CR2 Blog

Over 150 books focussing on climate change and sustainability from 39 German, French and English-language publishers can now be freely read, browsed and searched as part of an unprecedented and innovative virtual showcase, created in support of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.

Streamed through the Exact Editions platform, the showcase includes books from fiction, non-fiction and children’s literature genres that cover topics from air pollution and economics to biodiversity and agriculture. The collection of titles constitutes a comprehensive resource that aims to spread awareness about the need for urgent combative actions against the climate crisis across society.

The showcase opened for an initial period of four days around the Pre-COP Meeting in Milan, and is live from today until the end of 22 November in support of the main COP26 Glasgow Meeting. The initiative, which has been supported by the International Publishers Association (IPA) and Save the Children, is the first time that publishers have participated in such a freely-available and virtually streamed collection, and is an example of how the publishing industry at large is taking steps to emphasise the importance of sustainability.

Exact Editions’ leading digital archiving technology means each individual book, publisher sub-collection and the complete showcase all benefit from the advanced search function, which enables readers to pinpoint references to specific key terms, topics or authors instantly. Titles can be navigated seamlessly through fully-linked contents pages and a helpful variety of views: single-page; double-page; and thumbnail.

Click here to access the COP26 Virtual Book Showcase until 22 November:

https://exacted.me/COP26ShowcaseGlasgow22Nov

Click here for more information about the books included:

https://institutions.exacteditions.com/cop26

Chairman and Co-Founder of Exact Editions, Adam Hodgkin, said: “We are so proud to be working with internationally prestigious publishers to present such an important showcase of books, whose climate-driven subject matter is hugely relevant as society evolves to be more sustainable. We are aiming to reach audiences far and wide during the next 3 weeks and spread the word about these brilliant free resources, which have been so generously made available by the publishers.”

Jim Martin, Publisher at Bloomsbury, commented: “The climate crisis is beginning to affect every part of our lives, and the publishing industry is no exception. This forward-thinking initiative is a great way to bring powerful, influential and thought-provoking books to as wide an audience as possible during COP26, and we are very pleased to be involved.”

About Exact Editions:

Exact Editions is a digital publishing company based in London. It is a team of producers, developers and designers that turns periodicals and books into dynamic, user-friendly digital editions. Exact Editions specialises in digitising content, selling subscriptions and providing streaming solutions across web, iOS and Android platforms. Exact Editions are also the innovators of ‘Reading Room’ technology, which enables publishers to provide streaming, time-limited access to digital editions.

For more information, please visit: shop.exacteditions.com

Atlanta, Ga., October 26, 2021: Equinox Open Library Initiative, a trusted leader in providing open source technology development and support for libraries, presents “Transforming Services in Response to COVID-19” on October 27, 2021 at the Internet Librarian 2021 Conference. Lisa Carlucci, Jason Goodson, and Angela Kilsdonk present Equinox’s recent initiatives as part of the conference theme of “Innovation In Library Technology & Communities.”

The conference presentation provides information about two rapid response initiatives led by Equinox in 2020 to support the emerging needs of libraries in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic: the launch of a remote training program for library staff, equinoxEDU, and the design of automated curbside pickup functionality for the open source integrated library systems Evergreen ILS and Koha ILS. The presentation will be available on Equinox’s website in November.

“As library staff pivoted to working from home, the Equinox team moved quickly to develop a series of open educational resources to support libraries,” said Angela Kilsdonk, Product and Education Manager at Equinox. “These projects led to the launch of a new open educational program, equinoxEDU, which provides online instruction focused on open source library technologies and related topics.”

Equinox’s presentation delivers an overview of the planning, implementation, and management of these initiatives, as well as the involvement and feedback from equinoxEDU participants, open source community members, and Equinox partners.

“In leading these initiatives, we worked closely with our library partners to understand the immediate needs facing libraries in adapting to new service and staffing models,” said Lisa Carlucci, Executive Director. “Equinox’s work is driven by the communities we serve. We listen, we respond, and we share.”

The Internet Librarian 2021 Conference opens on October 26, 2021 and runs through October 28, 2021. Additional details and schedule can be found here: https://pheedloop.com/IL2021/site/home/

Follow Equinox Open Library Initiative on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Vimeo for the latest updates.
To receive news directly in your inbox: https://www.equinoxOLI.org/#signup

For more information:
Laura Barry
Communications Coordinator
Equinox Open Library Initiative, Inc.
EquinoxOLI.org
laura.barry@equinoxOLI.org
877.OPEN.ILS (877.673.6457)

About Equinox Open Library Initiative
Equinox Open Library Initiative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is the successor to Equinox Software, Inc. Equinox's mission as a nonprofit is to promote and support a thriving ecosystem for open source library communities in order to provide libraries worldwide with innovative, affordable, and sustainable open source solutions. We are devoted to reducing barriers to library technology and services, expanding library access to open source software, and providing high quality technology, consulting, and support services.To learn more, please visit https://www.equinoxOLI.org.

