Gale (publisher)

Gale
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Publishing, Digital Libraries, Educational Materials
Predecessor	Gale Research, The Gale Group
Founded	January 1, 1954; 72 years ago in Detroit, Michigan, USA
Founder	Frederick Gale Ruffner Jr.
Fate	Acquired by Cengage
Headquarters	Farmington Hills, United States
Area served	International
Key people	Patrick C. Sommers (President 2007–2010)
Products	Gale OneFile, Academic OneFile, Biography and Genealogy Master Index, General OneFile, General Reference Center, Sabin Americana, World History Collection, Primary Source Media, Scholarly Resources Inc., Schirmer Reference, St. James Press, The TAFT Group, Twayne Publishers, Five Star Publishing, U·X·L., Christian Large Print, Wheeler Publishing
Owner	Cengage
Parent	Cengage
Website	www.gale.com

Gale is an international supplier of research and digital educational materials headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan, USA. Since 2007, it has functioned as a subsidiary of Cengage.

Initially operating under the names Gale Research and the Gale Group, the organization caters to public, academic, and school libraries in addition to commercial enterprises. Its main offerings consist of comprehensive full-text databases for magazines and newspapers such as Gale OneFile (previously Infotrac), along with extensive multi-volume reference collections centered on religion, history, and social science.

Established in Detroit in 1954 by businessman Frederick Gale Ruffner Jr., Gale was purchased by the International Thomson Organization (which later became the Thomson Corporation) in 1985. It was subsequently sold to Cengage in 2007.

History

In 1998, Gale Research combined forces with Information Access Company and Primary Source Media—both Thomson-owned entities—to create the Gale Group. Thomson had previously acquired Information Access Company, known for publishing InfoTrac, in 1995, and Primary Source Media in 1979.

Thomson Gale broadened its offerings in 1999 by purchasing Macmillan Library Reference, which included Scribner's Reference, Thorndike Press, Schirmer, Twayne Publishers, and G. K. Hall, from Pearson. The following year, it added Munich-based K. G. Saur Verlag to its portfolio but divested this asset to Walter de Gruyter in 2006.

On October 25, 2006, Thomson Corporation revealed its intention to sell off its Thomson Learning division to concentrate on its primary business sectors. The transaction was initially projected to bring in approximately $5 billion but ultimately closed at $7.75 billion with a private equity group including Apax Partners and OMERS Capital Partners. This division was rebranded as Cengage Learning on July 24, 2007.

Patrick C. Sommers held the position of president at Gale from October 22, 2007, until his retirement in 2010.

Products

Gale provides a wide range of products such as Gale Academic OneFile, Biography and Genealogy Master Index, General OneFile, General Reference Center, Sabin Americana (derived from Sabin's Bibliotheca Americana), and World History Collection. These digital tools are designed for academic research and reference purposes, aligning with Gale’s strategy to support libraries and educational organizations.

Its print publishing divisions include Primary Source Media, Scholarly Resources Inc., Schirmer Reference, St. James Press, The TAFT Group, and Twayne Publishers. The company’s fiction imprint, Five Star Publishing, boasts an extensive catalog featuring numerous titles across genres like Westerns, Romance, Mystery, and Science Fiction & Fantasy. For the K–12 education sector, Gale offers imprints such as U·X·L. Furthermore, ownership of Christian Large Print and Wheeler Publishing extends Gale’s influence within the large print market.

External links

Gale Directory Library – an online platform featuring a wide array of printed directories
Books & Authors – a searchable repository of both fiction and nonfiction works

History

Products

See also

External links