Winston Churchill Goes Digital
July 28th, 2010NYT – “Under the deal, the entire Churchill archive, currently stored in 2,500 boxes at the center’s home in the quiet, grassy precincts of Cambridge university’s Churchill College, is to be digitized and made available on a pay-as-you-go basis to those with an Internet connection.”
Amazon Introduces $139 Kindle With Wi-Fi Amid Tussle With Apple
July 28th, 2010Bloomberg – “Amazon.com Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos cut prices and added features to the Kindle to defend it against a threat from Apple Inc. in the fast- growing market for electronic readers. Amazon introduced two new versions of the device today, including a $139 model that works with Wi-Fi. A second version, with 3G mobile technology as well as Wi-Fi to download books, costs $189. Bloomberg News reported details in May about Amazon’s plans for the Kindle, its bestselling product.”
As college text prices soar, students get a rental option
July 26th, 2010Boston Globe – “College students will have new, cheaper alternatives this fall to shelling out hundreds of dollars each semester for textbooks they may never use again. * Tweet 31 people Tweeted this * Submit to Diggdiggsdigg * Yahoo! Buzz ShareThis In an effort to curb escalating book prices amid sky-high college costs, bookstores at more than a dozen campuses across the state and hundreds more around the country will begin renting textbooks at about half the cost of buying them.”
British library Annual Report
July 26th, 2010The 2009-2010 report was released today.
Libraries Loan More Movies than Netflix
July 26th, 2010Courant.com – “Red boxes, red envelopes and the blue and yellow Blockbusterstores may dominate the movie rental landscape, but according to a recent survey, when Americans want to watch a DVD, they are most likely to turn to their local library.The survey, released this year by OCLC, a nonprofit library co-operative and research organization, found that public libraries in the United States lend an average 2.1 million videos every day, slightly more than the 2 million that Netflix ships. The other top two competitors, Redbox and Blockbuster, come in at 1.4 million and 1.2 million respectively, according to daily averages provided by company representatives.”
More here
Hunt proposes closure of the Museum, Libraries and Archives Council
July 26th, 2010Guardian – “The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) would be abolished under new proposals put forward today by the culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, to cut the number of public bodies the government funds. A statement from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) proposed that the MLA – which works to promote best practice in the UK’s museums, libraries and archives – would be wound up as the department focused its efforts instead “on front-line, essential services and ensur[ing] greater value for money” in the area. “Government support for museums, libraries and archives will continue,” it added.”
Promoting Literacy the Curious George Way
July 26th, 2010NYTimes – “The Library of Congress has chosen Curious George, the children’s book character, to star in its new public service advertising campaign. Introduced Monday and distributed by the Advertising Council, the ads are intended to encourage parents to read with their children. According to Florida State University, this activity makes children more willing to read and increases the frequency of their reading”
Public Libraries Nourishing the Mind
July 25th, 2010PC World – “I’ve been thinking a lot about what ought to be architecturally designed into public library spaces in the future. As physical books play a lesser role, we can rethink the best use of library space.”
The Library of America launches a blog
July 25th, 2010Los Angeles Times – “The Library of America, the nonprofit publishing house dedicated to creating an in-print library of editions of America’s greatest works, launched its first blog Friday. Called Reader’s Almanac, it focuses on joining the current online discussions that touch on the works and authors in the publisher’s catalog, such as William Faulkner, Jack Kerouac, Mark Twain and Walt Whitman.”
COMIC-CON 2010: A boom in digital comics portends big changes for readers
July 25th, 2010Los Angeles Times- ‘Los Angeles Times writers Alex Pham and John Horn take a look at how a new wave of digital comic books designed for mobile phones, tablet computers and other devices stands to impact the publishing industry and independent retailers — not to mention devoted fans — in a page-one story in Friday’s paper.’
