tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61786879559832787692024-03-05T14:51:31.667-08:00NYM--not your mother's--LIBRARY"Not Your Mother's Library" is Library 2.0 in Action.Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-69190982768264485982021-06-19T20:09:00.001-07:002021-06-19T20:09:07.430-07:00Poetry to Process Your Emotionshttps://www.firstpost.com/art-and-culture/as-poetry-charts-a-pop-culture-comeback-a-look-at-how-rhyme-rhythm-and-verse-help-us-express-emotion-9702931.html<div><br></div>Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-5984650819545444432021-04-25T23:29:00.001-07:002021-04-25T23:29:01.844-07:00Gaston Bachelardhttps://exploringyourmind.com/five-fabulous-gaston-bachelard-quotes/Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-67431563111452162662020-03-04T11:29:00.001-08:002020-03-04T11:29:25.163-08:00Guggenheim Free Art Bookshttps://mymodernmet.com/guggenheim-museum-free-books-online/?fbclid=IwAR2lOjZ0xYQgK-h9S6y3OzjXvrfFJ_j-42w-EGD4V5MCLFUUOCpjjR_6Q_cLorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-31260463248783502512012-02-21T17:49:00.000-08:002012-02-21T17:49:29.658-08:00Crow Arts Manor/Burnside Review Links<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" height="402" style="width: 700px;"><tbody>
<tr><td rowspan="3" valign="top" width="20"><br />
</td> <td align="left" rowspan="3" valign="top" width="540"><div class="maintext"> <img alt="Burnside Review Links" class="thispage" height="32" src="http://burnsidereview.org/media/pageNameLinks.gif" width="540" /> <h1>Organizations</h1><a href="http://www.literary-arts.org/">Literary Arts</a> – The Oregon non-profit responsible for such programs as Portland Arts & Lectures, Writers in the Schools, Oregon Book Awards and Poetry Downtown.<br />
<a href="http://www.mountainwriters.org/">Mountain Writers Series</a> – An independent non-profit; a comprehensive organization that serves as the hub of literary partnership; based out of the Mountain Writers Center in Portland.<br />
<a href="http://portland.readinglocal.com/">Reading Local: Portland</a><br />
<a href="http://www.oregonwriterscolony.org/">Oregon Writers Colony</a>- A nonprofit organization representing and nurturing professional and novice writers in Oregon.<br />
<a href="http://www.newpages.com/default.htm">New Pages</a> – News, information and guides to independent bookstores, independent publishers, literary periodicals, alternative periodicals, independent record labels, alternative newsweeklies and more.<br />
<a href="http://www.96inc.com/">96Inc</a> – An artists’ collaborative<br />
<a href="http://www.poetswest.com/">PoetsWest</a> – A Seattle-based nonprofit organization that links the poet with readers and listeners in the broader democratic community.<br />
<a href="http://www.tameme.org/">Tameme</a> – Out of Los Altos, California, Tameme focuses on bilingual publishing.<br />
<h1>Writing</h1><ul><li><a href="http://www.bu.edu/agni/index.html">AGNI</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.alicebluereview.org/main.html">Alice Blue</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.americanpoetryjournal.com/">American Poetry Journal</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.applevalleyreview.com/">Apple Valley Review</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.bateaupress.org/">Bateau</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.wwu.edu/%7Ebhreview">Bellingham Review</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.blreview.org/">Bellevue Literary Review</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.blackbird.vcu.edu/">Blackbird</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.bloodorangereview.com/">Blood Orange Review</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.caffeinedestiny.com/">Caffeine Destiny</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.caketrain.org/">Caketrain</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.proaxis.com/%7Ecalyx/index.html/">Calyx</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.ciderpressreview.com/">Cider Press Review</a></li>
<li><a href="http://cimarronreview.okstate.edu/">Cimarron Review</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.comstockreview.org/">The Comstock Review</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.cortlandreview.com/">Cortland Review</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.crabcreekreview.org/">Crab Creek Review</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.failedpromise.org/">Cranky</a></li>
<li><a href="http://thediagram.com/">Diagram</a></li>
<li><a href="http://dirtynapkin.com/">Dirty Napkin</a></li>
<li><a href="http://dislocate.org/">Dislocate</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.oberlin.edu/ocpress/">Field</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.hubcapart.com/ink/">Forklift, Ohio</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.42opus.com/">42opus</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.580split.com/">580 Split</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.ilrmagazine.net/">Istanbul Literature Review</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jacketmagazine.com/">Jacket</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.jubilat.org/n13/">Jubilat</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.lapetitezine.org/">La Petite Zine</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.literal-latte.com/">Literal Latte</a></li>
<li><a href="http://burnsidereview.org/href=">Margie</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.mmminc.org/">Many Mountains Moving</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.bgsu.edu/studentlife/organizations/midamericanreview/index2.html">Mid-American Review</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.mimesispoetry.com/">Mimesis</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.newletters.org/default.asp">New Letters</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.utulsa.edu/nimrod/">Nimrod</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.nthposition.com/">nthposition</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.parthenonwestreview.com/">Parthenon West Review</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.poetrysoutheast.com/">Poetry Southeast</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.pshares.org/">Ploughshares</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.poemeleon.org/">Poemeleon</a></li>
<li><a href="http://wtp62.com/rbr.htm">Red Booth Review</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.hws.edu/academics/community/senecareview/index.asp">Seneca Review</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.smartishpace.com./">Smartish Pace</a></li>
<li><a href="http://shenandoah.wlu.edu/links.html">Shenandoah</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.stickmanreview.com/">Stickman Review</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.tarpaulinsky.com/">Tarpaulin Sky</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.terminusmagazine.com/">Terminus</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.32poems.com/">32 Poems</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.2river.org/">2River</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.zafusy.com/">Zafusy</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.zyzzyva.org/links.lit.htm">ZYZZYVA</a></li>
</ul></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top" width="140"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-40056619318738823352012-02-21T17:28:00.000-08:002012-02-21T17:28:52.417-08:00Crow Arts Manor Writing program<a href="http://www.crowmanor.org/">http://www.crowmanor.org/</a><br />
<br />
I'll be volunteering at the Crow Arts Manor library one Sunday a month. Drop in between 2-5 for some quiet writing time or to peruse the excellent collection of poetry journals.Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-79567043399404480682011-07-05T13:34:00.000-07:002011-07-05T13:34:37.941-07:00code4lib NW 2011 LINKS<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/code4libnorthwest/past-conferences/code4lib-nw-2011">https://sites.google.com/site/code4libnorthwest/past-conferences/code4lib-nw-2011</a><br />
Thanks Shirley!Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-33946854471952035372011-06-28T01:05:00.000-07:002011-06-28T01:05:22.904-07:00Bibliotherapy brochure<iframe frameborder="0" src="http://docs.google.com/gview?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.falmouth.ac.uk%2Fdownloads%2Fcounselling%2Fbibliotherapy_leaflet.pdf&embedded=true" style="height: 150px; width: 440px;"></iframe><br />
<div style="background-color: #eae6d6; height: 20px; text-align: center; width: 700px;">Found at <a href="http://ebookbrowse.com/bibliotherapy-leaflet-pdf-d99905394" style="color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 16px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">ebookbrowse.com</a> </div><br />
<br />
Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-41103525816090916452011-06-28T00:57:00.000-07:002011-06-28T00:57:09.746-07:00Bibliotherapy presentation<iframe frameborder="0" src="http://docs.google.com/gview?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.library.unlv.edu%2Ffaculty%2Fresearch%2Fbibliotherapy%2Fdocuments%2FCED%20703%20Bibliotherapy%20Evaluation%20Orientation.ppt&embedded=true" style="height: 175px; width: 440px;"></iframe><br />
<div style="background-color: #eae6d6; height: 20px; text-align: center; width: 700px;">Found at <a href="http://ebookbrowse.com/ced-703-bibliotherapy-evaluation-orientation-ppt-d140329732" style="color: #555555; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 16px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">ebookbrowse.com</a> </div><br />