Atlanta, Ga., October 25, 2021: Equinox Open Library Initiative, a trusted leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, is pleased to announce the latest release, Version 10.0, of the Fulfillment open source interlibrary loan management system. Fulfillment leverages intuitive design and efficient workflows to maximize value and impact for library users, allowing community members to have expanded access to resources across their state and beyond their consortium. The Connecticut State Library has relied on Fulfillment ILL for statewide resource sharing since 2016, averaging more than 700,000 interlibrary loan items filled annually since implementation.

“Fulfillment provides a single place for participating libraries in Connecticut to send and receive interlibrary loan requests,” said Brad Bullis, Digital Content and Innovation Coordinator in the Division of Library Development at the Connecticut State Library. “Fulfillment allows libraries an interface that is intuitive in its design and the borrowing and lending functions are clearly defined allowing for users to create a logical workflow. Fulfillment is a key component of the Connecticut State Library’s mission to support and enhance resource sharing among libraries.”

With this new release, Fulfillment takes interlibrary loan to the next level, delivering powerful reporting functions and an enhanced, robust suite of tools to provide better and more streamlined services for library communities. Fulfillment’s web based platform is user friendly and works with any integrated library system, saving staff time and offering significant cost savings for libraries. Fulfillment also amplifies collections management needs by highlighting collections with the most demand.

“The aim is to make interlibrary loan as efficient for staff as possible,” says Andrea Buntz Neiman, Equinox’s Project Manager for Software Development. “Fulfillment benefits from over ten years of active open source community engagement from the designers, users, and current developers who built Evergreen ILS. Libraries deploying Fulfillment benefit from that proven work from the community.”

Libraries and consortia seeking an established, modern, affordable, and scalable resource sharing system will appreciate the improvements Fulfillment offers. Moreover, implementing Fulfillment with Equinox includes support from experienced librarians and developers, and a transparent, open software development process. Equinox releases all code developed to publicly available repositories. Libraries will also benefit from custom training resources and connector options for Fulfillment.
Follow Equinox Open Library Initiative on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Vimeo for the latest updates.
To receive news directly in your inbox: https://www.equinoxOLI.org/#signup
For more information:
Laura Barry
Communications Coordinator
Equinox Open Library Initiative, Inc.
EquinoxOLI.org
laura.barry@equinoxOLI.org
877.OPEN.ILS (877.673.6457)

About Equinox Open Library Initiative
Equinox Open Library Initiative provides innovative open source software for libraries of all types and delivers extraordinary service at exceptional value. As the successor to Equinox Software, Inc., Equinox Open Library Initiative builds upon more than a decade of trusted service and technical expertise, providing consulting services, software development, hosting, training, and support for Evergreen ILS, Koha ILS, and other open source library software. To learn more, please visit https://www.equinoxOLI.org. For Equinox Library Services Canada, please visit https://www.equinoxOLI.ca.

About Fulfillment
Fulfillment is an open source interlibrary loan management system which leverages intuitive design and efficient workflows to maximize value and impact for libraries. Fulfillment provides community members expanded access to library resources across their state and beyond their consortium. Launched in 2011, Fulfillment facilitates sharing between separate library organizations, uniting collections and information in a combined union catalog. Fulfillment is highly customizable and is compatible with any integrated library system (ILS). Fulfillment benefits from an active open source community, where it is continuously updated and supported by Equinox and the designers, users, and developers who built Evergreen ILS. To learn more, please visit https://www.equinoxoli.org/products/fulfillment/ .
###

Rockville, MD, October 22, 2021 – Three federal government libraries with traditional public library collections and multiple branches have gone live using a hosted offering of the Bibliovation 7.2 Library Services Platform (LSP). One library is in Louisiana, one library is in Texas, and the third library is in Maryland. These three libraries are now using Bibliovation 7.2 to manage physical and electronic resources as they serve their respective communities. The migration processes were implemented during the summer and the three libraries went live in September. The library staffs are now enjoying the benefits of a 100% browser-based library management solution in a FedRAMP-certified hosting facility. The users of the libraries are accessing their collections and related resources using the Bibliovation Discovery Layer.

About Bibliovation 7.2
The Bibliovation 7.2 LSP is 100% web-based, providing all system access to researchers, library staff, and system administrators through web browsers. With FedRAMP authorized IaaS and PaaS certification made available through the Amazon AWS Cloud, Bibliovation offers libraries a secure and cost-effective hosting solution. Supporting MARC21, Dublin Core, RDA, and geotagging, Bibliovation helps libraries manage both physical and digital content all in a single Rest API-based platform. Bibliovation includes an EDI-compliant acquisitions component; a completely MARC-based cataloging editor for bibliographic, holdings and authority records; and full patron empowerment for purchase requests, ILL requests, and reference requests directly from the Discovery Layer. Bibliovation 7.2 provides local control of cataloging rules that complement the MARC structure; includes expanded call slip functionality; offers expanded statistical reporting features; and supports multiple time zones in a single database for enhanced autonomous circulation policies among libraries within a union catalog.