Celebrated authors bypass publishing houses to sell ebooks via Amazon
July 24th, 2010Guardian – “Discontent over digital royalties prompts Roth, Amis and other leading names to enter into exclusive deal with Odyssey Editions”
Little reader: 5-year-old gets jump on broadcast career:
July 24th, 2010WCF Courier – “Sporting a pink skirt and pink flip-flops, Zoe Malin Campbell tilts her head toward a large, silver microphone and begins to read from one of her favorite books, “Amazing Grace” by Mary Hoffman and Caroline Binch. Not once does the 5-year-old stop to ask an adult how to pronounce a word. Not once does she look confused or nervous. Campbell, who has been learning to read since age 3, has her own radio show on KBBG radio. “Zoe’s Book Club with a lot of Books” airs at 11 a.m. every Saturday.”
Getty receives grant money for digital German art initiative
July 20th, 2010Los Angeles Times – “The Getty Research Institute is receiving grant money from the National Endowment for the Humanities for a joint project that involves the digital archiving of German auction catalogs from 1930 to 1945. The archives are intended to help establish the origins of artistic and cultural assets that were taken from their legal owners during the Nazi regime.”
Five Reasons Amazon E-Books are Outselling Hardcovers
July 20th, 2010PC Worlds – “Are you still holding out to see what happens with this whole ebooks “fad” before deciding whether to embrace it for your business? Well, the times they are a changin’ and there are a variety of reasons that ebooks are outpacing printed books. Amazon reports that ebook sales are three times higher than last year, and that Kindle versions of books have outsold their hardcover equivalents by 43 percent over the last quarter. The traditional written word printed on paper will not be fading to oblivion any time soon, but here are five factors contributing to the success of the ebook”
‘Unbound: A National Exhibition of Book Art’:
July 17th, 2010SF Chron – “‘Book art’ is a synthesis of form and content and provides us a bridge between the traditional book and contemporary art,” Lederer says. “Artists’ books engage us in their meaning through a myriad of elements (versus just text), including words, image, materials, shape, form and color. The creative opportunity for structuring and packaging book art is endless – from pop-ups to sculptural housing.”
Out There: A charming hideaway for rare-book lovers
July 17th, 2010LA times – “Those who’ve been to William Andrews Clark Memorial Library love its intimate, elegant grounds and trove of historical writings. Run by UCLA but tucked away in Jefferson Park, it gets few visitors.”
EU OK with Google-Dutch Library deal
July 17th, 2010Associated Press – “The European Commission said Thursday it does not object to Google digitizing 160,000 books in the archives of the National Library of the Netherlands if they will be made publicly available. EU spokesman Jonathan Todd said the EU executive welcomed the digitization of materials from public libraries provided “they are made available to European citizens” and meet EU copyright and competition laws.”
Don’t go to the library on Sunday. Or Monday
July 17th, 2010Los Angeles Times – “Budget contractions are squeezing the Los Angeles Public Library, which begins a new schedule of reduced hours this Sunday, July 18. Going forward, the Central Library and all 72 LA Public Library branches will be open just five days, Tuesday through Saturday. This means that students who need the computers or Internet access will have to queue up for places on Saturday. People who work regular hours and want to stop at libraries on the weekend will now have to remember Saturday is their only chance. And for many — students, people with daytime jobs — getting to the library at all will be a challenge. While the new hours seem paltry, the budget crisis might force even more drastic cuts in service in the future.”
Power and propaganda of maps at British library
July 17th, 2010Retuers – “Rare cartographic gems mapping the world from 200 B.C. to the present go on display at the British Library in London. “Magnificent Maps: Power, Propaganda and Art,” showcases some of the finest wall-maps in the British Library’s 4.5 million-strong collection, in an exhibition which encourages visitors to question the nature and purpose of maps.”
Federal wage subsidy plan running out of cash:
July 17th, 2010SF Chron – “Several dozen workers at a book-scanning factory in San Francisco are among 3,500 city residents who are earning paychecks today thanks to a federal wage subsidy that will expire Sept. 30 unless Congress puts an additional $2.5 billion into the program.”
