ENTRIES TAGGED "libraries"

Google Responds to Some Book Search Questions

Shortly after last week's Google Book Search announcement, Siva Vaidhyanathan posed a number of questions about the agreement's impact on publishers, libraries and consumers. Google responded, and today Vaidhyanathan offers paraphrased answers and additional analysis: The agreements with and about publishers, libraries, and the registry were all non-exclusive, as is the habit and tradition of Google's approach to competition in…

A Call for Tiered Access to Google Book Search Terminals

Peter Brantley says proposed public access (pdf) to Google Book Search library terminals is too restrictive, particularly in areas serving underprivileged populations: This is not an economic matter; it is a social foundation. A library is a refuge; you can provide solace in that refuge, and a promise for a different and better kind of future. It is morally incumbent…

Reaction to Google Book Search Settlement

Updated 10/30, 7:53 AM — Publishing experts, bloggers and interested parties are weighing in on the Google Book Search settlement. I'll be updating this post as new material comes in. If you see something that deserves notice please post a comment: Posts Added October 30 On the Google Book Search agreement(Larry Lessig, Lessig Blog) The hard question for the…

Libraries Embrace Urban Lit

Great story in the New York Times on the embrace of urban lit by the Queens Public Library, and others. By the way: most of the young, and many of the old, librarians that i know are not … ur … prim: It's not the kind of literary fare usually associated with the prim image of librarians. But public libraries…

A Plea for Passion in Museums

This is a great post about passion for when we talk about our profession, about what we are all trying to do, whether we are librarians, technologists, publishers, or work in museums. It speaks to why libraries and museums often feel "dead." From Museum 2.0: Museums shy away from presenting passionate views. It's ironic that we expect visitors to…

News Roundup: Customizable Magazine Service Launches, French E-Reader Includes Subscriptions, Library Tags Online-Offline Recommendations

Maghound Customizable Magazine Service Launches Maghound, a customizable magazine service from Time Inc., is now available. From Folio: The membership pricing is tiered– three titles for $4.95 a month, five titles for $7.95, seven titles for $9.95, and $1 per title for eight titles or more. Memberships can be entirely managed online, as well as by email and phone,…

Rethinking Libraries and Museums as "Living" Structures

The Living Library project flips the reader-book dynamic on its head by allowing library patrons to "check out" human beings, and then engage in a civil dialogue. Nina Simon from Museum 2.0 extends the Living Library structure to a reimagining of museums: How could visitors' stereotypes about museum behavior and the kinds of activities available in museums be exploited to…

News Roundup: Foldable E-Reader Coming Soon, New "Libraries" Bring New Privacy Issues, Analyst: Digital Change Targets TV and Film

Foldable E-Reader Launching in Europe This Fall, U.S. in '09 The New York Times takes a look at the Readius foldable e-reader: … the Readius, designed mainly for reading books, magazines, newspapers and mail, is the size of a standard cellphone. Flip it open, though, and a screen tucked within the housing opens to a 5-inch diagonal display. The…

New "Libraries" Bring New Privacy Implications

As Google, Amazon and others become de facto digital libraries — and lawsuits emerge — Jeff Jarvis wonders what this means for users' privacy. From BuzzMachine: Any site with content — Google, Amazon, a newspaper, a blog, an ISP — is now the moral equivalent of a library or bookstore, two institutions that try hard not to hand over…

ALA 2008: Librarians and Patrons Want More Openness

Librarians and publishers debated a host of e-publishing issues at the 2008 American Library Association conference.