<br />
Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-30472977546216670782011-06-27T23:03:00.000-07:002011-06-27T23:03:48.427-07:00Book reviews (aka personal reading experience) to share or not to share<div class="medium-bold">As book talk burgeons online, readers and librarians have more pointers to follow, or not, than ever before </div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>Since Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was published in 2008, it has received 1,561 consumer reviews on Amazon, averaging four of five stars.</span><span> LibraryThing has registered 682 reviews, putting Tattoo among its most-reviewed books, with observations ranging from a top-ranked "gut-wrenching" to "what's the hubbub?</span><span>" Over on the blogs, Bookbitch and LJ reviewer Stacy Alessi (</span><a href="http://www.bookbitch.com/">www.bookbitch.com</a><span>) offered a rave, writing that "every twist and turn is completely unexpected.</span><span>" But the Elegant Variation's Mark Sarvas did no more than signal that the book looked promising--even as an irate reader of his blog posted a comment huffing that Tattoo was "poorly written, poorly constructed, and, I hate to say, poorly imagined.</span><span>" Oh, and New York Times book critic Michiko Kakutani moderately derided it, allowing that the main characters were "interesting enough to compensate for the plot mechanics.</span><span>"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>Over the last 15 years, the book review landscape has changed seismically.</span><span> Reviewing is no longer centralized, with a few big voices leading the way, but fractured among numerous multifarious voices found mostly on the web.</span><span> In turn, readers aren't playing the captive audience any more.</span><span> Undone by economics, many traditional print sources have been shuttered or, like the formerly stand-alone Los Angeles Times and Washington Post Book World review sections, either collapsed into the rest of the paper or moved entirely online.</span><span> The New York Times Book Review is still standing but is half the size it was a few decades back.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>Meanwhile, book talk thrives on the web, with eager readers thronging LibraryThing and Goodreads, trading recommendations on Facebook and Twitter, and pushing their own reviews on Amazon and barnesandnoble.com.</span><span> From the most casual forums to rich and rigorous sites like the Millions (</span><a href="http://www.themillions.com/">www.themillions.com</a><span>), reviews are energetically spun out, then tweeted, rated, challenged, and otherwise subject to endless feedback.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><strong> Beginning the conversation </strong> </div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>Pointedly, a chunk of this conversation comes not from critics picked expressly for their expertise but enthusiasts who may or may not be the best adviser you could find on a particular book.</span><span> The more careful among us will point to their cheers, tears, and bashes and wonder, "Are those really reviews?</span><span>"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>Others could care less, countering that reviewing was always supposed to be an intellectual conversation and the real exchange has finally begun.</span><span> As they'd argue, the current range of voices in the reviewing arena can only be good, promoting books, conversations about books, and connections among readers, bringing a much wider spread of material into play than can be covered in traditional review sources, print or online.</span><span> The sheer numbers voting for or against a particular title can be illuminating.</span><span> "On balance, I trust Michiko Kakutani a lot more than any single LibraryThing reviewer," acknowledges LibraryThing founder Tim Spalding.</span><span> "But given a choice between her review and 100 LibraryThing reviews, I'd usually take the latter.</span><span>" In the end, says New York Public Library's Miriam Tuliao, today's richness not only satisfies readers' hunger but "ensures that there will be a diversity in what is being published.</span><span>"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph">Whether print or online, traditional or consumer, a review is now as likely to treat an obscure sf gem or specialized political treatise as the latest literary masterpiece, reflecting a broadened book market following readers' interests.</div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>The big sources still review a focused bunch of high-power books, and they have reach.</span><span> As Free Press senior editor Amber Qureshi notes, "A fantastic review on a personal blog will not have the same impact on a book as a tepid one in the Christian Science Monitor, online or print.</span><span>"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>But while the New York Times Book Review, the Los Angeles Time Book Review, and the Washington Post Book World once pushed sales, now it's as likely to be Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, and People.</span><span> "That's the New Reviewing Trifecta," says EarlyWord's Nora Rawlinson, who also cites the book power of NPR.</span><span> "They deal more with books that will appeal to general readers and seem to have an interest in making books happen.</span><span>"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>With the book market more fragmented than ever, with so many voices echoing through our heads as we consider what to read next or purchase for patrons, with our almost fetishistic resistance to being told what to think, no one critic today can speak for us, and certainly many can't even speak to us.</span><span> But even as we ditch the concept of authority, even as we say that every voice should be heard, even as it seems that every voice is getting heard, at least in cyberspace, it's apparent that, in fact, not everyone's a critic.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>Anyone can blog, or post a consumer rating or review, or register an online comment, but, famously, not every blog is bearable reading, not every consumer review insightful, not every comment exactly what's needed to nail the book.</span><span> Some judgments are worth more than others; the question is how we judge.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><strong> A question of authority </strong> </div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>In print or online, traditional reviews still offer something unimpeachable while consumer commentaries have the verve and single-mindedness to do something that traditional reviews cannot.</span><span> The two coexist comfortably because they fill different needs.</span><span> Will the latter come to replace, or at least supersede, the former?</span><span> That's anyone's guess, but one thing is certain:</span><span> today's raging stream of voices has radically altered the idea of reviewing, with huge consequences for book culture itself.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>The traditional review has always been defined by the idea of authority; presumably, the book has been assigned to a reviewer who has some knowledge of the subject, is sufficiently versed in the literature to make valid comparisons, and embraces the obligation to write an unbiased and closely reasoned assessment for a broad audience.</span><span> What the reviewer knows--and knows how to communicate--matters.</span><span> As arts and travel journalist Terry Trucco sums it up, "While I'm happy to read a review by Paul Krugman of an economics or political book, I don't particularly want him weighing in on the ballet or cooking or, God forbid, fashion.</span><span>"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>The golden ideal of the authority-driven review has been challenged by the conversation the Internet facilitates, where special interests are pursued energetically.</span><span> A blog offers an impassioned reader's personal slant, and a consumer review is perhaps an informed read and perhaps a stab in the back by a jealous competitor.</span><span> Anyone can post, and an opinion is just an opinion until you start winkling out the depth of understanding behind it.</span><span> But most book talk on the web isn't trying to emulate work by seasoned critics.</span><span> It's a different beast entirely, generally striving for conviction rather than objectivity, advice but not hierarchy; the goal is ultimately participation.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><strong> The problem with love letters </strong> </div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>For librarians, spending public money and conscious of the need to defend purchase decisions, the I'll-do-it-my-way stance on the web can be problematic.</span><span> "Most, but not all, consumer criticisms read more like love letters or, at the other end of the spectrum, screeds," says Shawna Thorup, Fayetteville Public Library, AR, which obviously makes them troublesome for collection development.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>Of one high-profile consumer reviewer, always suspiciously over the top, Alessi bitingly observes, "Would anyone seriously into books even look at her reviews?</span><span> The woman reads several books a day and loves, loves, loves them all.</span><span> Ridiculous.</span><span>"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>Blogs and consumer reviews haven't entered official collection development policy--yet.</span><span> But they're useful stopovers in the book hunt, especially in niches not covered by the biggies.