Gale Receives Platinum and Gold in 2023 Modern Library Awards from LibraryWorks for the Second Consecutive Year
Seven Gale Products Recognized for Innovation, Outstanding Customer Service and High-Quality Learning and Reading Resources
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – January 17, 2023 – Gale, part of Cengage Group, is pleased to announce that it has received five platinum awards, one gold and an honorable mention award in LibraryWorks’ ninth annual Modern Library Awards (MLAs). The MLAs were created to recognize the top products and services in the library industry in a truly unbiased format. This is the second consecutive year Gale has been recognized by the MLAs for product excellence.
Products and services were submitted in the fall of 2022 and sent to more than 80,000 librarians at public, K-12, academic, and special libraries. Only customers with experience with these products/services in their facilities were permitted to judge the products/services, resulting in a truly unbiased score.
Each judge scored the product on a numeric basis from 1-10 on a series of questions regarding functionality, value, customer service experience and overall satisfaction.
“We are truly honored to be recognized by the Modern Library Awards for the second consecutive year,” said Paul Gazzolo, senior vice president and general manager at Gale. “Customer feedback plays a vital role in how we develop our products. So, the fact that the MLA judges are actual customers makes this recognition even more rewarding and is further confirmation of the innovation and value that our resources provide to libraries, educators, researchers and young learners.”
Gale’s 2023 MLA award wins were across its entire product portfolio of K-12, post-secondary and adult learning resources. Winners include:
- Women’s Studies Archive (platinum award): This archive series examines the social, political and professional aspects of women’s lives and offers a look at the roles, experiences and achievements of women in society.
“This database is phenomenal -- there is so much content within it that cannot be found elsewhere. The user interface is extremely friendly, but the best thing about it is the ability to refine by author gender. And as usual, everyone at Gale goes above and beyond.” –MLA judge
- Gale Presents: Excel Adult High School (platinum award): A 21.5-credit, self-paced online high school completion program that allows public libraries to offer accredited high school diplomas to adults who wish to prepare for entry into the workforce, further their careers, or attend college.
“This has been one of the most impactful platforms/resources we've ever offered to our customers. It truly changes their lives- their earning potential, career choices, and their self-confidence. The program is well designed and internal customer service is outstanding.” –MLA judge
- Gale In Context: For Educators (platinum award): A curriculum and instruction tool that merges quality, standards-aligned content with lesson plans and personalization features to support everyday teaching and learning.
“The databases and educator resources are a game changer for our district as we move to more standards-based curriculum.” –MLA judge
- Archives of Sexuality and Gender (platinum award): The largest historical collection available that supports gender and sexuality studies and education, enabling academic scholars to make new connections.
“A phenomenal resource on a hitherto neglected subject, containing an incredible wealth of unknown and underutilized primary texts.” –MLA judge
- Thorndike Press - Youth Large Print (platinum award): A viable reading intervention tool, similar in size as standard print with the same cover art. These books have been proven to improve fluency, increase comprehension, and reduce anxiety in young readers.
“Thorndike has been amazing to work with and my students adore their large print books. The books have made such a difference with all of my students, and I'm thrilled to be able to offer them this format.” –MLA judge
- Gale Presents: Udemy (gold award): Public libraries can connect patrons to nearly 20,000 on-demand video courses for upskilling or reskilling in business, technology, and personal development. Thousands of courses are taught by native speakers in 12 different languages, helping libraries reach their diverse communities.
“We love Udemy and recommend it highly…Our library patrons appreciate the diversity of classes that are offered. There is a wide variety of entertaining and educational classes that patrons can access at their own pace.” –MLA judge
- Gale Digital Scholar Lab (honorable mention award): A cloud-based research environment designed to transform how scholars and students access and analyze primary source materials.
“Having Gale Digital Scholar Lab available has added an extra dimension to the research which our students are able to carry out across online archives.” –MLA judge
Jenny Newman, publisher and MLA program manager said, “It’s hardly a surprise that Gale scored so well. They’ve been at the forefront of the library industry for more than 65 years. The strong partnerships they have developed with librarians and educators around the world along with the hard work and innovation they bring to their products has made them an industry leader in the library market.”
Gale will showcase and demonstrate these award-winning products at the 2023 LibLearnX Conference, January 28-30 in New Orleans, LA at Gale booth #513.
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 65 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.
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About LibraryWorks
LibraryWorks helps administrators to make informed decisions about library technology, automation and software, collection development and management, facilities and furnishings, staffing, purchasing, and other areas that drive effective strategic planning and day-to-day operations. Our family of resources can enable you to identify best practices, monitor trends, evaluate new products and services, apply for grants and funding, post or find a job, and even enjoy some library humor. https://www.libraryworks.com/
About the Modern Library Awards program
The Modern Library Awards (MLAs) is a review program designed to recognize elite products and services in the market which can help library management personnel enhance the quality-of-experience for the library user and increase the performance of their library systems. https://www.modernlibraryawards.com/
Media Contact:
Kayla Siefker, Gale, part of Cengage Group
248-378-3376