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February 28, 2015

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Maker Jawn Initiative at Free Library of Philadelphia to Expand to Adults with IMLS Grant

Maker Jawn Initiative at Free Library of Philadelphia to Expand to Adults with IMLS Grant

In a move that will help the Free Library of Philadelphia (FLP) expand Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM)-based Maker space programming to multi-generational audiences, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) on October 23 awarded a $500,000 National Leadership Grant to FLP in support of the library’s Maker Jawn initiative.

Survey: Library Ebook Growth Slowing but Still Substantial

Survey: Library Ebook Growth Slowing but Still Substantial

Ninety-five percent of public libraries currently offer ebooks to patrons, up from 72 percent in 2010, and 89 percent in both 2012 and 2013. However, money remains the biggest impediment for libraries looking to add ebooks or expand collections, according to Library Journal’s fifth annual Ebook Usage in U.S. Public Libraries report, sponsored by Freading.

Westport Maker Space Expands with Robots, SolidWorks Courses, and Volunteer Training

Westport Maker Space Expands with Robots, SolidWorks Courses, and Volunteer Training

The Westport Library’s ongoing efforts to support its Maker Space, including Maker in Residence programs and the recent acquisition of two programmable robots, have helped establish a virtuous cycle in which residents have begun working on their own projects and helping one another independently.

Librarians, IT Experts Respond to Adobe Spying Accusations

Librarians, IT Experts Respond to Adobe Spying Accusations

Adobe this week confirmed reports that it has been logging data on the reading activity of people who use the free Adobe Digital Editions service, and that the company has been transmitting those logs to its servers as unencrypted text files, raising privacy and security concerns.

Queens Library Develops Innovative New Tablet Platform Using Superstorm Sandy Donation | TDS14

Queens Library Develops Innovative New Tablet Platform Using Superstorm Sandy Donation | TDS14

When superstorm Sandy hit the east coast in October 2012, the Queens Library (QL) in New York was among many northeastern library systems affected. QL persevered, continuing to offer crucial services in storm-ravaged communities while rebuilding damaged branches. The system also managed to turn a generous corporate donation into an innovative new platform for tablet computers, enabling a tech lending program that has since continued to grow.

Librarians, Media React to Launch of Kindle Unlimited

Librarians, Media React to Launch of Kindle Unlimited

Describing the service as a potentially “disruptive challenge to libraries,” Jamie LaRue, principal of LaRue and Associates Consulting, told LJ that “even in rural areas now, a lot of folks have ereaders, and find that they prefer ebooks. This kind of service, at that price point, will probably result in another market shift. $9.99 is a pretty good deal.”

Nashville’s Limitless Libraries Hopes to Merge School and Public Library ILS

Nashville’s Limitless Libraries Hopes to Merge School and Public Library ILS

Limitless Libraries, an ongoing partnership between Nashville Public Library (NPL) and Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS), is planning a move to a shared ILS system, and has requested funding for the transition from the office of Nashville’s mayor.

Libraries Still Inspire Positive Views, But See Shift to Online from In-Person Use

Libraries Still Inspire Positive Views, But See Shift to Online from In-Person Use

Fifty-four percent of Americans have used the public library at least once during the past year and 70 percent of parents have taken their child to a public library or bookmobile during the past year, according to a Pew Research Center report. The nationally representative survey of 6,224 Americans indicated that the overwhelming majority continue to have a positive view of libraries, but many are unaware of all of the services and resources that their libraries offer.

Ebooks for Youth Encourage Reading For Fun | The Digital Shift 2013

Ebooks for Youth Encourage Reading For Fun | The Digital Shift 2013

If schools want their students to become readers for life, then school libraries should be sure to include fiction ebooks as they build their digital collections, Debbie Swartz, Library Technology Facilitator, Mesquite (TX) Independent School District (ISD), noted during her “Meeting Students Where THEY Learn,” presentation during The Digital Shift: Reinventing Libraries, hosted by Library Journal and School Library Journal.

Penguin Drops Side Loading Requirement for Kindle Lending

Penguin Drops Side Loading Requirement for Kindle Lending

In a quick reversal of its position on Kindle lending, Penguin on September 26 loosened the terms of its renewed agreement with OverDrive, announced only the day before. The publisher has agreed to allow library patrons to download ebook titles wirelessly via OverDrive’s “Get for Kindle” function instead of, as initially announced, first downloading titles to a computer, and then side-loading those titles to their Kindle classic or Paperwhite using a USB cord.

Hachette to Sell Frontlist Ebook Titles to Libraries

Hachette to Sell Frontlist Ebook Titles to Libraries

Hachette Book Group today announced that it will once again sell its frontlist ebook titles to libraries, beginning on May 8. Hachette’s entire catalog of 5,000 ebooks will now be available through OverDrive, Baker & Taylor’s Axis 360 platform, and the 3M Cloud Library, under a pricing and licensing model similar to the one employed by Random House.

Goodreads Acquisition Presents Opportunity for LibraryThing

Goodreads Acquisition Presents Opportunity for LibraryThing

Amazon’s recent acquisition of Goodreads will likely have a ripple effect on other social media sites targeted at book lovers, with LibraryThing and Bookish potentially drawing membership from any defectors unhappy with the sale. Meanwhile, many Kindle owners will be introduced to Goodreads for the first time, as the site’s social media functions are integrated with Kindle devices. “Goodreads was fully independent…. it made them the natural allies of people who wanted to avoid the consolidation of the industry, in particular publishers,” LibraryThing founder Tim Spalding told LJ.

Penguin Lifts Library Ebook Purchase Embargo

Penguin Lifts Library Ebook Purchase Embargo

Penguin Group today announced that it will be changing the terms on its library ebook lending program, and on Tuesday, April 2, will begin allowing libraries to purchase and lend ebook titles the day that hardcover editions are released, according to The Associated Press. Previously, Penguin had placed a six month embargo on new ebooks, […]

Cracking the Code: Librarians Acquiring Essential Coding Skills

Cracking the Code: Librarians Acquiring Essential Coding Skills

For newcomers, computer source code can look quite alien. Librarians might be reminded of the first time they saw a MARC record—a mishmash of recognizable words and bits of information embedded in funky punctuation. But it doesn’t have to be that way–learning code can help librarians customize and improve the usability of web-based resources and vendor interfaces and improve communication with a library’s IT staff and software vendors.

NYPL Launches National Poetry Contest on Twitter

NYPL Launches National Poetry Contest on Twitter

As part the library’s efforts to raise awareness about poetry leading up to National Poetry Month in April, NYPL is encouraging aspiring poets to “follow @NYPL on Twitter, and submit three poetic Tweets in English as public posts on your Twitter stream between March 1 and 10, 2013.”

As Tablets Supplant Ereaders, New Challenges Arise for Publishers

Curious-George-at-Zoo

Sixty percent of publishing executives believe that tablets have become “the ideal reading platform,” and 45 percent believe that dedicated e-readers will soon be irrelevant, according to a recent online, by-invitation survey conducted by global research and advisory firm Forrester.

Discovery Game for Libraries Kickstarted by Booklamp.org

Discovery Game for Libraries Kickstarted by Booklamp.org

The developers behind the Book Genome Project and Booklamp.org have launched a Kickstarter campaign for “The Game of Books,” a new digital card and role-playing game designed to reward young adults for reading. Funding raised by the campaign would be used to design, produce, and distribute 4,000 Game of Books starter kits to U.S. libraries. Founded in 2003, the Book Genome Project works with publishers to solve challenges in book discovery by using computer analysis of the language, theme, and characters in books.
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