Database of the Month: Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL)

Gale Virtual Reference Library

What is Gale Virtual Reference Library?

The Gale Virtual Reference Library is a database of encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources, searchable all at once. Think: authoritative and quick information for beginning your research.

When to Use Gale Virtual Reference Library (instead of Google or Wikipedia)

GRVL answers such questions as:

  • the percentage change of discretionary income in the Northeast from just before the onset of the 2008 recession as compared to the following year (ANSWER: consult GVRL’s American Incomes: Demographics of Who Has Money)
  • a brief biography of composer Leonard (actually Luis) Bernstein for a public speaking class (ANSWER: consult GVRL’s Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians)
  • the background of a particular ad campaign (ANSWER: consult GVRL’s Encyclopedia of Major Marketing Campaigns for a topical overview of – for example – Apple Computer’s Think Different ad campaign)

Think you need to trek to the library to consult a reference book, that dictionary or encyclopedia? Think again.

What Makes Gale Virtual Reference Library such a Great Resource?

With so many different titles all in one (searchable) spot, think of GVRL as your authoritative go-to source for learning introductory, general information about a wide range of topics. With full-text access to electronic reference books, including titles in the arts, business, the environment, history, literature, medicine, multicultural studies, geography, and science, GVRL should be your first stop in quick stats, fact checks, and topic overviews.

Sample Title List

Bentley Library’s subscription to Gale Virtual Reference Library comes with access to over 150 different titles (complete list here). Below are a few examples:

  • American Incomes: Demographics of Who Has Money
  • Encyclopedia of Gender in Media
  • Encyclopedia of Small Business
  • Guide to U.S. Foreign Policy
  • The Millennials: Americans Born 1977 to 1994
  • West’s Encyclopedia of American Law

Locating Information in Gale Virtual Reference Library

Simply browse reference titles from different subject areas on the home page and view an eBook without performing a search. Of course, if you’d prefer to enter a search term, there are both basic and advanced search options available.

Did you want to share what you found with others? Gale now offers InfoMarks functionality, allowing users to copy, bookmark, or email a persistent URL of nearly every page!

Final Notes

Librarians thought GVRL was such a fantastic resource that it was chosen as Library Journal’s Best Overall Database in 2012! Gale Virtual Reference Library is available through the Bentley Library’s Databases A to Z listing.

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Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to an important research database, highlighting key features of the database that you should know about. If you would like more information about this database (or any of the library’s databases) please Ask a Librarian. If you would like a demonstration of this database for a class, please contact our Coordinator of User Education, Elizabeth Galoozis.

New Database: Ancestry Library

It just got much easier to do genealogical research at the Bentley Library! We are pleased to offer Ancestry® Library to the Bentley community. Discover your unique family history using the billions of historical documents available in this popular database.

Ancestry LibraryAncestry® Library is powered by Ancestry.com® and delivered by ProQuest. Ancestry® Library provides access to most of the content available to individual Ancestry.com® subscribers.  Some of the personalization options available to private subscribers are not available in the Library edition.

Inside Ancestry® Library

Content for Ancestry® Library is sourced from libraries, archives and special collections all over the world.  The database contains billions of records in censuses, vital records, immigration records, family histories, court and legal documents, directories, family and gravestone photos, and more.  Also included are an extensive collection of military records, and multimedia such as newsreels and maps.

typewriter-delivery
Louis A. Caulfield, 37 Belfort Street, Dorchester delivers a typewriter for Model Typewriter Inspection Co.  Taken on Boston Common / Lewis W. Hine / abt 1917. From: Ancestry.com. Library of Congress Photo Collection, 1840-2000 .

Historical Records

  • Birth, Marriage, & Death
  • Census & Voter Lists
  • Immigration & Travel
  • Military
  • Schools, Directories, & Church Histories
  • Tax, Criminal, Land, & Wills
  • Reference, Dictionaries, & Almanacs

Stories & Publications

  • Stories, Memories, & Histories
  • Newspapers
  • Periodicals & Magazines

Photos & Maps

  • Photos
  • Maps, Atlases, & Gazetteers

Learn More and Get Help

ProQuest has created a detailed online guide to the Ancestry® Library database. Learn about the various content categories contained within the database, get search tips, watch prerecorded webinars, view sample searches and print help guides  at http://proquest.libguides.com/ancestrylibraryedition.

