MORE 'PUBLIC-LIBRARIES' POSTS
ALA Releases State of American Libraries 2012 Report
Academic Libraries, Associations and Organizations, Companies (Publishers/Vendors), Funding, Libraries, National Libraries, News, Public Libraries, Publishing, School Libraries
|From the News Release: Publishers limiting library e-book lending, budget cuts and book challenges are just a few library trends of the past year that are placing free access to information in jeopardy. These trends as well as other are detailed in the 2012 State of America’s Libraries Report released today by the American Library […]
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Just a couple years ago, the DeKalb County Public Library wasn’t only expanding, it was expanding in two languages. In early 2010, DeKalb County library officials planned to transform an empty storefront near Plaza Fiesta on Buford Highway into a new branch catering to the burgeoning Hispanic community. They called the […]
Vancouver’s History Goes Digital
Archives and Special Collections, Libraries, Public Libraries, Resources
|From the Vancouver Sun: West Vancouver’s photographic history went digital this month. Approximately 5,000 historical photos depicting more than 70 years of the district’s evolution are in the process of being converted to a digital format and posted online, thanks to the West Vancouver Memorial Library. “They really look good online,” said systems librarian Maryann […]
The New York Public Library Digitizes Early American History
Archives and Special Collections, Digital Preservation, Journal Articles, Libraries, News, Public Libraries
|From the NYPL Announcement: Thousands of historical documents at The New York Public Library – including material handwritten by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and papers from authors such as Mark Twain – will soon be accessible to the public online, thanks in large part due to a generous gift of $500,000 from The Polonsky […]
E-Books: Bilbary Partnering With Libraries in the U.S. and U.K.
Companies (Publishers/Vendors), Funding, Libraries, Public Libraries, Publishing
|From The Telegraph: Tim Coates, whose ebook store Bilbary was announced earlier this week, said that the difference in costs between selling a physical book and an ebook meant that digital versions should be much cheaper. [Clip] Mainstream publishers “don’t want to do renting at the moment”, Coates said but he said he expected that […]
From a Commentary in The Guardian: Volunteers can bring much to libraries, but the fact they are replacing paid staff shows how much de-skilling has taken place. Surrey Libraries Action Movement (Slam) is celebrating after the high court ruled that Surrey county council’s plan to replace trained librarians with a volunteer-only service in 10 of […]
Note: We’ve updated this post (at the bottom) with a link to a recent keynote lecture (video) by Anthony Grafton. It’s titled, “The Transforming Book”. From an WSJ “Ideas” Blog Post: Anthony Grafton, a professor of history at Princeton and past president of the American Historical Association, is distressed when he contemplates the changes afoot […]
Pew Internet Releases Major Report About E-Books & E-Reading in the U.S.
Associations and Organizations, Companies (Publishers/Vendors), Funding, Libraries, Patrons and Users, Public Libraries, Reports, School Libraries
|The Pew Internet & American Life Project has just released a new report (PDF version) looking at e-book readership. This is the first of several reports that will focus on digital information access and usage. Subsequent reports will cover how librarians and patrons perceive the situation with e-books and other digital content, and how people […]
UK: First Openly-Available Public Libraries Contact Database Now Available from Collections Trust
Data Files, Libraries, Patrons and Users, Public Libraries, Resources
|From a Collections Trust Announcement: The UK’s first openly-available public libraries contact database has gone live as a result of a major data development project initiated by the Collections Trust, a not-for profit organisation which promotes excellence in collections and adds value for their users. The information is freely available on the Government’s data.gov.uk database. […]
Nova Scotia: Libraries Boycott Random House Over E-Book Prices
Companies (Publishers/Vendors), Libraries, Public Libraries, Publishing
|From the CBC: Libraries on Nova Scotia’s South Shore are boycotting Random House, one of the world’s largest book publishers, over what they call unfair e-book pricing. The company began charging public libraries up to three times the retail price for downloadable books last month. [Clip] Troy Myers, CEO and chief librarian of South Shore […]