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The Wisconsin man who founded Little Free Library, a project that now sets up boxes for sharing books around the world, has died. Todd Bol was 62. A spokeswoman for Little Free Library says Bol died October 18 in a Minnesota hospice of complications from pancreatic cancer. Bol designed and built the first Little Free Library at his home in Hudson, Wisconsin, in 2009, as a tribute to his mother, who was a teacher and book lover.
Associated Press, Oct. 18
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Stuart Thornton writes: “Monterey County, California, was a vast region with many remote, inhospitable areas when Anne Hadden became the first librarian for Monterey County Free Libraries in 1913. During her 16 years on the job, Hadden established 126 branches—including collections in schools, homes, businesses, and restaurants—and doing so required rugged travel. Hadden’s first-hand accounts of her adventures are collected in a 2012 book, Books for All: Monterey County’s First Librarian.”
Monterey County (Calif.) Now, Oct. 18
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Amanda Pagan writes: “Most readers know of at least one house they have come across that left them feeling a little off, or on edge, without really knowing why. Haunted houses‘ connection to modern-day reality is what makes their stories so powerful. From classic haunted mansions to contemporary apartment complexes, we have gathered up 13 of the best haunted house stories to make you think twice before signing a mortgage.”
New York Public Library blogs, Oct. 18
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MIT Press and the University of Michigan Press will start selling their ebook collections directly to libraries by creating their own distribution platforms. The publishers previously did not have a mechanism for selling to institutions directly. Instead, access to ebooks was largely brokered through third-party acquisition services such as EBSCO, ProQuest, OverDrive, Project Muse, and JSTOR. MIT Press’s new distribution platform, called MIT Press Direct, is being developed by Silverchair.
Inside Higher Ed, Oct. 18
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OCLC and Ithaka S+R have published a new report, University Futures, Library Futures: Aligning Library Strategies with Institutional Directions, which establishes a new framework for understanding the fit between emerging library service paradigms and university types. The report examines the impact of increased institutional differentiation in universities on the organization of academic libraries and the services they provide.
OCLC, Oct. 18
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The Internet Archive has recently expanded its program for those with low vision and disabilities. Individuals can qualify now to access 1.8 million digitized books, all for free. Libraries, hospitals, schools, and other organizations worldwide can now sign up to authorize qualifying users and obtain digital files for them. Publishers are asked to contribute books to this program.
Internet Archive Blogs, Oct. 16
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In the early eighth century, three Bibles were produced by monks at Wearmouth-Jarrow Abbey in northern England. Two remained in Northumbria, but in 716 CE the third was sent to Rome as a gift for Pope Gregory II. Known as the Codex Amiatinus, it has remained in Italy until now. For the first time in 1,302 years, the oldest surviving complete Bible in Latin has returned to the country of its creation to form the centerpiece of an exhibition of Anglo-Saxon art, literature, science, and politics at the British Library.
The Guardian (UK), Oct. 18