Also available are a series of short training videos, including the “Basic Search” video shown below. The entire ProQuest Ancestry® Library YouTube Playlist is available at http://prq.st/ancestrylevideos.

Connect to Ancestry® Library

Ancestry® Library is available on the library’s Databases A-Z list and the History databases page. For further assistance using this database, please contact the Reference Desk.

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Database of the Month
provides a very brief introduction to an important research database, highlighting key features of the database that you should know about. If you would like more information about this database (or any of the library’s databases) please Ask a Librarian. If you would like a demonstration of this database for a class, please contact our Coordinator of User Education, Elizabeth Galoozis.

Database of the Month: PrivCo

PrivCo image

Trying to find financial information on private companies?  The Bentley Library has just added PrivCo, a database specializing in hard to find data on major private companies, to its growing list of electronic databases.  PrivCo provides access to detailed information on private company financials and revenues,  private merger and acquisition deals, private firm valuations,  private equity deals, venture capital fundings, private and family ownership breakdowns, bankruptcies, and restructurings. According to its website, PrivCo has reports on over 228,000 private companies, 12,500 private investors, 44,000 private merger and acquisition deals, and 37,000 VC funding rounds.

Searching

You can search for an individual company or investor directly by simply entering the name in the search box in the upper right corner of the screen.  If you want to generate a list of companies or investors that fit certain criteria, use the Advanced Search option.   In the Advanced Search option, you can limit your search for companies or investors by:

  • Region or industry
  • Annual revenues, growth rates, and total number of employees within a certain range
  • Investor type and preferred stage of investment
  • Deal size, funding round size, and total funding raised

PrivCo2

Company Information

The amount of information contained in a company report will vary depending on the company but often includes the following:

  • Business summary
  • Overview and corporate organization
  • Competitors & comparables
  • Ownership
  • Charts, financials, and statistics, including revenues, gross profits, total employees, productivity, and total locations
  • Detailed business description, including information on strategy, products, marketing, industry trends, history, and lawsuits and controversies.

Investor Information

The amount of information will also vary by investor but will most likely include the following:

  • Investor summary
  • Recent news, updates, and analysis
  • Investor overview
  • Investor contacts
  • Private deal history, including total deal amount

Knowledge Bank

PrivCo also has a section called the Knowledge Bank which is a repository of general information on private companies, private company valuation, mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital, and bankruptcy and restructuring.  The entries in this section are detailed and extensive and are designed to help users navigate and understand the ins and outs of the private market.

PrivCo is available through the Bentley Library’s Databases A to Z listing.  For further assistance using the PrivCo, please contact the Reference Desk.

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Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to an important research database, highlighting key features of the database that you should know about. If you would like more information about this database (or any of the library’s databases) please Ask a Librarian. If you would like a demonstration of this database for a class, please contact our Coordinator of User Education, Elizabeth Galoozis.

Database of the Month: Statistical Abstract of the United States [New Database!]

The Statistical Abstract of the United States is back! You may or may not have noticed, but this vital resource is back from hiatus with a new online publisher and provider in ProQuest. (The Statistical Abstract was previously published by the U.S. Census Bureau.) This revived database will be invaluable to students in GB320, marketing classes, and anyone who needs hard-to-find statistics. For many topic areas, this is one of the only places you’ll find information brought together in such a succinct and organized way.

The Statistical Abstract answers such questions as:

  • How much crude oil and natural gas reserves are there in each state?
  • What percentage of children enrolled in preschool in 1970 versus 2010?
  • What was the trend in honey production over the last ten years?
  • How many businesses in the U.S. are owned by minorities and women?

You can get the answers to questions like these two ways: browsing or searching.

Browse

Use the 31 sections along the side to explore statistics in different topic areas, such as Health and Nutrition, or National Security and Veterans Affairs.  (Click on the image below to enlarge it.)