About LibLime
LibLime is a global leader in providing support for open development Library Service Platforms (LSP). Rather than sell software licenses for static, hard-to-customize software products, LibLime educates libraries about the benefits of open development, enabling them to make choices about how best to provide their communities and staff with better technology services. LibLime then facilitates deployment of the LSP in libraries by providing outstanding consulting, development, implementation and support/hosting services. To learn more or receive budgetary service estimates, please visit: https://liblime.com/

Gale Presents: Imago Equips K-12 Schools With Video-based SEL Curriculum Content to Improve Students’ Emotional Intelligence to Succeed in Life and Achieve Career Goals

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – October 20, 2021 – Gale, part of Cengage Group, today announced the launch of Gale Presents: Imago, an online social and emotional learning (SEL) and career readiness platform available to K-12 schools. In partnership with IMAGO, the offering allows schools to infuse video-based SEL content into 5th-12th grade curriculums to improve students’ emotional intelligence in the classroom to help them thrive in their life and careers after graduation. Now school districts can provide an engaging curriculum to support students’ social and emotional development and the building of soft skills needed for 21st century careers. Read Gale’s blog about the IMAGO platform: https://bit.ly/3aTjdhR.

As students move into careers, social emotional competencies continue to play an essential role. A CareerBuilder survey found that 71% of employers value emotional intelligence over IQ. Gale Presents: Imago will help schools shift to help students develop these critical skills and explore new paths that align with their interests and abilities to achieve their professional goals.

“We chose to partner with IMAGO because their solution meets a need our customers have expressed for video-based SEL and career readiness lessons,” said Shawn Clark, senior vice president of domestic learning at Gale. “This partnership allows us to change students’ thinking and behavior that will help them better understand their future options, and apply the skills they have learned immediately, with more motivation to learn.”

Gale Presents: Imago provides digital lessons in three critical areas: SEL, career readiness, and soft skills. The program includes short snippets of videos and study guides designed to promote conversation, making it an engaging platform for students. Its video-based curriculum can be easily instilled into any subject to educate, entertain and engage students while helping them unlock their full potential. Additionally, teachers act as facilitators and don’t have to plan a lesson for each topic, reducing program fatigue and prep time.

"Investing in the IMAGO platform has been a win-win for our district—engagement and attendance numbers are up, and both teachers and students are finding value in the content,” said Snehal Bhakta, career and technical education administrator at Clark County School District in Las Vegas. NV. “The content is accessible and easy to use and really gives students that starting point to build their skill set so that they can be successful after high school, whether they go to college or go straight into the workforce. I feel confident in recommending this solution to any school district seeking a flexible option for setting students up for future success."

Key features and capabilities include:

● Self-study or teacher/student-led lessons. Both can be delivered in-person or distance learning.

● Turn-key lessons. Each SEL lesson come complete with facilitator guides with activities, think ahead questions and additional content to facilitate a lesson.

● Engaging and entertaining. Lessons are video-based, built for the Snapchat society and are designed to encourage and facilitate conversation.

● More than 225 researched-based digital lessons covering career exploration, life skills (eye contact, body language, etc.), work skills and SEL.

● Family Wellness lessons that are free to the public on topics such as anger, loneliness and navigating grief.

● Accessible 24/7 on any device from anywhere.

The lessons available in Gale Presents: Imago also help schools foster a culture of diversity and inclusion. For example, lessons on empathy, adaptability, and diverse perspectives help students develop the social awareness and relationship skills they need to be part of a diverse school community that promotes belonging and acceptance for all.

“Our mission is to embed social and emotional learning into every aspect of the human experience to equip students with the critical skills and knowledge for workforce readiness, success and beyond,” said Spencer Wallace, head of growth at IMAGO. “This matters to us because we believe that engaged and fulfilled humans are better prepared to take on the complex challenges of today’s world. Gale shares our vision, and we are thrilled to partner with them to help students succeed.”

For more information or to request a demo on Gale Presents: Imago, visit: https://www.gale.com/elearning/imago.

About Cengage Group and Gale
Cengage Group, an education technology company serving millions of learners in 165 countries, advances the way students learn through quality, digital experiences. The company currently serves the K-12, higher education, professional, library, English language teaching and workforce training markets worldwide. Gale, part of Cengage Group, provides libraries with original and curated content, as well as the modern research tools and technology that are crucial in connecting libraries to learning, and learners to libraries. For more than 60 years, Gale has partnered with libraries around the world to empower the discovery of knowledge and insights – where, when and how people need it. Gale has 500 employees globally with its main operations in Farmington Hills, Michigan. For more information, please visit www.gale.com.

Follow Gale on:
● Twitter - @galecengage
● Gale Blog - https://blog.gale.com/
● Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GaleCengage/
● LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/gale/

About IMAGO
Established in 2011, IMAGO is a social and emotional learning (SEL) platform with a mission to prepare students with the critical skills and knowledge for workforce readiness and success and beyond. To achieve this, they provide explicit online video curricula for learners and augmented professional development workshops for educators.

They have designed and produced over 200 multimedia digital lessons covering career exploration, workforce preparation, and SEL. They partner with over 100 school districts and are available to approximately 500,000 learners nationwide. For more information, please visit https://weareimago.com/.