The Mandarin Ailuropoda melanoleuca

As a new fiscal year looms, we begin rolling out new e-resources and other products. We'll start off with two new, Gale-Cengage products.



First off, let's introduce PowerSpeak Languages. PowerSpeak isn't a database or typical library electronic resource. It's more of a standalone language educational tool, perfect for students getting ready to study abroad...or wanting to communicate with the international student down the hall from you.

From the publisher:

Students will find Powerspeak Languages the perfect solution for learning world languages naturally. With its variety of activities, adventure stories and rich multimedia, students will immerse themselves completely in authentic cultural customs and social trends. And because Powerspeak Languages aligns with world language curriculum and The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, it’s a great resource to help students prepare for and compete in a global economy.

Students will find Powerspeak Languages the perfect solution for learning world languages naturally. With its variety of activities, adventure stories and rich multimedia, students will immerse themselves completely in authentic cultural customs and social trends. And because Powerspeak Languages aligns with world language curriculum and The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, it’s a great resource to help students prepare for and compete in a global economy.

PowerSpeak comes with Spanish, French, German, Mandarin Chinese, and English as a Second Language.

Next up, is Grzimek's Animal Life is more of a traditional library resource, as it is an electronic version of the popular Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. One of the frequent suggestions on our annual student library satisfaction survey is to add more science resources. We are listening, and this is the first of hopefully several new resources to be added this year.

Anyway, here's more about Grzimek's from the publisher:

Grzimek's Animal LIfe is an image-rich, dynamic online resource that creates a true educational experience where a quick trip to find specific information can lead to the desire to explore and learn more. Users will be inspired by:

• Unequaled coverage — more than 4,000 species categorized by Amphibians, Reptiles and Birds, Fish, Insects, Mammals and Simple Aquatic Life, including information on evolution, habitat, behavior, range and more
• Authoritative, peer-reviewed content — updated regularly by a worldwide network of experts
• Ancillary topics — such as endangered species, biomes, prehistoric animals and others
• Ease of use — immersive tools like interactive range maps and an intuitive interface let users discover while also supporting serious academic research
• Media richness — thousands of photos, maps, videos, audio tracks and more
• Convenient learning tools — translation into 11 languages; ReadSpeaker text-to-speech translation; ability to download, print, bookmark, and share through popular social networking and other online applications
• Planned enhancements — curriculum correlations and tools to connect experts, educators and students

Not only will Grzimek's be useful for zoology students, but elementary education students will be able to use the ample curriculum materials for lesson planning.

Have any questions or comments? E-mail me here: trix "at" coker.edu