New eBooks Added to Gale Virtual Reference Library

We just added the following titles to Gale Virtual Reference Library. 
These multi-volume eBooks are the same as you would find in a physical library’s reference shelf.

• 21st Century Geography: A Reference Handbook
• Encyclopedia of Diversity in Education
• Encyclopedia of Lifestyle Medicine and Health
• Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine
• Encyclopedia of United States – Latin American Relations
• Encyclopedia of United States Indian Policy and Law
• New Catholic Encyclopedia Supplement, 2011 ed.
• Political Handbook of the World 2012

Many of these have also be added to the Middle/High School Homework website.

Oh, go ahead. Remove!

Gale Virtual Reference Library,has eBooks available 24/7, 365 days a year. Access from your computer or get the Access My Library – Android or Access My Library – iOS app from your app store.

Go ahead & remove the reference books!

Plan Ahead for October: Talk About Prescriptions Month

To support your health programming strategy, here are October health programing ideas – brought to you by The Pulse, part of the Gale’s Health and Wellness Resource Center.

More than 3.5 billion prescriptions were dispensed by doctors in the United States in 2007, and an estimated twenty percent of patients admit taking prescriptions for non-medical reasons. Prescription drug abuse is now the drug problem with the fastest growth rate in the United States. It is considered an epidemic among both adults and adolescents.

Because so many teens and adults do not realize the dangers and prevalence of prescription drug abuse, raising awareness is the first step to solving the problem.  Find ways to talk about prescription drugs at your library this October with these resources and with information from Gale’s Health and Wellness Resource Center.

• Quick and Easy: printable coloring pages for children and helpful print-ready information for adults.
• Featured Resources: books for children and their caregivers and links to reliable online information
• Book Club: books for children and their caregivers and links to reliable online information
• Tie Ins: books for children and their caregivers and links to reliable online information
• Community Resources: local agencies to contact
• Publicity Resources: free resources to help you publicize Talk About Prescriptions Month at your library through social networking sites or traditional printed materials
• Fun Stuff: links to interactive websites and apps

Quick and Easy

For Children

• Coloring Book: Dougie the Drug Dog
• Coloring Pages: Dougie the Drug Dog
  • Do Not Enter: I am Drug Free
  • Dougie’s Paw
  • Dougie Says STOP the DRUGS
  • Drugs are the Wrong Way

For Teens

• Fortune Teller: Predict the Effects of Prescription Drug Abuse
• Straight Talk on Prescription Drugs
  •  student edition, articles and web hunt from Scholastic: download or order free copies
  • teachers edition, discussion questions and quiz: download or order free copies
• Web Hunt: Myths vs. Facts – Prescription Drugs from Scholastic
• Web Hunt: Drug Facts vs. Myths from Scholastic (in Spanish)
• Quiz: What Do You Know About Prescription Stimulants? from Scholastic
• Quiz: What Do You Know About Prescription Pain Medications? from Scholastic
• Interpreting Data: A Prescription for Pain

For Adults

• Asthma Action Plan from Script Your Future
• Talking to Your Kids About Rx Drug Abuse from Learn About Rx Safety
• Top Ten Medicine Tips for Parents from Learn About Rx Safety
• Wallet Card from Script Your Future

Featured Resources

Books

• Prescription Drug Abuse Books for Teens
• Prescription Drug Abuse Books for Adults

Relevant Full-Text Books Available in Gale Virtual Reference Library

• The Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
• Prescription Drug Abuse, page(s): 1811-1815. Word Count: 1920. The Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s Health
• The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
• Prescription Medicine Abuse,  page(s): 459-461. Word Count: 457.Adolescent Health Sourcebook 
• Drugs of Abuse,  page(s): 452-456. Word Count: 2334.International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences

Trustworthy Online Resources

• Acetaminophen Awareness Coalition: Pediatric Dosing Information
• American Academy of Pediatrics: Controlled Substances: Not Just Street Drugs
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Prescription Drug Overdoses – a US Epidemic
• Kids Health – Teens: Prescription Drug Abuse
• Mayo Clinic:
  • Prescription Drug Abuse
  • Prescription Drug Abuse: Prevention
• National Council on Patient Information and Drug Education (NCPIE):
  • The Latest News and News Archives
  • Healthy Dose of Reality – Quick Facts on Medication Use
• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
  • Commonly Abused Prescription Drugs Chart
  • Prescription Medications
• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) for Teens
  • Mind Over Matter
  • and more
• National Institutes of Health - Medline Plus: Prescription Drug Abuse 
• Office of National Drug Control Policy: Prescription Drug Abuse
• US Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration: National Take-Back Initiative – September 29, 2012

Book Club

Identical by Ellen Hopkins (Simon & Shuster, 2008)

From the publisher:

“Kaeleigh and Raeanne Gardella, identical twins, live in a posh California neighborhood. Their father is a well-known district court judge and their mother a politician. On the surface they are the perfect American family, but beneath the façade lies a damaged family. Raeanne is the aggressive twin, the one who is sexually promiscuous—giving sex in return for drugs; she craves sexual attention from anyone, including her father. Kaeleigh is the quiet one, the one most like her mother, and the victim of her father’s sexual advances. Haunted by this, Kaeleigh has difficulty letting any boy close and deals with her pain by cutting. Torn apart by a tragic event, the twins’ parents hardly speak. Their mother spends her time on the campaign trail; their father lives at home where he drinks, abuses Oxycontin, and controls his daughters’ every move—from the clothes they wear to the places they go. Both girls have an eating disorder, and as they spiral into more dangerous depths, the story takes a surprising twist. One twin will need to step up. But who?”

• About Ellen Hopkins
• Behind the Book
• Excerpt
• Click to Look Inside
• Reading Group Guide
• Author’s Website
• Author’s Facebook Page
• Author’s Twitter Feed
• Ellen Hopkins talks about Identical
• Publisher Website 

Tie Ins – Teen Time

Teen Night / Teen Art, Writing, or Drama Club

• Artwork or Poster Contest.
• Radio PSA Contest. Grand prize – air play on a local station.

Halloween / Teen Writing, Film, CSI, or Drama Club

Teens create a gory “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” or other similar TV episode involving prescription drug abuse. Practice and perform to parents, classrooms or other teens and each other at a Halloween party at the library.

“Relieve-the-Stress Fest”

Get ready for mid-terms by learning how to de-stress naturally with yoga, another form of exercise, sports, dance, or more.

Community Resources

Find a professional to speak at your library or find help for your library customers.

• The American Medicine Chest Challenge:
  • Find a medicine drop off box near you.
  • Register to partner with The American Medicine Chest Challenge.
• Prescription Assistance Programs
  • Partnership for Prescription Assistance
  • Needy Meds
  • Rx Assist
  • TogetherRx Access

Publicity Resources

Use these free publicity resources alongside your library’s October programming information – newsletter, blog, posters, or fliers – to promote Talk About Prescriptions Month at your library this October.

• The National Council on Patient Information and Education
  • Archive of material from past Talk About Prescriptions Months: 2000-2011. Includes radio and tv public service announcements, press releases, ideas, educational resources, posters and brochures in both Spanish and English.
• Scholastic and National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
  • Prescription Drugs Poster (download)
  • Prescription Drugs Poster (order 25 for free)
• Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
  • Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator

Fun Stuff

Add these interesting and helpful interactive links to your library’s website, Facebook page, or Twitter feed:

• Acetaminophen in the Game of Life – Are you and your family using acetaminophen safely?
• American Medicine Chest Challenge Rx Drop-off App for Android or iPhone
• Choose Your Own Path Interactive Videos from the National Drug Association (NDA)
• Printable anti-drug message t-shirt iron ons, wallpapers, icons, or stickers from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
• Get Medicine Reminders sent to your cell phone from Script Your Future

Using eBooks with Students

Here are a few tips and ideas about making eBooks a part of your students’ everyday life:

• In-Class Usage: We’ve seen a number of schools begin to use eBooks into their daily reading.  Teachers no longer have to worry about students disturbing the class by getting up and going to find a title at the physical library as the digital titles are right at their fingertips. We also have Reference Books available to all students through our Gale Virtual Reference Library.  Students can download the mobile app Access My Library to their tablet or smartphone to access this collection along with all the Library’s Gale databases.
• Social Networks: We have a blog dedicated to eBooks and eAudio books called eRead Me Vegas. Here students can find book reviews and help with getting started with downloading eBooks. You might have your students create fun videos about how to use our eMedia Catalog downloading service for daily morning announcements. (If you do let us know as we would love to post them on the Library’s  YouTube Channel). Numerous school libraries have also created Facebook pages to better connect with their students and provide updates about new available titles in our eMedia Catalog. Students can also use the social media tools in our eMedia Catalog to share on Facebook or Twitter books they enjoyed or discovered in our collection.
• Digital Book Reports: Many schools are now offering students extra credit if they do book reports on titles they’ve read from our eMedia Catalog. While providing extra credit for additional reading is a long standing tradition, by having the students report on digital titles, they become that much more comfortable with incorporating them into their daily studies.
• Special Needs Classes: Perhaps the most inspiring (and my personal favorite) stories involve the use of eBooks and eAudio Books among schools with Special-Needs students. These students have been able to better comprehend materials and gain an early passion for reading because they can follow along with a novel while listening to an audiobook.

Happy Chanukah/Hanukkah

Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish festival of dedication and lights that takes place in December. This year, the eight-day festival began, Tuesday December 20, 2011 at sundown with the lighting of the first… Read More in Credo Reference Online…

Also see Gale Virtual Reference Library the Encyclopaedia Judaica, for in-depth articles on Hanukkah.