Once in a section, you can look through the list of tables available (which you might prefer if you’re used to the print version), or you can narrow down the list of tables by applying filters:

  • subject
  • data source
  • date
  • geography
  • how data is broken down (e.g., race, state, industry, or income)

Filters can then be easily removed by clicking the “x” next to them.

Search

You can also simply type in a search term, and use the same facets described in “Browse” to narrow your list of results. Below is an example of a search for the word “mortgage.” (Click on the image below to enlarge it.)

StatAb-mortgagesearch

Export

You can export entire sections or individual tables of data as Excel files or PDFs, including a citation generated for you in either MLA or APA format.

Further Information and Help

This online version of the Statistical Abstract is updated monthly. The library also collects the print edition of the Statistical Abstract, which is updated annually. Past versions – both print and electronic – can be accessed through the library’s catalog.

Click on “Guide to Statistical Sources” within the database to see a complete list of the Statistical Abstract’s data sources, from the U.S. government as well as private and international sources (for example, the UN Statistics Division and The Conference Board).

If you want to learn more, ProQuest has put together a great help guide to the new Statistical Abstract here: http://proquest.libguides.com/statisticalabstract

The Statistical Abstract is available through the Bentley Library’s Databases A to Z listing.  For further assistance using the Statistical Abstract, please contact the Reference Desk.
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Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to an important research database, highlighting key features of the database that you should know about. If you would like more information about this database (or any of the library’s databases) please Ask a Librarian. If you would like a demonstration of this database for a class, please contact our Coordinator of User Education, Elizabeth Galoozis.

Database of the Month: Cabell’s Directories

Friends, Faculty, scholars, lend me your ears;

I come to praise Cabell’s, not to bury it.
The manuscript that scholars write lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Cabell’s.

Okay, now that I have your attention, dear faculty, I want to make sure you are familiar with Cabell’s Directories online, a database that is designed to help researchers match their manuscripts with scholarly journals.

Cabell's home page
Click to view larger image.

The Facts:

  • Founded in 1978
  • Indexes over 4,000 journals
  • Each entry includes:
    • Journal submission process
    • Manuscript topics
    • Manuscript style and length
    • Acceptance rate
    • Type of review
    • Number of external reviewers
    • Type of readership
    • Whether journal is indexed in JCR / ERIC
    • Website link

The Plusses:

  • One-stop shopping for publication information in the following disciplines:
    • Accounting
    • Economics and Finance
    • Management
    • Marketing
    • Educational Curriculum and Methods
    • Educational Psychology and Administration
    • Educational Technology and Library Science
    • Psychology and Psychiatry
    • Computer Science
  • Continuously updated
  • Off-campus access
  • Unlimited simultaneous users

The Minuses:

  • Undesirable color scheme
  • Podcasts may or may not be useful to new researchers and Ph.D. students
  • Facebook and LinkedIn pages not very informative, or fun
  • Not obvious where to begin

Cabell's log-in
Click on [Member Area] to begin your search.
Cabell’s Directories is available through the Bentley Library’s Databases A to Z listing.  For further assistance using Cabell’s, please contact the Reference Desk.

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Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to an important research database, highlighting key features of the database that you should know about. If you would like more information about this database (or any of the library’s databases) please Ask a Librarian. If you would like a demonstration of this database for a class, please contact our Coordinator of User Education, Elizabeth Galoozis.

Database of the Month: Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory

Ulrich

Whether you want to find out if a source is authoritative or want to find places to publish a piece of writing or an article, Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory is a great place to start. Ulrichsweb includes detailed information on more than 300,000 serials of all types: academic & scholarly journals, e-journals, peer- reviewed titles, popular magazines, newspapers, newsletters and more. Each Ulrich’s record provides data points such as: ISSN, publisher, ordering details, subscription price, language, subject, abstracting & indexing coverage, full-text database coverage, tables of contents and reviews written by librarians.

Just type in a specific title (Advances in Accounting) or ISBN number (0882-6110) to bring up the relevant record.

Ulrichcompletrecord

Please note that the Content Type: “Academic / Scholarly”  just means that the title is published or sponsored by a college, university or a traditional academic publisher. The key to authoritative sources is to look for the Refereed Symbol (See below image)Ulrichcodes

Another Key Feature to note when looking at the authority of a source is to see whether or not a source is included in Journal Citation Reports (JCR). In an Ulrichsweb record, the JCR information will be noted under the “Additional Title Details”. Please see earlier JCR blog post about Impact Factor for more information about JCR.