Wily raccoon breaks into Brooklyn Public Library basement
July 14th, 2010NY Daily News – “A wily raccoon snuck into the basement of the Brooklyn Public Library’s central branch late last week, startling maintenance workers. “He was probably just wandering around looking for some books to check out,” joked Brooklyn Public Library spokeswoman Malika Granville, who suggested the critter read the kids book “Raccoon’s Last Race” by Joseph and James Bruchac.
Millions of books get digitized for the disabled
July 14th, 2010USA Today – “For those who are blind, dyslexic or have diseases like multiple sclerosis and have difficulty turning book pages, reading the latest best seller just got easier. Brewster Kahle, a digital librarian and founder of a virtual library called the Internet Archive, has launched a worldwide campaign to double the number of books available for print-disabled people.”
L.A. council drops plan to put library tax measure on fall ballot
July 14th, 2010LA Times – “The Los Angeles City Council abandoned a plan Tuesday for putting a tax on the Nov. 2 ballot to raise money for city libraries, but left the door open for a similar proposal to go on the municipal ballot in March. The decision came roughly two weeks after the council moved ahead with the layoffs of 98 library employees. Proponents of the levy said it would provide money to restore those positions and have six days of library service per week, instead of the five that were put in place on July 6. But several council members said the city could not afford to risk spending the $4.2 million that county elections officials would charge to put the measure on the ballot, only to see it fail.”
Lending crisis may hit libraries
July 14th, 2010Chicago Tribune – “Downers Grove resident Edris Byers reads about three mystery novels a month. Some of the books she finds at her local library, but other, harder-to-find titles are ordered through an online interlibrary loan system and delivered to her home library within a few days. But that delivery service might be in jeopardy because of lack of funds and the state’s deteriorating financial situation, state library officials warn. “I didn’t know the state was broke,” joked Byers, 84, of Downers Grove. “You know, things are getting terrible. If they stop the delivery service, it will limit our reading material. The only other option would be to go out and buy the book.”
City’s move to save libraries was huge, but just how many jobs will be restored is still up in air
July 14th, 2010NY Daily News – “The plan means branches will stay open, but six-day service will be a luxury and only available in certain facilities. It also means some of those pink slips will be rescinded. But just how many is still up in the air “People heard the libraries were saved, so they stopped protesting,” said one worker. “But they didn’t realize all these people would still be losing their jobs.”
Idaho cops catch up with alleged condiment vandal
July 14th, 2010AP – “Police have arrested a 74-year-old woman who is accused of repeatedly dumping maple syrup, corn syrup, ketchup and mayonnaise into a library book drop in Idaho’s capital city. Authorities had previously issued a pair of warrants for Joy Cassidy’s arrest earlier this month after she failed to appear in court.
Announcing The TechSoup Digital Catalog!
July 14th, 2010TechSoup for Libraries – “I am so excited about our first, brand new, easy-to-use digital catalog. With interactive search tools and intuitive browsing, choosing donated products and finding technology resources for your library just got easier. This catalog pulls together valuable information about our donated products and library/nonprofit tech issues from our articles, webinars and community discussions.”
Google finances projects to test digital library
July 14th, 2010Associated Press – “Google Inc. is giving researchers nearly a half-million dollars to test the academic value of its rapidly growing online library. The grants announced Wednesday will be used to help pay for 12 humanities projects studying questions that will require sifting through thousands of books to reach meaningful conclusions.”
Check it out – or click it out – from New York Public Library
July 12th, 2010NY Daily News – “City library patrons don’t have to blush now when checking out books with racy titles like, “In Bed with the Duke.” And if they do blush, no one will notice – thanks to the growing availability of downloadable e-books on virtual library shelves. It’s a brave new world where “Brave New World” is available in both digital and old-fashioned book form.”
Why ‘Mockingbird’ has been challenged
July 12th, 2010Washington Post – “Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ may be considered a classic but that doesn’t mean everybody likes it.”