</span><span> Bookbitch Alessi can't see her library system relying on Amazon reviews for nonfiction, though "perhaps there is a little more leeway with fiction, especially if there is no authoritative or conflicting review.</span><span>"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>Kim Garza, Tempe Public Library, AZ, agrees.</span><span> "I have often used reader reviews online when I am not sure about something," she says, "but I approach them carefully.</span><span>"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>Karl Helicher, of Upper Merian Township Public Library, King of Prussia, PA, puts the whole thing in perspective:</span><span> "For years, we have bought books recommended by customers, and choosing books on the strength of a public review is really no different.</span><span>" In the end, that sense of connection may preempt authority.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>"I would expect a traditional magazine or newspaper review to be more objective than a blog or patron review, but that doesn't necessarily make it better in my eyes," says LJ fiction reviewer Sally Bissell, South County Regional Library, Estero, FL, herself a thoughtful blogger.</span><span> "I have also read some wonderful, from-the-heart blog posts that speak to me as a reader and as a buyer.</span><span>"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>Angelina Benedetti, King County Library System, WA, is even more emphatic.</span><span> Reflecting on patrons miffed that she's not up on crop circles or urban chicken farming, Benedetti says, "To your question, 'Where has the authority gone?</span><span>' I ask, 'How authoritative was anyone anyway?</span><span>'"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><strong> Digging for gold </strong> </div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>Respected authorities can have holes in their knowledge, turn out sloppy work, fail to read the book, engage in logrolling, grind their axes vigorously, or "play out old grudges in the review pages," as Oxford University Press publicity director Purdy grouses.</span><span> And amateurs can write persuasively, from a fund of knowledge, about their favorite books.</span><span> The problem has always been and still is figuring out who to trust.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>Whether for reading pleasure or collection development, concrete advice on how to sort through all this free-fall book talk is hard to come by.</span><span> Beyond their favorite sources, readers turn themselves into critics, taking a prove-it-to-me stance while continually looking for reviewers or blogs that steer them "toward good reads and away from bad reads time and time again," as Purdy puts it.</span><span> However, the pervasive anonymity of the web can make following standout writers a challenge, so dedicated readers focus on what grabs them, cultivate an ability to spot fakes and grandstanders, and recognize that some subjects (e.g., genre fiction) are better treated by committed amateurs than others (e.g., history).</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>Falling back on glam sites like the Huffington Post (</span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/">www.huffingtonpost.com</a><span>) or The New Yorker's Book Bench (</span><a href="http://www.newyorker.com/arts">www.newyorker.com/arts</a><span>) is definitely a cop-out.</span><span> "I've learned as much from a 'small' review as I have from a 'big' one," says Free Press's Qureshi, "and, having written myself, I know better than to be snobby about my sources.</span><span>"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>Fortunately, this is not entirely a do-it-yourself project; the Internet provides built-in help for the free-for-all it has fostered.</span><span> As the like-minded gather to discuss favored topics, connections are built and sensibilities acknowledged; friends can help filter out which books, reviewers, and sources are tops.</span><span> Says LibraryThing's Spalding, "The New York Times gets Stephen King or Christopher Hitchens to review books in part because we know them well enough to care about their opinion.</span><span> Well, I care about my friend Ben more than I care about either of those fellows.</span><span> The same applies when you don't know the person, but you see that they share very similar tastes.</span><span>" Trusting your buddies isn't a new idea, but it's amplified infinitely on the web.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>In making judgments, one can also look at the writing itself, which can be wipeout brilliant but is just as often messy and unreasoned or simply uninformative and routine.</span><span> "Overall, I have mixed feelings about decentering (and usurping?</span><span>) traditional voices because I value good writing and thoughtful analysis," says Stephen Morrow, an LJ fiction reviewer and composition professor at Ohio University.</span><span> What consumer reviews and most blogs lack is an editor, not only to correct those pesky typos but to question dubious assertions and assure coherent thought.</span><span> As Morrow smartly sums it up, "There's no editor to ask, 'You have some wonderful thoughts on deep-sea diving and the War of 1812, but what do you think of Cormac McCarthy's book?</span><span>'"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>Yet, Morrow, who like many of us finds himself of two minds on this subject, also values the raw energy and engagement of a writer unleashed.</span><span> "Bloggers go for broke," he explains.</span><span> "They can be original and tremendously funny or satirical because they have no one to stop them from saying stuff like, 'Nicholas Sparks is just phoning them in.</span><span>'"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>Beyond the traditional review, you've got intimacy (or something that feels like it), you've got sharp personality (read LJ reviewer Terry Hong's Smithsonian BookDragon blog, and you know she's whip-smart, charming, and not to be crossed), and you've got a populist voice ("I don't feel like I have to have an advanced degree in literature to understand the reviewer, as is often the case with The New Yorker," says Morrow).</span><span> Since it's embarrassing to mislead an online friend or follower, you've also got brutal honesty, though, of course, scrupulous attention to standards of truthfulness mark more traditional writing as well.</span><span> And, finally, you've got some good ideas; says Spalding drily, "It's a myth that online reviews are written by idiots.</span><span>"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><strong> An expanding forum </strong> </div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>Book coverage may be seeping from newspapers, but authority-driven reviews aren't lost.</span><span> From Kakutani's work to the professional, prepublication commentary in LJ and elsewhere, they're integral to today's robust book talk wherever they appear.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>"I now write for both print and online formats, and with that combination, my readership is in the multiple millions," notes book reviewer Jane Ciabattari, president of the National Book Critics Circle.</span><span> "Before, I'd venture my reviews reached the population of the cities whose newspapers I was reviewing for, plus the magazine/literary quarterly audience.</span><span>" That's exciting.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>The mix of review types endures because different readers use them differently.</span><span> Some read reviews to determine what book to pick up next, others to decide what to purchase for patrons or customers.</span><span> Some want to be part of a conversation for the sake of conversation, others to contribute to that conversation so they can see their names on the screen (why else would anyone want to be the 1,562nd commenter on Larsson?</span><span>).</span><span> Some want to learn about the subject, others simply to be entertained or to confirm impressions of a book they've finished.</span><span> Some, like Qureshi, are editors seeking "to identify our audiences better and publish to them"; others are librarians like Fayetteville's Thorup, who would never use consumer reviews when leading book club discussion because, after all, "All the members have consumed the book and have their own opinions.</span><span>"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>That's for now.</span><span> What about the future?</span><span> Those in the younger demographic don't have the habit of looking up to anyone when deciding what to read or see or absorb through their earbuds, depending instead on their cohorts.</span><span> As Morrow notes, "Most of my students aren't reading book reviews at all, print or online.</span><span>"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span>Will they learn to depend on reviews like Ciabattari's?</span><span> A few years back, credentialed reviewers might have despaired, but they're emerging from a prevailing sense of gloom to embrace the future.</span><span> "We're at an exciting juncture," says Ciabattari.</span><span> "The conversation about books has been growing exponentially because of the viral nature of social media and the many ways in which formerly print book publications are exploring the use of literary blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and so forth.</span><span>" In the heady, freewheeling environment of the web, readers have many options.</span><span> They will join the conversation in their own way, whether online or mobile, drawn by something new or hot or intriguing that's just a click awa</span></div>Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-36695948548819971562011-06-01T13:34:00.000-07:002011-06-01T13:39:30.293-07:00Bravo Encore ILS Overlay Crosses Platforms Seamlessly<a href="http://www.iii.com/news/reprints/EncoreWithSirsiDynix.pdf">EncoreWithSirsiDynix.pdf (application/pdf Object)</a><br />
