GALE DATABASES:GALE POWERSEARCH

ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION SOURCES

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.”

Authority

Viewpoint/ Objectivity

opposing viewpoints thousands of different articles,

primary sources, reference materials

Purpose

to provide a wealth of quality information to students in an effective and efficient way

Scope

periodicals reference materials multimedia primary source information

covers all core curriculum areas, including history, literature, science, social studies

current events college preparation

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

Format/ Arrangement

Gale PowerSearch has 8 different content specific resources for students to use

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

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.

Gale Virtual Reference Library A database 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).

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.

Testing and Education Reference Center

Search thousands of college and graduate schools

Scholarship information

On-line practice tests and test prep eBooks

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.

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.

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.

ReadSpeaker technology (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

 

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.

Multicultural Treatment

language translation opposing viewpoints

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