New Archives Available covering Europe & Africa, Photography, Women, and Science, Technology & Medicine

Farmington Hills, Mich., June 19, 2013 — Gale, part of Cengage Learning and a leading publisher of research and reference resources for libraries, schools and businesses, today announced the launch of the next four archives in its Nineteenth Century Collections Online (NCCO) program, a multi-year global digitization and publishing program that brings together rare primary source materials from the nineteenth century and beyond. The launch of the new archives brings the total number available in the NCCO program to eight, and the total number of collections within the resource to more than 170. Gale partners with more than 80 institutions from around the world to bring NCCO to life, and the list is growing.

“The nineteenth century is one of the most-studied historical periods, and by providing a variety of rare, and cross-curricular content in NCCO, we are enabling researchers to make revolutionary discoveries about one of the most transformative periods in our history,” said Jim Draper, vice president and general manager, Gale. “Like its predecessor, Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO), NCCO has quickly become the essential resource for any institution looking to provide its students and faculty with the ability to perform innovative historical research.”

The new NCCO archives cover a variety of topics and have been brought together with the help of an expanded advisory board that includes specific subject matter experts. The newly launched NCCO archives include:
• Europe and Africa: Commerce, Christianity, Civilization, and Conquest – This archive documents the motivations, activities and results of the European conquest of Africa by bringing together monographs, manuscripts, and newspaper accounts covering key issues of economics, world politics, and international strategy.
• Photography: The World Through the Lens – The invention of photography initiated a mania for explorers, artists, scientists and ordinary people to document their surroundings. This archive assembles collections of photographs, photograph albums, photographically-illustrated books and texts covering remote places, the landscapes of the American West, scientific records of archaeological digs and anthropological studies, police photography, images of war, images of the urban and rural poor, and more. The archive covers the subject from key points of view: photography as a technical process; photography as an art form; photography as documentary evidence; and photography as an information type.
• Science, Technology and Medicine, 1780-1925 – The period is characterized by industrial, technical and social revolution. With a changing society came new approaches to the study of natural history, physics, mathematics, medicine, and public health. This interdisciplinary collection consists primarily of journals and monographs and major topics covered include: electricity and physics, the Darwinian revolution and global reception of evolution, civil engineering, mathematics and the social history of American medicine.
• Women: Transnational Networks – The collection contains information on European and North American movements, but also includes collections from other regions. Using a wide array of primary source documents – serials, books, manuscripts, diaries, reports, and visuals – this archive focuses on issues at the intersection of gender and class from the late eighteenth century to the era of suffrage in the early twentieth century, all through a transnational perspective.

For more information on Nineteenth Century Collections Online, including guided tutorials and a video on the making of the program, please visit http://gdc.gale.com/nineteenth-century-collections-online/ or stop by the Gale booth (#600) at the American Library Association annual meeting in Chicago, June 28 – July 1. For questions or to request a free trial, please contact Kristina Massari at kristina.massari@cengage.com.

About Cengage Learning and Gale
Cengage Learning is a leading educational content, software and services company, empowering educators and driving learner engagement through personalized services and course-driven digital solutions that bridge from the library to the classroom. Gale, part of Cengage Learning, serves the world's information and education needs through its vast and dynamic content pools, which are used by students and consumers in their libraries, schools and on the Internet. It is best known for the accuracy, breadth and convenience of its data, addressing all types of information needs – from homework help to health questions to business profiles – in a variety of formats. For more information, visit www.cengage.com or www.gale.cengage.com.

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For Immediate Release
Contact: Rob Colding
Information Today, Inc.
(609) 654-6266, ext. 330
rcolding@infotoday.com

June 17, 2013, Medford, New Jersey—Information Today, Inc. (ITI) announced the publication, in print and ebook editions, of The Accidental Law Librarian by Anthony Aycock, a how-to guide for librarians and information professionals who may lack formal training in law librarianship but are nevertheless called upon to answer legal questions. Aycock’s clear and practical coverage will also benefit new law librarians, attorneys, paralegals, corporate legal professionals, and anyone considering a career that involves legal research and reference.

Most librarians are presented with legal questions at one time or another and may find it a challenge to respond effectively. Where can I find the case Simpson v. Satterfield? What are the laws in Nevada on gun ownership? Can you help me apply for a business license? How do I copyright my name? These types of questions can make a librarian’s head spin. Collection development, too, is challenging for those who don’t work with legal information on a regular basis. As the law touches more and more of our daily lives while lawyers price their services out of the average person’s range, the public increasingly turns to libraries for answers. Now, librarians can turn to this book.

“The Accidental Law Librarian is the first comprehensive, non-scholarly book on law libraries in 20-plus years,” according to Aycock. “It is not focused on academic law librarians [but] is a resource for people thrust into the law librarian role. From legal research basics to the needs of legal information seekers, from database licensing to database use, from the history of legal publishing, to the future of law libraries, The Accidental Law Librarian helps public librarians build better collections and deliver accurate, worry-free service.”

“Anthony Aycock has done for law librarianship what James Herriot did for veterinary practice,” said Virginia Tucker, author of Finding the Answers to Legal Questions. “He brings alive the challenges of legal reference work, including the sometimes painful and often hilarious questions that arise. Whether you work in a law library or just appreciate the complexities of legal research, this book is a great read.”

The Accidental Law Librarian has 10 chapters, 2 appendices, the author’s Introduction, an exhaustive index, and a companion webpage at accidentallawlibrarian.wordpress.com. The webpage offers readers links to useful resources, insights and updates on law librarianship, and additional content selected by the author.

Terry Ballard, librarian and author of Google This! Putting Google and Other Social Media Sites to Work for Your Library, called The Accidental Librarian “A brilliant summary of everything a librarian should know before entering the law library profession.” He added, “I wish this book had been around when I accidentally entered the legal library world myself.”

Since 2010, Anthony Aycock has managed the library of the North Carolina Justice Academy, a nationally accredited law enforcement training facility in eastern North Carolina. Aycock’s essays and articles have appeared in the Missouri Review, Gettysburg Review, Creative Nonfiction, ONLINE, Library Journal, National Paralegal Reporter, and Community & Junior College Libraries. He holds a BA in English, an MLIS, and an MFA in creative writing.

The Accidental Law Librarian (272 pp/softbound/$39.50/ISBN 978-1-57387-477-9) is published by Information Today, Inc. (ITI) and is available wherever professional books and ebooks are sold. For more information, contact the publisher by calling (800) 300-9868; faxing (609) 654-4309; emailing custserv@infotoday.com; or visiting the ITI website at infotoday.com.

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