Database of the Month: Gale EBooks

Gale EBooks is an excellent assist for online education, especially for those working remotely. Instructors can embed content on a website or in a Blackboard site. Gale EBooks needs no special downloads or apps, making it a friendly resource for various types of device and student skill levels. There is no limit to the number of people who can view the item at one time, and users can access the book without a checkout. 

The best description for how to use Gale EBooks for learning online is found in the library’s guide for online library resources in teaching.

Strong content

Gale EBooks supports Bentley’s business curriculum by offering valuable books such as “Encyclopedia of Global Brands“, which reveals how more than 200 products originated and were first marketed, and “Market Research Reporter: Trends Over Time”, useful for market segment research. Gale EBooks is great for choosing expository writing topics or researching history; Gale EBooks supports transgender research and gender related studies. Users can also find ample material to research film or business ethics topics.   

Get started with Gale EBooks

Say a student is interested in researching race and college athletes. Because Gale EBooks is a large collection of digital reference books, let’s search Race and NCAA and use 2-3 keywords at once to produce a succinct result set. A simple search for the word “race” alone yields 6,000+ titles on subjects ranging from ethnicity, race in video games, race and identity, nonwhite racial status, immigration, workplace diversity, all interesting, but much more than needed.

A quick review of the student’s results for the Race and NCAA search showcases the depth and breadth of Gale EBooks. Entries are authoritative, reliable, and on-topic, and they are explained with helpful images and uncomplicated vocabulary.

We discover, among many others, an appealing entry called “Race and Sport, North America” by author James R. Coates Jr., published in Sports Around the World: History, Culture, and Practice (Vol. 3: Latin America and North America). 

Logical controls

Looking inside that entry, there are logical controls users will recognize from other e-book platforms. Let’s walk through some of the features more closely to appreciate their convenience:

1. Listen: Gale EBook platforms provide accessible audio for many entries to advance users who prefer to absorb information by hearing. To activate the listen feature, the cursor must be within the article.
2. Save to cloud: Google Drive and OneDrive both connect seamlessly.
3. Email
4. Download
5. Print:  This helps answer the question “Can I download/print/email/save an eBook or eBook chapter?” with a “Yes!”
6. “Further reading”: this feature in Gale EBooks enhances the learning experience and offers options to support debate, check facts, sound the depths of an issue, analyze history, and more.
7. Cite: Citations are quick and user can select between MLA, APA, Chicago style.

Connect to the database

Begin your next search by using the link for Gale EBooks on the library’s Databases A-Z page. Gale EBooks requires current Bentley credentials (email address and password) for off-campus use.

Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to useful library databases, highlighting key features you should know about. If you would like more information about this resource (or any of the library’s databases), please contact us for research assistance. If you would like a demonstration of these resources for a class, please schedule a research instruction class using the instruction request form.