Archive for the 'United Kingdom' Category
The battle of Britain’s libraries
March 8th, 2010Guardian – “Coffee shops, gigs, free cinema tickets, flashy architecture . . . is this the future of our libraries? Stuart Jeffries on government plans to shake things up – and the people standing in their way”
‘Libraries needed to go from stacking books on shelves to more active relationships with the community’
February 24th, 2010Guardian – “We do a lot of work with publishers to promote authors and books in the community, says Miranda McKearney, director, Reading Agency.”
Consumers ‘confused by copyright’
February 24th, 2010BBC – “Consumers are confused by copyright laws that mean it is still illegal to copy a CD onto their computer, a watchdog says. Consumer Focus said that copyright law was outdated and millions of people were unaware they were breaking laws.
Domesday Book 2010: Strip clubs soaring, libraries disappearing… the figures which lay bare life in modern Britain
February 22nd, 2010Daily Mail – “The changing face of Britain under Labour has been laid bare in a modern Domesday Book. It shows how traditional pubs, post offices and libraries have gone by the wayside. In their place bookmakers, nightclubs and supermarket chains have flourished.”
More at FARK
CILIP calls on PM Gordon Brown to make school libraries statutory
February 15th, 2010A roundup from Richard Hawkins.
Authors on Google Maps
February 14th, 2010Google Maps Mania – “Soren, of Microformats.dk, has produced a Google Maps mashup to show the birthplaces of the authors whose books are on the list of the top 250 books borrowed from UK libraries.”
Access the map, plus an article from The Guardian
‘Super-fast broadband’ in UK homes by 2017 – Tories
January 31st, 2010BBC – “The Conservatives have unveiled plans to deliver a “nationwide super-fast broadband”, part of which could be funded from the BBC licence fee.”
Tim Berners-Lee unveils government data project
January 21st, 2010BBC – “Web founder Tim Berners-Lee has unveiled his latest venture for the UK government, which offers the public better access to official data. A new website, data.gov.uk, will offer reams of public sector data, ranging from traffic statistics to crime figures, for private or commercial use.”
Library ban for ‘pungent body odour’ man
December 4th, 2009BBC – “Library officials in Leicestershire have banned a regular reader from their building following complaints about his “pungent” body odour. The council said they were forced to act as visitors left Wigston Library when 27-year-old Stuart Penman arrived.”
Web giants unite against Digital Britain copyright bill
December 2nd, 2009BBC – “Some of the biggest names on the web have written to Peter Mandelson to express “grave concerns” about elements of the Digital Economy Bill. Four firms including Facebook and Google object to clause 17 of the bill, which could give government the power to amend copyright law in the future.”
US author is UK library favourite
February 10th, 2008BBC – “US thriller writer James Patterson has become the UK’s most borrowed author, with his books taken out of libraries 1.5 million times in 12 months.”
UK book industry goes (a little bit) green
December 5th, 2007Eco-Libris has the info
Someone needs to start a “Going Green: blog for the library community.
On Ad Inserts In Library Books
November 4th, 2007FLTC – “As a person working in a library, my concern is that this seems to go against customer service principles.”
Marketing In Libraries
November 2nd, 2007Press Release – “In a ground-breaking initiative, UK libraries are offering advertising agencies and their clients the opportunity to place promotional inserts within their books.”
Are Libraries Useful?
August 29th, 2007Louise Tucker, blogging in the Guardian – “There is an incredible assumption here that ‘most people’ have the means to pay for reading matter, similar to arguing, as I often think the government does, that ‘most people’ can afford private health care, so why bother supporting the NHS?”
