You know that feeling you get when you come home from a conference, and it’s all kind of a blur? That’s been my post-Midwinter experience. Of course, it came right after being housebound for several days during a rare Seattle snowstorm, so I was happy just to be somewhere sunny and warm, no matter how … Continue reading A Hazy Shade of (Mid)winter
In the 1990s, libraries were pioneers in providing access to the internet in their communities. Even today, libraries are the only place some community members can get online. Over the past few years, libraries have begun positioning themselves as the go-to place for digital creation technologies, providing hardware and software that most people wouldn’t have … Continue reading Providing the Tools
This E-Content blog is your exclusive, inside source to the workings of the new ALA Digital Content and Libraries Working Group (DCWG). In addition to general updates I will be writing as a member of the DCWG, other section/division representatives will share their takes on the many issues surrounding digital content. This theme of sharing … Continue reading Inside DCWG: The First Meeting
Social issues and fiction were the overall themes of the Exhibits Round Table/Booklist Author Forum January 20 featuring authors Helen Schulman and Hillary Jordan and moderated by Booklist Adult Books Editor Brad Hooper. Hooper noted that Schulman’s novel, This Beautiful Life, about a New York City family whose life is upended after a sexual cellphone … Continue reading Social Issues and Fiction Theme of ERT/Booklist Author Forum
Being a school librarian, I am not as familiar with Elsevier's resources, but it was interesting to see some of the updates they are making to SciVerse ScienceDirect. The big news is the redesign to the article-page highlight at http://articleofthefuture.com. So that is the scholarly news . . . now on to the fun. Elsevier … Continue reading From the Floor: Elsevier
There was a moment in ebook history when things could have gone either way. The Amazon Kindle was flying off the shelf, the Nook was just getting started, and everyone was pretty happy about $9.99 ebooks . . . and then Steve Jobs came along with iBookstore and the iPad. And really, all this mess … Continue reading It’s (Kinda) Steve’s Fault, Actually
The digital “revolution” has been a major topic of public attention and discussion among librarians this year, as we are confronted by daily developments, announcements, and headlines related to ebooks. The transformation being brought about by digital media has been a strong emphasis of the Association as well. During the fall meeting October 21–23 at … Continue reading Transforming Libraries, Transforming ALA
Last week was a busy week for e-content, so here is your quick Monday morning catch up on three trending topics: OverDrive was bad, Kindle was jailbroken, and iBooks was fontified (I think that is the correct word for when you add fonts to a device). Rumblings continue to plague OverDrive. After last month’s lost-and-found … Continue reading Last Week in E-Content
“For those who are worried about the future of print books, I encourage you to go to the Guadalajara Book Fair!” recommends ALA President Molly Raphael, who attended FIL (La Feria Internacional del Libro) for the first time this year. “The print book was so dominant that it was hard to find exhibitors who were … Continue reading ALA Members Get Their 15th FIL in Guadalajara
The URL had barely expired November 27 on a bold online petition demanding the restoration of strong school libraries in every American school when another campaign got off the ground to gather 25,000 signatures within 30 days in favor of mandating quality education for America’s children through the provision of fully funded school libraries run … Continue reading Sign Here for School Libraries
An online petition is demanding that the Obama administration mandate the full funding and staffing of school libraries. It’s posted to a new interactive We the People web page, hosted by the White House, where U.S. citizens can petition the government for a redress of grievances as stated in the First Amendment. The petition was … Continue reading Talking Turkey about School Libraries
[UPDATE: Scroll to end.] Loaning ebooks is like playing with some other kid’s ball on the playground. There is always a risk that the other kid will take back his or her ball and go home, leaving you and your friends empty-handed. Yesterday, Penguin took back its ebooks and left OverDrive and libraries who had … Continue reading Penguin Taking Ebooks, Going Home