Multnomah County Public Library is currently beta testing this product and, from a patron user point of view, looks to be very successfully.Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-74246066101131160182011-05-17T20:14:00.000-07:002011-05-17T20:14:15.200-07:00Public Libraries News: Privatized libraries<a href="http://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/p/privatized-and-volunteer-libraries.html">Public Libraries News: Privatized libraries</a>: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-55817118278132115622011-05-17T20:12:00.000-07:002011-05-17T20:12:49.587-07:00Public Libraries News: Tally by Local Authority<a href="http://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/p/cuts-and-closures-by-local-authority.html">Public Libraries News: Tally by Local Authority</a>: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-90224927370261278862011-05-06T17:12:00.000-07:002011-05-06T17:12:53.341-07:00"The Hybrid Library"<span class="text"><p> "Society’s increasing reflexivity is a challenge, not least for the public library. The Enlightenment project is based on the fact that armed with our sensibility we move higher and higher up the ladder of development, whereas the reflexive society cannot give us the recipe for what truth is. The universal truism has given way to the realisation that everything might be diff erent. Not even art, which in modernity was considered the very peak of cognition, is today able to create a common horizon, but tends rather to become a reflectory workshop or a laboratory for new forms of selfknowledge. Here it becomes a tool for development of self-identity, because the self, too, has turned into a reflexive project combining personal and social change.</p><p> The public library has,as an institution, been hit by this reflexivity in concrete demands for readjustment and change. It manifests itself in the idea of the hybrid library which is a reflection of an amalgamation of the virtual and the real library and of the many new hybrids between libraries, cultural centres, museums and knowledge centres.</p><p> The very concept ‘library’ can in the reflexive society be described as a competence centre within the field of culture and knowledge, rather than as the publicly available organised collection of books from which it has originated." http://www.splq.info/issues/vol35_4/05.htm<br /></p></span>Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-75036791633307537432011-03-04T20:14:00.000-08:002011-03-04T20:14:17.438-08:00Professor VJ: Playgiarism<a href="http://professorvj.blogspot.com/2007/05/playgiarism.html">Professor VJ: Playgiarism</a>: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-43256457783109917842011-02-28T22:41:00.000-08:002011-02-28T22:41:59.739-08:00MOBYLIVES » The benign piracy of libraries vs. Harper Collins<a href="http://mhpbooks.com/mobylives/?p=28667">MOBYLIVES » The benign piracy of libraries vs. Harper Collins</a>: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-90355002836484479902011-02-03T18:34:00.000-08:002011-02-03T18:34:26.708-08:00Bertelsmann Foundation´s International Network of Public Libraries<img alt="Front Cover" border="1" height="80" id="summary-frontcover" src="http://bks4.books.google.com/books?id=StEovN46z8wC&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=5&edge=curl&sig=ACfU3U27TykX7EmBnlonJ4ibuBIeNth9Nw" title="Front Cover" /><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=StEovN46z8wC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Bertelsmann+Foundation%C2%B4s+International+Network+of+Public+Libraries&source=bl&ots=QqrGjv2l8n&sig=wJat-niJ5MfWF7gvlx9LiHdy7wA&hl=en&ei=lDpLTZjhCYyusAOckqmnCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCQQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false">Access thru Google Books</a><br />
Published in 1999. Comprehensive overview of libraries from an international POV.Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-30966819626900068122011-01-28T15:42:00.000-08:002011-01-28T15:42:59.188-08:00Kudos Colorado<a href="http://bhagcolorado.blogspot.com/"><img alt="Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG)" height="170" id="Header1_headerimg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgaL5sZTaurkibEDq67xnSo0MRJjXW2x6298hwaqvS1k2trvLccyo0939pjwdOWyV7tQ5KBq7-5yngbebCIY1V-S2o6wYNU2bkNyzHOaxVWlQuJaraCXFScZgCQ0pOxhG_NgDUTT1iQFE/s1600-r/BHAG+HEADERshadowbox.jpg" style="display: block;" width="660" /></a><br />
<a href="http://bhagcolorado.blogspot.com/">http://bhagcolorado.blogspot.com/</a>Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-20506412306443006212010-12-29T16:49:00.000-08:002010-12-29T16:49:08.863-08:00Check Out Toronto's Living Breathing Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg691XPYDi3nnxzFT692uJDpn_bNm97tiKsw4wIgKnCHT9NbzMJDzNCq7BfGicLtEE_NVoXRLoX3hDOz4aSsMchXiGBlK8pofyvYWpOZxm3xOZ-NhFei7KEw-fmzwB695WBv-4KbNVJzRQ/s1600/HumanLib1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg691XPYDi3nnxzFT692uJDpn_bNm97tiKsw4wIgKnCHT9NbzMJDzNCq7BfGicLtEE_NVoXRLoX3hDOz4aSsMchXiGBlK8pofyvYWpOZxm3xOZ-NhFei7KEw-fmzwB695WBv-4KbNVJzRQ/s320/HumanLib1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>excerpted from Human Library story by <span style="font-style: italic;">Paul Gallant, Toronto-based freelance writer </span><br />
City Building, Diversity, Research and Innovation In comfy green chairs in front of a massive and sunny window overlooking Bloor Street, several different conversations are taking place between pairings of strangers. A CBC journalist is telling someone about the stories he's covered. A Tibetan Buddhist monk is talking about his journey to Canada and about the importance of peace. <br />
Considering the size of the system -- it's the world's largest public library -- and the diversity of people who use it, the TPL eschews a one-size-fits-all approach. (Or throwing large sums of money at things -- the Human Library project cost about $5,000). Each branch has an array of materials in languages that reflect the population of its neighbourhood. <br />
<br />
"People think of libraries as places where you're shushed, which can be intimidating, but we work hard to make it welcoming," says Aikins."In our feedback from the Human Library event, we found that a good portion of users heard about it from social media, "in the least personal, most mediated way, they found a way to have a very personal experience."Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-74470760198591560562010-10-27T17:59:00.000-07:002010-10-27T17:59:25.180-07:00Netherlands Library Incorporates Best of Retail Design<a href="http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/bibliotheek-almere-1.jpg"><img alt="bibliotheek almere 1" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-63154" height="349" onerror="javascript: wp_broken_images = window.wp_broken_images || function(){}; wp_broken_images(this);" src="http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/bibliotheek-almere-1-525x349.jpg" title="bibliotheek almere 1" width="525" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/bibliotheek-almere-7.jpg"><img alt="bibliotheek almere 7" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-63148" height="788" onerror="javascript: wp_broken_images = window.wp_broken_images || function(){}; wp_broken_images(this);" src="http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/bibliotheek-almere-7-525x788.jpg" title="bibliotheek almere 7" width="525" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/bibliotheek-almere-5.jpg"><img alt="bibliotheek almere 5" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-63150" height="349" onerror="javascript: wp_broken_images = window.wp_broken_images || function(){}; wp_broken_images(this);" src="http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/bibliotheek-almere-5-525x349.jpg" title="bibliotheek almere 5" width="525" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/bibliotheek-almere-4.jpg"><img alt="bibliotheek almere 4" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-63151" height="349" onerror="javascript: wp_broken_images = window.wp_broken_images || function(){}; wp_broken_images(this);" src="http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/bibliotheek-almere-4-525x349.jpg" title="bibliotheek almere 4" width="525" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/bibliotheek-almere-2.jpg"><img alt="bibliotheek almere 2" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-63153" height="349" onerror="javascript: wp_broken_images = window.wp_broken_images || function(){}; wp_broken_images(this);" src="http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/bibliotheek-almere-2-525x349.jpg" title="bibliotheek almere 2" width="525" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/bibliotheek-almere-6.jpg"><img alt="bibliotheek almere 6" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-63149" height="788" onerror="javascript: wp_broken_images = window.wp_broken_images || function(){}; wp_broken_images(this);" src="http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/bibliotheek-almere-6-525x788.jpg" title="bibliotheek almere 6" width="525" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/bibliotheek-almere-8.jpg"><img alt="bibliotheek almere 8" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-63155" height="395" onerror="javascript: