From The Measure: Forget about electricity, running water, modern sanitation and food preservation; what did people do before GIFs? Well, it turns out that some were busy entertaining themselves with stereoscopes, instruments that allowed people to view 3D images from two slightly different photographs superimposed on top of one another. The New York Public Library [...]
Cool! "Meet Ye Olde 19th Century GIF Machine, The New York Public Library's Stereogranimator"
Filed by on January 26, 2012
U.S. Congress: Financial Contributions: MapLight Launches New Company Pages
Filed by on January 26, 2012
From the MapLight Blog: MapLight announces the launch of its Company pages (Beta) for U.S. Congress and the CA and WI Legislatures. The new Company pages profile top contributing companies and organizations, ranking them according to the total contributions they have made, documented bill positions they have taken, and bill positions they have “won.” Company [...]
Google/Ipsos Release Mobile Internet & Smartphone Adoption Statistics For US, UK, Germany, France and Japan
Filed by on January 26, 2012
New research from a Google/Ipsos Partnership. From a Google Mobile Ads Blog Post: Mobile devices are mainstream. In fact, according to our newest research more consumers in the US, UK, Germany, France and Japan use a mobile phone (feature phone or smartphone) than a computer (desktop or laptop). But our most significant findings centered on [...]
Let's Fly! FAA Launches Mobile Web App
Filed by on January 26, 2012
From Apps.gov: FAA Mobile works on a number of devices. Users can look up airport status and delays, read aviation news and the FAA’s Flight Standards District Office “lookup” allows users to opt into location services to determine the office closest to their location. In all, FAA Mobile allows the user to: Look up U.S. airport status [...]
Audio: 3M's Cloud Library Discussed on Minnesota Public Radio
Filed by on January 26, 2012
From a Text Summary: Millions of Americans now own Kindles, Nooks and other e-readers. And libraries are taking notice, expanding their collections of e-books they can loan to patrons. That trend has 3M’s attention. The company has a long history of serving libraries. And 3M sees a big business opportunity in helping libraries build, manage [...]
Harvard: University Library Workers Protest Layoffs
Filed by on January 26, 2012
Update: Video: Harvard University Union Members Protest Proposed HU Library Layoffs (via Open Media Boston) From the Harvard Crimson: Since Harvard University Library announced last week that its upcoming reorganization would include downsizing staff, workers have circulated several petitions against the layoffs and picketed on Wednesday outside of a regularly scheduled meeting for library staff [...]
Reference: New Search Tool from the IRS: Exempt Organizations Select Check
Filed by on January 26, 2012
From the IRS Web Site: Exempt Organizations Select Check is an on-line search tool that allows users to select an exempt organization and check certain information about its federal tax status and filings. It consolidates three former search sites into one, providing expanded search capability and a more efficient way to search for organizations that: [...]
Washington University Libraries Join HathiTrust Partnership
Filed by on January 26, 2012
From a News Release: Washington University Libraries has joined HathiTrust, a partnership of major academic and research libraries to preserve and provide access to the published record in a digital form, announced Shirley K. Baker, Washington University’s vice chancellor for scholarly resources and dean of University Libraries. WUSTL, which joined HathiTrust Jan. 1, 2012, now [...]
Reference: The Wall Street Journal Looks at Online Collection of Vintage Print Ads
Filed by on January 26, 2012
From The Wall Street Journal: This past September, Jay Paull, a vintage ad enthusiast based in Reston, Va., launched an online archive to showcase his collection of more than 10,000 American advertisements dating from the 1830s to the 1920s. [Clip] Mr. Paull aims to digitize every advertisement—some 10,000—from the publications in his collection. He has currently [...]
10 Library, Publishing, and Advocacy Organizations Send Letter to Congress Opposing Research Works Act
Filed by on January 26, 2012
Direct to Full Text Letter (3 pages; PDF) (via ARL) A letter opposing the Research Works Act (H.R. 3699) was sent to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday (January 24, 2011). It begins: On behalf of these 10 national and regional library, publishing, and advocacy organizations, we are [...]
