Accessibility is one of those issues that often needs a headline to grab attention. Too often, the headlines we see are about public institutions that didn’t heed warnings and are facing litigation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. This year saw the resolution of two suits filed against libraries lending inaccessible ebook readers, one settled … Continue reading Kindle Fire Adds Accessibility Features
Mobile phones, personal electronic devices, and tablet computers have infiltrated most corners of the academic library. Although many institutions are interested in exploring these new technologies, some are focusing on tablet computers in particular to enhance and even reimagine their services to better support their communities. Library and information professionals who are finding ways to … Continue reading The Tao of Tablets
Are efforts to use social media worth it? Indeed, they are. I see many reasons for libraries—or practically any other organization—to use these tools. Listening Listening comes first. Before your library starts “talking back” online, set up listening tools to see and hear what customers are saying about you, your services, and your community. Listening … Continue reading Social Media?
The recently released OverDrive/ALA survey of visitors to OverDrive library sites presents some interesting insights into this subset of ebook readers and their behaviors. Before we can talk about any of the survey results, however, it must be clearly noted that this was not a scientific study: The sample is not representative of anything, but … Continue reading OverDrive/ALA Survey on Library Ebook Borrowers
It was a sunny June afternoon, perfect for playing baseball, taking a dip in the local pool—or having a virtual chat with a favorite author over Skype about what you’ve been reading. That was the message the New Albany–Floyd County (Ind.) Public Library set out to impart this summer through our first “Guys Read” program … Continue reading Connect Guys with Authors
It was a rather rough month for library ebook access, at least if you are looking to pick up digital versions of the USA Today’s bestsellers. None of the top five books, and only six out of the 25 on the list, are available as ebooks to libraries according to the latest DCL pricing report … Continue reading A Bad Month for Library Ebooks: Oct. DCL Report
The American Library Association has launched a website, Ebooks and Digital Content, that provides links to resources on all aspects of e-content in libraries. The website, part of the Transforming Libraries initiative, supports the work of the ALA Digital Content and Libraries Working Group. “The Transforming Libraries website was created to support the immediate and … Continue reading ALA’s new digital content website
Libraries need to consistently add content. And finding that content was the focus of the “Content Infrastructure and Digital Hubs Pilot Program” discussion Thursday, October 11, during the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) Midwest conference. The two-day event was held at the Harold Washington Library Center in Chicago to showcase DPLA, a national digital … Continue reading Content Infrastructure at DPLA Midwest
“Does the publishing community understand why librarians would balk at increases on the order of 100% or 200%?” wonders Carrie Russell of ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) over at the District Dispatch blog of the Association’s Washington Office. That’s a good question—one that needs a response steeped in indisputable data. Fortunately, Russell explains, … Continue reading Ebook Economics 101
Twenty years after the creation of Mosaic, the first popular graphical web browser for the World Wide Web, the involvement of digital technology in our lives has changed drastically. At Saturday morning’s all-conference program “All Things Digital,” sponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), moderator Anthony Smith, a senior program officer at … Continue reading “All Things Digital” Kicks Off Day 3 at JCLC
The Mario-themed, cube-shaped lamp cha-chings when punched. “That light was awesome,” said a Texas participant in the online chat sidebar. A bike rider’s jacket features an embedded turn signal indicator on the back. At the ALA Virtual Conference, held July 18–19, attendees learned that these are just a couple of ideas hatched in makerspaces, and … Continue reading Virtual Conference Talks Trends, Ideas
It’s no surprise: As a profession, we are facing a rapidly developing issue of growing significance, and that is e-content. It comes down to this: Libraries often cannot offer the types and amounts of e-content our users want and need. A lot of material is simply unavailable for us to access and circulate in electronic … Continue reading Essential Bookmarks