wp_broken_images = window.wp_broken_images || function(){}; wp_broken_images(this);" src="http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/bibliotheek-almere-8-525x395.jpg" title="bibliotheek almere 8" width="525" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/bibliotheek-almere-3.jpg"><img alt="bibliotheek almere 3" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-63152" height="349" onerror="javascript: wp_broken_images = window.wp_broken_images || function(){}; wp_broken_images(this);" src="http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/bibliotheek-almere-3-525x349.jpg" title="bibliotheek almere 3" width="525" /></a>Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-38743207340245024582010-10-21T16:10:00.000-07:002010-10-21T16:10:26.959-07:00Simple Brown Wrapper Says It All @ Strode's College in Surrey Banned Books Display<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><img alt="Banned Books Week I" id="_x0000_i1025" src="http://get.unshelved.com/blog/BBWPicture1.jpg" /></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><img alt="Banned Books Week II" id="_x0000_i1025" src="http://get.unshelved.com/blog/BBWPicture2.jpg" /></span>Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-68524396811990571642010-10-19T18:00:00.000-07:002010-10-19T18:00:32.976-07:00LSSI monopoly betrays public trust<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Excellent editorial from Nevada County in January 2010:</span><br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Saturday, January 16, 2010</span><br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Much of the information gleaned from “Privatization/Outsourcing Report for the Dartmouth Public Libraries, 2008.”</span><br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Dartmouth ultimately voted against library privatization. This report can be viewed at: www.dartmouthpubliclibraries.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/privatization-report-december-2008/pdf</span><br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Pertinent facts regarding privatization include, but are not limited to, the following:</span><br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">• Privatization is a very new phenomenon (first tried in 1997), and there have been no studies of long term effects on library performance.</span><br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">• Of the 9,198 public libraries in the U.S., only 13 are currently being outsourced to private enterprise (interestingly, several weeks ago the number of privatized libraries was listed as 14, so one library system may have opted out of privatization).</span><br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">• All of the 13 contracts mentioned above are with one private company, Library Systems & Services, LLC (LSSI), thus establishing a clear monopoly. Historically, monopolies have been shown to not operate in the public interest, and do not result in either cost savings or improved service.</span><br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">• As a private non-corporate business, LSSI has no obligation to report financial records, thus depriving the public from knowing their profit margins and priority of expenditures.</span><br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">• Of the 13 library systems currently experimenting with privatization, not one have done so in order to save money. In fact, there is no evidence that library privatization is less expensive than continued public operation.</span><br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">• There are several hidden costs in transferring library operation from the public to the private sector. These include but are not limited to: Loss of volunteer hours and donations from both individuals and local businesses; cost of studies and implementation to transfer from the public to the private sector; costs of possible litigation by unions, private individuals and/or other groups contesting transfer from the public to private sector (as happened in New Jersey where LSSI's contract was nullified by the state supreme court); the need to provide competent oversight of private operation, which necessitates some type of “contract management” provided by the county; possible cost of reverting to public operation if the county is not satisfied with LSSI's performance of library operation.</span><br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">In light of these facts, certain concerns arise over the effects of privatization:</span><br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">• There is a clear conflict of interest in the public's need for expansive library services and the profit motive of LSSI. The expressed fear in the Dartmouth study was that understaffing and reduction of services are means by which LSSI might maximize profits at the expense of quality service.</span><br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">• no one in our local library system has had experience with privatization, which puts our otherwise excellent County Librarian at a clear disadvantage in administering such a radically different type of operation.</span><br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">• Censorship is a clear danger in a privatized library system. If private business, for example, has a vested interested in any political issue, there is a danger that specific books would be excluded from distribution while other, more partisan, materials were not. This would turn our libraries into political tools for special interest groups. </span><br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">By definition, public libraries are nonpartisan. Their mission is to provide a wide range of materials for citizen to consider when confronting issues vital to our democratic system. Please note, this is not a political issue. We all would lose a vital arm of democracy if libraries came under the control of any political agenda.</span><br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">• Government intrusion into the lives of citizens would become much more likely if libraries were privatized. In recent years, it was public librarians that led the resistance against attempts by the FBI and other federal agencies to gain access to the circulation records of readers. Political conservatives in particular should be adamantly opposed to privatization, on this point alone.</span><br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">For some reason, our county administrator, Rick Haffey, has proposed library privatization rather than explore other options. Recent letters to the editor have offered several alternative suggestions for continuing a high standard of public library service. </span><br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Moreover, creative methods might well be found to resolve this issue if the county administration would proactively seek to maintain our long tradition of public operation, rather than pass the buck to private enterprise.</span><br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Many thanks to William Larsen of Nevada City </span>Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-18849001191201860142010-10-05T15:10:00.000-07:002010-10-19T17:52:51.165-07:00Uninformed Local Government & LSSI Questionable Marketing Tactics<a href="http://blog.libraryjournal.com/ljinsider/2010/09/28/lssi-controversy-in-santa-clarita-ca-makes-new-york-times-front-page-but-much-is-missing/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;">Reference Library Journal article</span></a><br />
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="color: #330000; font: 11px/15px Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">(Here’s LSSI’s </span><a href="http://www.lssi.com/news/Santa%20Clarita%20Announcement.pdf" style="color: #336699; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">press release</span></a><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">. Here’s </span><a href="http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_15967278" style="color: #336699; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">coverage</span></a><span style="color: #b6d7a8;"> from the <em>Los Angeles Daily News</em>, which refers to the company as “LSS.” And here’s </span><a href="http://www.the-signal.com/section/36/article/33234/" style="color: #336699; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">coverage</span></a><span style="color: #b6d7a8;"> from the <em>Santa Clarita Valley Signal</em>.)</span></div><div style="color: #330000; font: 11px/15px Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">As one commenter on the <em>Times</em> article stated, “The city ignored the 99% of citizens who showed up in support of the LA County library and pushed this change through in record time.”</span></div><div style="color: #330000; font: 11px/15px Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Another stated, “Local residents are preparing a multi-pronged court attack against the City Council’s decision to take over ownership of the libraries and to sign a contract with LSSI.”</span></div><div style="color: #330000; font: 11px/15px Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">[As of 7:00 am Eastern Time on September 28, there are 599 </span><a href="http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/business/27libraries.html?sort=oldest" style="color: #336699; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">comments</span></a><span style="color: #b6d7a8;"> which reference, </span><a href="http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA456252.html" style="color: #336699; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">When LSSI Comes to Town</span></a><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">, with nearly all critical of LSSI and the concept of private management.