MORE 'PUBLIC-LIBRARIES' POSTS
Digitial Public Library of America Workshop #1: Notes, Commentary and Other Materials
Digital Collections, Interactive Tools, Libraries, Public Libraries, Resources
|The two-day meeting took place on Monday and Tuesday at Harvard University + Digital Public Library of America Meeting-Session Notes Notes by John Palfrey, Henry N. Ess III Professor of Law and Vice Dean for Library and Information Resources at Harvard Law School. + Session #4 + Session #2 + Session #3 + Session #1 […]
Access to Information: U.S. Supreme Court hands down a win for FOIA in decision
Associations and Organizations, Libraries, News, Public Libraries
|From an ALA News Release: Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the case of the FCC vs. AT&T, deciding that corporations do not have the right of personal privacy to prevent the disclosure of documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). At issue in […]
Gates Foundation Releases Study on Potential Benefits of State Research & Education Networks For Libraries
Associations and Organizations, Libraries, Public Libraries, Reports
|From an ALA Announcement: A new study commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation explores potential benefits of state research and education (R&E) networks for libraries. Titled “Connections, Capacity, Community,” the report was developed in response to national investments in state and regional fiber networks through the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). Currently, there […]
From an Article in the Detroit Free Press: Facing what leaders call an unprecedented fiscal crisis, the 23-branch system plans to reduce its staff by 20%, or 83 employees, at the end of March. Library officials also are weighing branch closures and fewer hours of operation. [Clip] While library visits increased 16% over the past […]
Clearwater High program putting Kindles in students' hands attracts national attention — and Shirl offers some commentary
Academic Libraries, Companies (Publishers/Vendors), Funding, Libraries, Management and Leadership, Public Libraries, School Libraries
|Clearwater High program putting Kindles in students’ hands attracts national attention As experiments go, Clearwater High School’s pilot program to put a Kindle e-reader in the hands of every student, with the hope of replacing textbooks entirely, was a bold one. At stake: Can kids learn as well as they play on digital devices? Will […]
From an Post on Torotoist: If the Urban Affairs Library at Metro Hall doesn’t remain open once this year’s budget wrangling is over with, it won’t have been for lack of opposition. At a rally today in front of Metro Hall, about twenty people—most of them connected with the TPL workers’ union, CUPE Local 4948—spoke […]
From a San Francisco Chronicle Article by Jessica Kowng: More than a decade ago, the San Francisco Public Library undertook a monumental, multimillion-dollar effort to renovate or reconstruct nearly every branch library in the city. The plan was to bring two dozen branches up to building and disability-access standards within 10 years, as well as […]
More Libraries Join the Mobile Web, Eight Recently Release Apps/Sites
Associations and Organizations, Libraries, News, Public Libraries
|First, Two Resources From Non-Library Organizations: 1. For Android, iPhone/iPad: “CBC News on your mobile device” (via Canadian Brodcasting Corp.) 2.. Mobile Web Site: Chicago Transporation Authority (CTA) Train Tracker (Rapid Transit) 3. iPhone/iPad Ottawa: Ontario Public Library (Powered by Bibliocommons) This is the second Bibliocommons library to release a mobile app. Edmonton Public Library […]
"The Rise of the E-Book Lending Library (and the Death of e-Book Pirating")
Companies (Publishers/Vendors), Libraries, Patrons and Users, Public Libraries, Publishing
|From an Article in The Globe and Mail (Canada): Although the retailer-linked sharing sites [e.g. Kindle Lending Club and eBook Fling] are still largely restricted to U.S. users – and Toronto-based Kobo e-reader has yet to offer its own lending feature – they are collectively creating a booming and completely unanticipated market in previously loved […]
From a Public Lending Rights News Release (2 pages; PDF): Seven British children’s writers are among the Top 10 Most Borrowed Authors in UK libraries [Mid 2009 – Mid 2010], according to the latest annual data released today by Public Lending Right (PLR). They are Daisy Meadows, the brand behind the “Rainbow Magic” series (2nd); […]