Libraries Scan Bright Digital Horizon despite Google’s Court Defeat

March 29, 2011

“Libraries are not leaving the future of digital books to Google,” the HathiTrust partnership said in a prepared statement March 23. The statement came the day after U.S. Appeals Court Judge Denny Chin rejected (PDF file) the Google Books Settlement following some seven years of litigation and out-of-court talks with the Authors Guild and the … Continue reading Libraries Scan Bright Digital Horizon despite Google’s Court Defeat


Conference on Privacy and Youth: Day 2

March 25, 2011

London-based blogger, science-fiction author, and digital-rights champion Cory Doctorow opened Day 2 of the Conference on Privacy and Youth via Skype. “There comes a day when kids have to use their good judgment,” he said, arguing that adults are unwittingly undermining that goal by berating young people to guard their personal information while subjecting them … Continue reading Conference on Privacy and Youth: Day 2


Conference on Privacy and Youth: Day 1

March 24, 2011

The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom's Conference on Privacy and Youth, currently meeting March 24–25 in downtown Chicago, is bringing together some 50 librarians, privacy advocates, educators, authors, artists, and policy experts to discuss the work they are doing to engage and educate young people in privacy protection so that they can make informed choices … Continue reading Conference on Privacy and Youth: Day 1


Libraries and Mobile Services

March 22, 2011

Mobile devices are ubiquitous in today’s society, and there’s no evidence that that is going to change. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, as of mid-2010, 82% of American adults own a mobile phone or a mobile computing device that works as a phone. it is crucial for librarians to understand mobile … Continue reading Libraries and Mobile Services


Two Colorado Libraries Break New E-book Ground

March 16, 2011

Officials of two Colorado libraries announced March 16 that they will be adding to their catalogs e-books that are published by members of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA). The Red Rocks Community College Library and Douglas County Library also revealed that by June they plan to launch click-through links so interested patrons can purchase … Continue reading Two Colorado Libraries Break New E-book Ground


Must We Abide?

March 15, 2011

More and more, publishers, database providers, and other corporate content proprietors are taking steps to replace the traditional benefits of ownership with the rigorously controlled provisions of licensing. Known as terms of sale (TOS) or end-user license agreements (EULAs), these licenses uniformly stipulate who can (and can’t) use a certain product and how that product … Continue reading Must We Abide?


E-Book Blues

March 4, 2011

Over the past eight days, the biblioblogosphere erupted as word spread that terms of service were about to shift for libraries’ e-book lending rights. It began with a February 24 email (PDF file) from OverDrive CEO Steve Potash alerting customers that “Publishers are expressing concern and debating their digital future where a single eBook license … Continue reading E-Book Blues


Egyptians Find Their Power in Access to Information

February 16, 2011

The internet, along with Facebook and Twitter, was the Open University that facilitated learning about democracy for Egypt’s young people. The revolution had been brewing for the past 10 years or so, increasing by the day as more people acquired mobile devices. The ground in Egypt was ripe for revolution: Corruption was at its peak, … Continue reading Egyptians Find Their Power in Access to Information


E-Learning: The Product of a Risk Is a Lesson

February 15, 2011

Libraries’ staffs and users alike are showing a keen interest in e-learning. Fortunately, there is no shortage of books, peer-reviewed journal articles, and online materials and internet-based resources about best practices in e-learning. However, a review of these sources suggests that libraries are far behind other organizations in developing effective and comprehensive e-learning programs. If … Continue reading E-Learning: The Product of a Risk Is a Lesson


Lost and Found

February 8, 2011

At dinner the other night with friends, we learned that their eldest daughter, a college sophomore, had had her boyfriend visit for a few days over the holidays. The visit went fine, or so it seemed, and then the relationship ended, abruptly and unexpectedly. A sad, if not uncommon story; the punch line was how … Continue reading Lost and Found



Plugging into the TED conference @ your library

January 25, 2011

Princeton (N.J.) Public Library hosted a two-day TEDx event, December 7-8, 2010, while thousands of “Tedsters” simultaneously attended over 100 similarly organized events about women’s issues in cities as diverse as Geneva, Pittsburgh, and Dubai. TEDx events, spinoffs of the TED annual nonprofit conference whose mission is “ideas worth spreading” are free, independent, and highly … Continue reading Plugging into the TED conference @ your library