</span></div><div style="color: #330000; font: 11px/15px Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #330000; font: 11px/15px Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;"></span></div><div style="color: #330000; font: 11px/15px Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">In contrast with LSSI’s pledge that it rehires most of the existing employees when it gets a contract:</span></div><div style="color: #330000; font: 11px/15px Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">LSSI CEO Frank Pezzanite’s ignorance is mind-boggling: “A lot of libraries are atrocious,” he told the <em>Times</em>. “Their policies are all about job security. That’s why the profession is nervous about us. You can go to a library for 35 years and never have to do anything and then have your retirement. We’re not running our company that way. You come to us, you’re going to have to work.”</span></div><div style="color: #330000; font: 11px/15px Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 11px/15px Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;">Pezzanite comments suggest he's never even read a library policy. Anyway, his insulting remarks should be enough to make any librarian currently working for LSSI that has worked in non-LSSI environment give notice. The sad truth is that his attitude is probably shared by the local government decision makers to whom he sells his anti-union one trick pony.</span></span></div><div style="color: #330000; font: 11px/15px Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;"><br />
</div>Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-35568990806885806082010-10-01T19:57:00.000-07:002010-10-01T19:57:45.269-07:00eBooks & libraries conference 2010<strong>eBooks: Libraries at the Tipping Point Online Conference<br />
R. David Lankes Closing Keynote</strong><br />
Lankes wanted to start with a thought experiment. What would happen if when we bought our next device, $10 was added to the cost and that went into a universal author’s fund and you could download any book any time? Would this be a good thing for libraries? Would it be a good thing for librarians? Those are two different things. For libraries, it would allow people to get access to information anywhere any time. The value of libraries is the librarians, not the warehouse of stuff that we have. (Sarah’s comment: We know that, but the general user perception is that libraries are books, so if we no longer have books, won’t it will be hard to maintain community support and funding without a major overhaul of our public image?) We have seen a huge disaggregation of content. Content is being ripped and remixed into different places — an explosion of data. We see the disintegration of profiteering on content too. One doesn’t, and hasn’t historically, made a lot of money off releasing a music album. You make money off of touring and merchandising. Same with books. The real threat is that people have the perception of libraries as a mausoleum of stuff. He also promoted the term “members” instead of users, customers, or patrons. eBooks make Lankes cranky. He only reads fiction in eBook format. What makes him cranky is that the current implementation of hardware and software is so boring. Book virtual interfaces made to look like wooden bookshelves are boring. “Stop!” says Lankes. He sees such potential in eBooks but we’re ignoring the possibilities of what could be. eBooks aren’t solving the real problem: access to information. When we move books to a different format, there’s a problem. Traditional terminology becomes a metaphor. We append prefixes like “e” to traditional terms, but that doesn’t always translate conceptually. If we look at reading the first thing we have to realize is that it should be a social and conversational experience. Part of reading is processing language, turning words into concepts and images in your mind. Some people believe reading to be quiet and contemplative, but Lankes challenges that assumption. While reading is an isolating physically, mentally it is extraordinarily social — how we choose what to read, our pre-conceptions before reading it, how we feel about it and what we share about it afterward… We can organize books and electronic content in all sorts of ways, allowing for hyperlinking and cross-referencing and community suggestions, not just “the librarian’s way.” If we aggregate the unique individual connections, is there a commonality? Yes. We definitely don’t want the “every book’s an app” model that has started with the iPad. We need to get back to the idea that book creation is part of a knowledge creation process. The idea of authoring and reading is merging as tools make it obvious that there is an ongoing conversation. Why annotate text only with other text? He says that librarians are key to sense-making, production, distribution–all steps of knowledge creation. Just as we are authors of our own mobile experiences through customization and apps, we should be authors of our own eBook experiences. Multimedia, chat and other communication, and other functionality will benefit the creation and consumption experiences. Libraries need to stop waiting for others to figure this eBook challenge out. This is our problem and our opportunity. We need to stop waiting for publishers to figure out the eBook model of the future – it’s like waiting for heroin addicts to develop the methadone of the future. He asks the million dollar question: Why aren’t libraries building a unified eBook platform? We need to stop buying from vendors and simply accepting what they give us. We need to add our existing added value in our expertise, our passion for knowledge. He encourages us to stand up for our users’ rights and innovate. Librarians are not consumers or customers. We are participators and so are those we seek to serve. “Lead!” he says.<br />
<strong>eBooks: Libraries at the Tipping Point Online Conference<br />
Kevin Kelly (Wired CEO) Keynote</strong><br />
The web as we know it is only 7,000 days old. Early prognosticators thought that the web would be TV, only better. But what we have is a multi-device, multi-author, hugely connected infrastructure for communication. There are 2 billion people linked up via the web. With eBooks, we have the same problem — we’ve guessed that eBooks would be books only better. But Kelly says that what’s coming is very different. Our entire environment is saturated with screens–in airplanes, on the sides of buildings, mobile devices, computers, etc. It’s important to recognize that the eBook is therefore part of that multi-screen environment. We lean forward to use our small screens and lean back to use our big theater-style screens. Where do eBooks fall into this? 2 billion YouTube clips are viewed daily. This is a much larger audience than book readers. As people we need to parse, index, browse, search, manipulate, annotate, re-sequence text…and have it be ubiquitous. He sees the same thing happening with video and other images. A move from orality to literacy happened with the printing press, and now we’re moving from literacy to what Kelly calls “vizuality.” One media platform, blurred lines between media: TV, books, music, blogs, websites, magazines, radio, etc. We don’t want to get stuck on screens being rigid — we’re already seeing flexible screens. We can think about all of these devices that we have, which are windows into a single set of content in the cloud. We and our devices are part of the cloud…it’s not a separate entity. We create content for it and interact with it. All types of things that people said they’d never share are being shared: shopping purchases, locations, health records, travel plans, personal genetics, eating patterns, and work histories. As we move into the cloud, our content moves away from being a single file to being a stream which is tagged. We are shifting from new page creation on the website (which has already peaked) to streams of content on Twitter, YouTube, and other sites. If we think of books as a long-form stream, how does that change how we think about the future of the book? People expect everything to be “always on,” everything to be available all the time. iPads are one of the most popular media for kids because they don’t have to type. Futuristic displays use gestures and interactions instead of keyboards and mice. Kelly introduced the idea of a “watchful eBook” — one that tracks your eye movements and responds accordingly. Lastly, he brought up the issue of the eBook “copy.” The only value is that which cannot be copied. If you want an old copy of National Geographic you can search for it and find a download for a slow download for free or a quick download for a fee. If you want it personalized, that would carry a cost. If you want to be sure that a piece of software, that requires a fee. Or if something that was sent by a creator that you want to be a patron for, you pay them a fee. Charge for different formats optimized for your accessibility needs. But don’t charge for the thing itself. Basically, he’s advocating for free eContent but charging for added-value services.<br />
<strong>eBooks: Libraries at the Tipping Point Online Conference<br />
eBooks and the Library User Experience<br />
Josh Greenburg, Jean Costello, Aaron Schmidt, and Michael Bills – moderated by Rebecca Miller</strong><br />
