Confusing as it may sound, this is what is playing out in the larger publishing world right now. Publishers are upset because Amazon is becoming a successful publisher. So Hachette, Penguin, and Simon & Schuster thought they would try becoming booksellers, like Amazon. Thus was born Bookish, a website where the three publishers are trying … Continue reading Piggyback Technology
Book publishing has the big six; console gaming has the big three. As the only major survivors from the more robust console ecosystem of the ’90s, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft have dominated the console system market for over a decade with big name consoles and bigger game franchises. But that might be changing thanks to … Continue reading Ouya: A Game-Changing Game System
Kids gather to make Lego robots; teens create digital music, movies, and games with computers and mixers; and students engineer new projects while adults create prototypes for small business products with laser cutters and 3D printers. Many libraries across the US have developed makerspaces—places to create, build, and craft—and they are experiencing increased visits and … Continue reading Manufacturing Makerspaces
ALA’s Digital Content and Libraries Working Group (DCWG) was busy at the 2013 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle. Between formal business meetings of the full DCWG and its individual subgroups, presentations to ALA Council and the ALA Executive Board, meetings about related initiatives, one-on-one discussions on the Exhibit Hall floor and with ALA members, and … Continue reading Seattle, Ebooks, and #ALAMW13: Cloudy with Drizzle, but Better Weather Ahead
“All of us are makers,” said Dale Dougherty, founder of MAKE magazine, to a capacity Midwinter crowd at “The New Stacks: The Maker Movement Comes to Libraries” on Monday. “It’s in all of us. Librarians are makers of spaces, keepers of resources shared by many, makers of a culture of learning.” Along with Travis Good, … Continue reading Librarians Flock to Maker Monday
At a customer lunch on Saturday, electronic publisher ProQuest offered some insight into the wealth of primary source materials in the company’s digital History Vault resource. ProQuest Manager of Customer Service and Training Andrea Sevetson detailed several modules in the History Vault that can be used in women’s studies—some of it from not-so-obvious sources. Over … Continue reading Women through Time
A new report by the Pew Research Center indicates that free access to technology in public libraries is as important to Americans ages 16 and older as printed books and reference services. “Library Services in the Digital Age” (PDF file), released January 22 by the center’s Pew Internet and American Life Project, showed that 80% … Continue reading Public Library Users Want Both Books and Technology
But Williams was holding history in her hands, thanks to an app developed by North Carolina State University Libraries in Raleigh. The Red, White, and Black app allowed Williams to tour campus with an eye on the history of African Americans at NCSU. Where she used to see just another building, she now sees the … Continue reading University’s App Provides Tour of Black History
Over the past few months, the ALA Executive Board has been involved in a range of discussions that reflect some of the more urgent issues facing libraries, and the Association’s strategic priorities. Because the Association, like libraries, must change and evolve to best serve our communities, a series of brainstorming meetings this fall asked both … Continue reading Reenvisioning ALA
As a former AV geek during my high school and college years, I can assure you that schlepping movies (or worse, TVs) across a campus gets old pretty fast. In analog days, the answer was to play the VHS tape in a central location and then deliver it via closed circuit TV to the classroom. … Continue reading Beyond Ebooks: A Question of DVD Streaming
Digital literacy is supposedly what will save the public library, and I don’t doubt that. While you hear stories about welfare recipients and street people carrying around the latest in iPhone technology, those of us who labor in the public library vineyard know that those kinds of tales are triumphs of distortion over reality. Supposedly, … Continue reading Digitized to Distraction
Over the past year, ALA has taken significant steps to address the ebook lending issues affecting libraries, including the development of a report on ebook business models and the implementation of an aggressive publicity campaign. On Saturday, January 26 (1–2:30 p.m.,Washington State Convention Center, Room 602-603), members of the ALA Digital Content and Libraries Working … Continue reading Midwinter Session: “Ebooks and Libraries: Where Do We Stand and Where Are We Going?”