Advanced Search allows you to search for groups of titles by the critieria you want in over 950 subject groupings.

A results list can be narrowed down using the facets searching on the left or sorting the different columns by clicking on the headings

UlrichFR

Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory is available through the Bentley Library’s Databases A to Z listing. For further assistance using Ulrichsweb, please contact the Reference Desk.

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Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to an important research database, highlighting key features of the database that you should know about. If you would like more information about this database (or any of the library’s databases) please Ask a Librarian. If you would like a demonstration of this database for a class, please contact our Coordinator of User Education, Elizabeth Galoozis.

Database of the Month: In Context series from Gale

The Bentley University Library recently acquired access to a number of databases from Gale Cengage Learning as part of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) statewide database licensing program.  Included in the collection are five titles from Gale’s “In Context” series of electronic resources:gale-in-context

One of the main features of the In Context series is what Gale refers to as “Media-rich content”, including images, audio, video, Google maps and interactive resources that enhance student ability to evaluate and apply information.  Traditional, aggregated databases provide users with indexing and articles from a range of sources.  In Context provides this same content but with these added Web 2.0 features.  The history collections in the series allow users to search primary source materials, a valuable tool for all researchers, and all In Context collections include academic journals and reference sources.  The Science in Context collection allows users to search for statistics, graphic and tabular information, and experiments.

For those who are interested in providing links to full-text articles, videos, audio files, other In Context content Gale is now offering improved Infomark functionality that allows users to copy, bookmark, or email a persistent URL of nearly every page — giving them the ability to create and share reading lists, bibliographies, content management systems (such as Blackboard) and more.

This past February In the Know featured the Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context collection as our “Database of the Month”.  To learn more about that database or to see any of our recent “Database of the Month” posts please click here.

Connect to the In Context Databases

Visit our Databases A-Z or Databases by Subject pages to access the In Context databases.

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Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to an important research database, highlighting key features of the database that you should know about. If you would like more information about this database (or any of the library’s databases) please Ask a Librarian. If you would like a demonstration of this database for a class, please contact our Coordinator of User Education, Elizabeth Galoozis.

Database of the Month: Gartner Group Resources

Gartner Group Resources provides proprietary expert analysis and opinion on IT-related topics at the intersection of business and technology. Gartner helps users to research, gartner1analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual roles in various markets and industries.

Reference librarians have recommended Gartner for researching such topics as:

  • IT outsourcing in particular countries
  • Reviews and comparisons of PCs, laptops and handheld devices
  • Forecasting, market trends, vendor strategies and product life cycles

Searching Gartner
There are several ways to find content in this database. Type keywords into the Search Research box in the upper right corner, and a list of results appears in a separate window. Filter your search by using the context-based tags provided on the left side of the page.

Or, click the Other Options link under the single search box to tailor your search. You may refine your search by date, topic, region, industry, content type, and more.

You may also use the Research Fast Finder to search by Markets, Topics and Industries. Topics gather Gartner research on a specific subject. If you are looking for the most recent research on a given topic, browse the content on these pages.

Topics
A sample of Gartner research topics.

In addition to PDF reports that you can download and print, Gartner offers blogs, podcasts and webinars, all accessible by dedicated sections on the home page as well as by using the search methods described above.

Search Alerts
With Gartner, you can track the latest research on topics of interest to you by creating search alerts. Specify keywords or topics of interest, and results will be delivered to your email.

Support and Assistance
To learn more about using Gartner, you can view the Online Training document and a Site Index, along with other support documents.

Connect to Gartner
To begin your research, visit Gartner Group Resources and enter your full Bentley email address and network password. You can also access the database from the Databases A-Z page, or the Databases by Subject page for IT & CIS.

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Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to an important research database, highlighting key features of the database that you should know about. If you would like more information about this database (or any of the library’s databases) please Ask a Librarian. If you would like a demonstration of this database for a class, please contact our Coordinator of User Education, Elizabeth Galoozis.