FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., April 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Gale, part of Cengage Learning, today announced Gale World Scholar: Latin America and the Caribbean, the first in a new family of Gale World Scholar regional studies-based electronic resources. A new product category for libraries, Gale World Scholar marks the first time any publisher is combining historical and contemporary reference and archival materials with current events in a contextual manner. With the new Gale World Scholar resources, Gale provides a captivating and comprehensive picture of a particular region of the world, including insight into daily life, culture, traditions, its inhabitants, and a detailed chronicle of past and present from a historical and contemporary perspective — in a searchable, digital format.

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Gale World Scholar includes primary source content from a network of U.S. and foreign libraries and institutions. Geared to the academic researcher, it will be used by undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty in a multitude of disciplines, including programs in area studies, history, political science, international relations, anthropology, sociology, economics, environmental studies, cultural studies, literature, music, the arts and religion. Highlights of Gale World Scholar include:

• Hundreds of major topics, issues and people, covered in great depth and from multiple viewpoints
• Relevant archival material (monographs, manuscripts, maps, pamphlets and newspapers), including never-before-digitized documents
• Scholarly journals, newspapers and periodicals, dynamically updated
• Documents in multiple languages, including Spanish and Portuguese, as well as translation tools
• Excellent introductions to topics written by scholars
• An interactive statistical modeling tool using figures from more than 25 international organizations, giving users the ability to visualize data and analyze trends on economics, health, demographics and other topics. Users can select specific variables, such as growth rate of GDP per person, unemployment rates, or other indicators, to create customized charts and graphs, which they can download and use in presentations or assignments
• Dynamic multimedia end-user experience through interactive maps, audio/video, images, think-tank and policy studies, and much more
• Fast-flip feature for browsing historical documents
• Customizable purchase and subscription options to meet each unique institutional need & budget

"Gale World Scholar delivers essential content – primary source documents, academic articles, journals, newspapers, secondary analyses – and places them in a digital, online library designed specifically to meet the needs of students and researchers," said Jim Draper, vice president and publisher, Gale. "Online libraries and databases are an important component to learning. Of students surveyed in last year's Cengage Learning/Eduventures survey, 87 percent believe they have had the most significant impact on their overall learning."

The first release of Gale World Scholar delves deeply into one of the most studied areas in the world, Latin America and the Caribbean. The variety of content begins with the colonial history of the region and covers the last 500 years up to and including today. Important regional historical events and subjects covered within the resource include the Spanish-American War, the life and work of painter Frida Kahlo and other Mexican muralists, and the role of coffee in the economic and social life of the region. In addition, numerous varied collections of historical documents comprise the resource, such as:  

• Latin American Independence: Nineteenth Century Political and Official Pamphlets
• Mexican and Central American Political and Social Ephemera
• Conquistadors: The Struggle for Colonial Power in Latin America, 1492–1825
• Latin American and Iberian Biographies
• Despatches From U.S. Consuls in Havana, Cuba, 1783-1906
• Coleccion de documentos ineditos relativos al descubrimiento, conquista y organizacion de las antiguas posesiones espanolas de America Y Oceania
• Correspondence and Record Cards of the Military Intelligence Division Relating to General, Political, and Military Conditions in Central America, 1918-1941
• Papers of Agustin de iturbide, 1799-1880
• Latin American History and Culture: An Archival Record, Series 1: The Yale University Collection of Latin American Manuscripts, Parts 1-7
• Records of the Department of State Relating to Political Relations Between the U.S. and Brazil, 1945-1959

Gale World Scholar resources are planned for other regions as well, including the Middle East, China, South East Asia, India and Africa.

For more information on Gale World Scholar: Latin America and the Caribbean, please visit http://www.gale.cengage.com/WorldScholar/. To set up a trial, or for any questions, please contact Kristina Massari at kristina.massari@cengage.com.

About Cengage Learning and Gale

Cengage Learning is a leading provider of innovative teaching, learning and research solutions for the academic, professional and library markets worldwide. Gale, part of Cengage Learning, serves the world's information and education needs through its vast and dynamic content pools, which are used by students and consumers in their libraries, schools and on the Internet. It is best known for the accuracy, breadth and convenience of its data, addressing all types of information needs – from homework help to health questions to business profiles – in a variety of formats. For more information, visit www.cengage.com or www.gale.com.

SOURCE Cengage Learning