Josh Greenburg started by talking about standard user stories for physical books — you find a book from the library catalog at home, see that it’s checked out, click on a button to place a hold and then you wait. Or if you’re lucky and it is available, a mechanical and physical process starts and the book makes its way to whatever site you choose to pick it up at where it goes on a shelf and waits for you. You might have to stand in line to check it out and then you have access to it for only a limited period of time. eBooks have the same holds issues, but there is no physical transferral of the book from place to place, and no lines to wait in, no need for the user to go into a specific physical place, no real need to have due dates (if there’s no DRM and limits). And in a lovely way the need for fines goes away too if the eBooks don’t have due dates any more. But this is all a Utopian dream. eBooks have a lot of speed bumps. They’re usually, in the physical world, designed to slow people down so they don’t hurt themselves or those around them. Speed bumps for eBooks slow people down, but not for their benefit or the library’s benefit–solely for the publisher’s benefit. Things to think about: What are your goals for eContent at your library? Do you have a fixed cost or do you subsidize rentals? What type of collection do you want? What does this look like for the user’s experience? What speed bumps are you going to put into place in the experience?<br />
Jean Costello spoke as a patron who took public libraries for granted for a long time, but her library was threatened with closure. She learned how much she loves and treasures the organization, and now blogs as The Radical Patron. She asks questions that are probably easier to ask from outside the organization rather than from within. Book stores are cash-strapped and rethinking what they do and offer as their primary business model. The real primary changes are digital content companies: Google, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Publishers have, as a result, become outsiders to the emerging publishing paradigm. Leaders in the publishing industry recognize the tipping point and rethink their alliances and values. What she sees from libraries is that we look at eBooks as “just another technology to contend with, to be adopted but not fully embraced.” (Sarah’s comment: Heck yes, that is totally true for most libraries.) Will the public’s association of books with libraries translate to the eBook realm? Are publishers looking to bypass libraries as an outlet for digital media? Are we aware of this threat? Libraries are really focused on “collection.” Content is so fluid that we need to stop thinking about content as a commodity, a thing to own. She thinks we’ll see passionate readers and cultural institutions create enhanced versions of public domain works, self-published authors forging new ways and terms of distributing their work, and that news and magazines will be seamlessly and fluidly consumed on the fly. Readers advisory will be wrapped around content automatically — look at the recommendation engines in Pandora or Netflix as a potential model. The library user has little motivation to use the library. Any sub-set of content within a world-vision of complete access to everything everywhere will be seen as insufficient. There are many ways that libraries can add value. They need to get past library culture and self-conception and the conflict of values they often have with the vendors. We also need a strong representative to negotiate with the various stakeholders in the legislative and publishing industries. But what do we have in libraries? Libraries have widespread public trust and we need to start using that in new and creative ways.<br />
Aaron Schmidt then took over the discussion and said that the eBook ship has sailed and we are not on it. Years back we had arguments about whether VHS tapes should be in our collections and a whole paid industry sprung up while we were arguing. DVD checkouts make up a large percentage of checkouts in libraries but many people still don’t know that we do that. We have experimented with eBooks a long time ago before the general public was even interested in them — in the early days of the eBook Readers (oh yeah, the ones like the Rocket that failed). We’re used to providing library customers with difficult to use resources (think about your database page). Library patrons should never have to see the word Boolean logic. DRM doesn’t work. Determined users get around it, and all it takes is one ripped copy to open the floodgates for pirating. And there will always, always be one ripped copy no matter what DRM you put in place. All that does is stymie usage by law-abiding, EULA-abiding people. The e-experience should not try to mimic the print experience – that is a failure waiting to happen. Users are accessing eContent on their mobile devices. Apple, Amazon, and Google have changed the game. Better readers will make reading more enjoyable. We don’t want libraries to become mausoleums for dead books. Libraries should stop being like grocery stores (lots of stuff on the shelves) and more like kitchens (easy convenient access). We need to concentrate on our most important asset — the people in our buildings, the library staff, and train them to provide a good user experience for our users with digital content.<br />
Michael Bills talked about enhanced eBooks through Blio (free eBooks platform in development) — text-to-voice, video, annotations, links, etc. eInk devices have proliferated, but the type of content that can be delivered to those devices has been constrained. Blio provides full color enhanced content, interactivity, multiple viewing modes (2 page, 3D, thumbnail), is device-neutral, works on smaller and larger screens, and has a much deeper content catalog. The Book Industry Group sees that people still read eBooks dominantly on computers, with the kindle in a close second. Mobile devices like smart phones come next, ahead of other eReaders like the Sony Reader or the Nook. What could be brought to eBooks that consumers would pay more for? Blio actually has 80% of the extras that consumers said they’d pay for.<br />
<strong>eBooks: Libraries at the Tipping Point Online Conference<br />
Ebook What-Ifs: Issues that Impact Scenario Planning<br />
Me (!), Bobbi Newman, and Matt Hamilton + moderated by Josh Hadro<br />
</strong><br />
Questions about specific eBook scenarios were posed to us. Here’s what we talked about. Twitter hashtag to follow the conversation during our session was <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/search/ebookswhatif">#ebookswhatif</a><br />
<strong><br />
Question: What if there is a Google Book Search terminal in every library? </strong><br />
I tackled this question first. The Google Book Search settlement, if approved, will let every public library building have access to a terminal with access to the Google Books orphan works collection (in copyright but out of print), and academic libraries get access through terminals as well. If there is a terminal in every library, not a darn thing will change. For academic libraries, most of what was scanned has the most potential for people doing research on academic topics. The academic libraries got more flexibility on the number of terminals and the types of access. For public libraries, the question is: how useful is that scanned material to our users? For special libraries, same thing – that material is not highly useful. School libraries didn’t factor into the settlement at all, which is very worrisome. Having one terminal per building with access to something very specific is hearkening back to the days of the single-purpose CD ROM stations. People think of information as ubiquitous and think of everything as being everywhere. A single-use terminal won’t be very helpful to people very much. Plus there are restrictions on what you can do with the books (printing, copying, search, annotations) depends on how much the libraries paid Google for the extra privilege of accessing the information. This means an inevitable inequitable set-up in different libraries. I just don’t think a Google terminal will get used in our public library. There is no information in the settlement about the user access data and user privacy, but Google would have sole full access to it, which is worrisome. ALA and other groups also worry about how much providing good access and printing/copying will cost libraries. I think that some libraries would not participate in this project based on the privacy issues alone. But a lot of people don’t worry about their privacy. Up to 15% of what Google scans can be excluded from this collection at their discretion. What would Google choose to exclude? I think that the cost issue will be the limitation. Google has not told us how much they will charge us to allow people to print or download, money that we have to collect ourselves and then split the money between the Books Registry and Google. The unknown cost issue is frightening.<br />
Bobbi agreed that privacy is a concern as well as space. A computer whose sole purpose is to access Google Books is not likely to be useful to her users. It becomes a customer service issue when a computer stands unused.<br />
Matt agreed that the material in the collection is not something that his users will be drawn to use. They don’t see demands for these types of books that are more academic and esoteric.<br />
<strong>Question: What if the price of eReaders drops to zero?</strong><br />
