│By Tom English, Strategic Initiatives Manager – EMEA│
When the world was locked down in March 2020 due to the covid 19 pandemic, students and researchers very suddenly lost access to valuable primary source materials. To compensate for such a swift and sudden loss of access to physical primary source materials, academic libraries needed to quickly obtain access to large swathes of digital primary sources.
The Origins of Accelerate
To meet the immediate needs of the institutions we serve, Gale opened access to an unprecedented number of its primary sources archives free of charge for an extended period of time. But that wasn’t a lasting solution. We had to change the way in which we sold archives.
Through extensive discussions with our institutional customers, we created what is now known as the Gale Accelerate programme. The promise of Accelerate was threefold: instant access to millions of pages of Gale Primary Sources, accelerating the acquisition process; the best possible pricing on archive purchases; and maximum flexibility.
Although Accelerate was born from the necessities that arose during the pandemic, the focus of the programme has shifted from surviving during the pandemic to thriving beyond it.
The Best of Gale for You
The Gale Accelerate programme has since been summarised as “The Best of Gale” in three primary aspects: product, price, and service. The products included within each Accelerate package are tailored to the needs and aspirations of each institution, while offering excellent value for money. And when customers sign up to the Accelerate programme, we work hard to ensure that library users at all levels get maximum benefit through a range of tailored services for no additional charge. When an Accelerate agreement is signed, we don’t step out, we step in.
But whilst Accelerate offers access to three times the content you pay for, it isn’t just a purchasing model, or a cheaper way of buying archives. It’s the basis upon which we can build strong and lasting partnerships with academic libraries. Through curated content, we support academic libraries to meet the needs of their users and pursue their strategic objectives and vision. And that makes Accelerate an excellent vehicle through which we can carry out our mission to expand the possibilities of research.
Supporting Your Strategic Objectives and Vision
As we’ve worked with academic libraries throughout the world, we’ve seen commonalities in what many institutions are trying to achieve. A few notable examples include the following:
- The creation of new knowledge, and challenging of existing knowledge, through cutting-edge research
- Students’ workplace readiness through skills-based training
- Inclusive academic environments where diverse groups can flourish
We are ideally positioned to support you with all of the above and much more through Gale Accelerate.
Digital primary source archives are fundamental building blocks for the creation of new knowledge, enabling researchers to challenge existing narratives and create new ones. If new knowledge is the house that the researcher builds, then primary sources are the raw materials from which the researcher draws.
Gale Primary Sources include more than 200 million pages of digital primary source materials (and counting), covering six continents over six centuries and spanning several disciplines, which can all be selected from in an Accelerate package.
Our cutting-edge technology, such as the Gale Digital Scholar Lab (included within the Accelerate programme), and associated training, enables students to develop new skills in qualitative and quantitative data analysis to support them with workplace readiness.
And our focus on increasing the inclusion of marginalised voices within our publishing programme ensures that there’s something for everyone within the Gale Primary Sources portfolio.
Make Your Acquisitions More Strategic through Gale Accelerate
Academic libraries from Switzerland to South Africa, the western United States to east Asia have benefitted from the Gale Accelerate programme. It’s enabled them to be more intentional and strategic in their acquisition of digital primary sources, getting best value for money, while benefitting from hands-on implementation services in the process. And the research possibilities of their users have increased dramatically.
Contact your sales rep to learn more about how your library can benefit from the best of Gale through the Gale Accelerate programme.
If you enjoyed reading about Gale Accelerate, check out these posts:
- The Acquisition of Gale Primary Sources at the University of Johannesburg Support Efforts to Decolonise the Curriculum
- Delivering Impact – Launching Gale Research Showcase and Gale Digital Scholar Lab: Projects
- Technology: Ally or Enemy in the Use and Preservation of Historical Data?
Blog post cover image citation: A collage from various Gale Primary Sources archives
