Literary Works and the Historical Events that Influenced Them (1997)
Lost Illusions: American Cinema in the Shadow of Watergate and Vietnam, 1970-1979 (2000)
Major 21st-Century Writers (2005)
Mathematics (2002)
Medicine, Health, and Bioethics: Essential Primary Sources (2006)
Novels for Students
Poetry for Students
Pollution A to Z (2004)
Reference Guide to World Literature (2003)
Renaissance: An Encyclopedia for Students (2004)
Science and Its Times (2001)
Social Policy: Essential Primary Sources (2007)
St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture (2000)
Terrorism: Essential Primary Sources (2006)
The African American Almanac (2011)
The Emergence of Cinema: The American Cinema to 1907 (1990)
The Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer (2010)
The Gale Encyclopedia of Diets: A Guide to Health and Nutrition (2013)
The Gale Encyclopedia of Environmental Health (2013)
The Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders (2010)
The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine (2011)
The Gale Encyclopedia of Science (2008)
The Sixties: 1960-1969 (2001)
The Talkies: America's Cinema Transition to Sound, 1926-1931 (1998)
The Transformation of Cinema, 1907-1915 (1991)
The Writers Directory (2013)
Transforming the Screen, 1950-1959 (2003)
U.S. Immigration and Migration Reference Library (2004)
VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (2013)
West's Encyclopedia of American Law (2004)
World Eras
World Religions Reference Library (2007)

Our Marathon: The Boston Bombing Digital Archive



The  faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students at Northeastern University have created Our Marathon: The Boston Bombing Digital Archive 

Our Marathon is an online memorial and archive of crowdsourced stories, photos, video, and social media related to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and its aftermath. They  have collected more than 3,500 digital artifacts in the past six months but hope to collect many more. No story is too small for Our Marathon. 

To share your story please go to: 

Monday, November 4, 2013

Museum passes update: $2 museum admissions for EBT card holders!

As the weather gets colder, you may be looking for things to do indoors. Remember, the library has free and discounted admissions to 15 different attractions, including the Museum of Science, New England Aquarium, Danforth Museum, Higgins Armory Museum and Worcester Art Museum. You can reserve passes online or by calling or visiting the library. Going somewhere and we don't have a pass? Check with one of the other 42 libraries in the Minuteman Library Network. Your card allows you to reserve and borrow passes at most member libraries.

And, attention EBT cardholders! Five Worcester-area museums have joined together to offer a three-month discount for all Massachusetts residents with Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards. From October 1 through December 31, EBT card holders can present their card for a discounted $2 per person cash admission at the EcoTarium, Museum of Russian Icons, Tower Hill Botanical Garden, Worcester Art Museum, and Worcester Historical Museum.