Matt tackled this one first. The price of eReader are dropping drastically. What if the device is thrown in for free with the purchase of a certain number of eBooks? This would result in a flood of cheap eReaders into the market. Can libraries meet demand and utilize this quick influx to the market? Matt thinks it’s incredibly likely that this is going to happen, whether the publishers are subsidizing it or that it’s a contract-based vendor subsidy. For many, this seems like a possible death knell for libraries. A world with free or nearly free eReaders and cheap or free content subsidized by advertising. The democratizing role that public libraries play, our commitment to intellectual freedom, makes us more relevant than ever. If we see free eReaders we may not see a lot of change in demand for our collection, which would create a complacency in library staff that is dangerous. Over time, will we see generations of kids who first learn to read on electronic devices and use them for textbooks and homework? Will paper books become more of a rare and exotic item? New formats combining text with multimedia should be something we consider too. Libraries should assert our values of universal access and intellectual freedom into the emerging standards of the cloud and future technological and legal developments. ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom should be bending the ear of the FCC and other government agencies who are currently giving away the public good to corporations to destroy. Libraries could be the tax-funded space for data and form the infrastructure that helps our local communities share data. There has to be a public good component.<br />
I chimed in and said that there is huge potential for demand increasing with a zero barrier to entry for eReader technologies. With that huge, and fast, an increase our library would not be able to meet eBook demands. The questions of format, different device platforms, and the technical support staff would be asked to perform would be a problem. We are ill-equipped to handle this kind of change so quickly. We’re ill-equipped to handle any change quickly, really.<br />
Then Matt agreed that the differences in format and devices are a huge barrier for libraries. It’s a huge physical challenge to get each staff member to have hands-on experience with all the various eReaders and formats.<br />
I agreed and said is it possible to have enough of these eReaders to give everyone enough time to learn on them? The libraries would get the free eReaders at the exact same time, or likely after, the public got them. We would therefore end up giving some bad service because we’re unprepared to meet these needs. Another issue would be bandwidth – if we’re trying to download a whole bunch of eBooks simultaneously, our infrastructure could not handle it.<br />
<strong>Question: What if the DRM issue went away tomorrow?</strong><br />
Bobbi got this question. DRM is a huge frustration. Every eReader, platform, and format combination has a different set of challenges. No device that allow for library eBook use allows for direct-to-device lending yet. So, what if the Librarian of Congress declared 3 years from now that libraries are given huge leeway with regards to copyright and DRM? A lot of what prevents users from using library eBooks with their chosen devices is the DRM. The clunky experience at the library makes people turn to the direct paid consumer products instead. If DRM went away, demand for our eContent would increase by huge amounts. There would be a bandwidth impact here too. A lot o the library’s policies about in-library computer access would need to change too to more easily allow for access to downloadable content. Even if DRM went away, how does that affect the patrons who already tried accessing the collections and had negative experiences. Patrons expect that the Kindle and other eReaders will work with library eBooks. Libraries have to be the ones to break the news to people that our eContent won’t work with their devices, which is beyond our control. But we sound like the bad guys.<br />
I agreed that we would see an unprecedented increase in demand, but without DRM that increase in demand would at least be a good thing. The first time experience with library eBooks is often bad. Our stats show that we lose a lot of first-time users of our eBooks — they don’t come back. Maybe they would come back if access was easier. I gave up too and turned to a Kindle app on my Android phone. Comparing my experiences with that to my experiences with library eBooks is distressing.<br />
Bobbi replied that the eAudioBook process is a lot smoother, but the eBook process is a lot harder…largely because of connecting to a computer and go through the more cumbersome process. Also, since you can’t download most eBooks in most libraries within most libraries, we have to break the news to them that we don’t allow downloads in the library. (Sarah’s note: this is a policy that libraries need to change.)<br />
Matt sees the same thing where he works too. If DRM went away, doors could open for ways to deliver services in libraries.<br />
<strong>eBooks: Libraries at the Tipping Point Online Conference</strong><br />
<strong>How eBooks Impact Libraries, Publishers & Readers</strong><br />
<strong>Brian Kenney, Barbara Fister, Eli Neiberger, and Steve Potash</strong><br />
Eli Neiberger started out the presentation and is freaking brilliant. Let me say that again. Eli is brilliant. Libraries can’t disassociate themselves from format. We’ve fared through other outmoded technologies and formats over time, so looking at those changes might help us move forward with eContent. Those who survived the crash of vinyl are thriving. Vinyl sales have tripled recently. But the 8 Track was a transitory technology. They were successful as a convenience format, but were quickly replaced with something much more convenient – the cassette tape. He even talked about candles as an outmoded format, but we still use them for ceremony and atmosphere. Same with gaslamps. The built infrastructure to support this technology in communities were able to be converted and built-upon to support future technologies (electricity, etc.). The typewriter is outmoded and it disappeared except for those who use it as a symbol or to make a statement. At the same time, the descendants of the typewriter (physical and virtual keyboards) still use the same format. Movable type technologies from printing presses to modern printers changed the same way. Will the future of the Book follow the model of vinyl (niche, statement-driven, small) or 8 tracks (outmoded and laughable)? The model of the candle or the gas lamp? The model of the typewriter? Will someone who has a book collection look as eccentric as those who have typewriter collections? Or is the future of the eBook like movable type? Is the eBook the future of text distribution? If so, libraries are screwed. The copyright lies with vendors and copyright owners, not with the users and consumers of the information. The value of library collections are rooted in the worth of a local copy. The locality of a copy is relatively meaningless now with the advent of the web. The notion of a copy loses its embodied value when there is no difference between transmission and duplication. That might change, but right now it creates a huge problem. Most people will soon have internet access in their pockets. The idea of owning a copy of media will be baffling to future generations. Why have a local copy? Access when needed from “the stream.” Using the library is likely to remain an inferior experience for digital content because of DRM and selection of content, as libraries are not able to buy everything in digital format that individual consumers are. The circulating collection itself is a technology that has become outmoded. The internet and the digital distribution of content has made this happen. The peak of physical circulation has already occurred. We need to pay more attention to digital circulation of content. Libraries used to actually be for storing and providing access to the content from the community, to protect and ensure access to local records and unique items — not bestselling romance. We need to re-center on that purpose. Why not make the library the publisher? A platform for the community to create and store unique data? Everyone is a publisher. But everyone agrees to restrictive terms for accessing digital content every day, and there is not a groundswell of support for change to this. Libraries need a fair use exemption to allow us to lend digital content. But more than anything, the circulation of content is a dying method of distributing content. We need to prepare for that.<br />
Steve Potash, the President and CEO of Overdrive, spoke next. Potash says that his company’s work with libraries has been “a journey.” eBooks are now in 2/3 of American libraries, up from 38% in 2005. Circulation of eBooks went up 73% from 2009 to 2010. He wants library subscribers to know they will get a good return on investment for the books they buy from them. They’re releasing more information on their updated mobile apps and a new mobile user experience that enables first time users on the web to go to the library app and see books and with one click read the books. (I’m glad to hear they’re simplifying the mobile apps, because they are currently unusable, imho.) He also noted that they’re adding DRM-free epub format books too (also good). They’re adding open access to Project Gutenberg and other free eBooks through Overdrive’s interface as well. Today they offer over 70,000 eBooks under the LEAP program (Library eBook Accessibility Program) through a partnership with Bookshare. (This is free to libraries, so if you’re not using it, check it out.)<br />
Barbara Fister spoke next very briefly. The publishing industry is facing some huge problems in that they’re trying to allow for an antiquated business model that doesn’t really work for digital content. The use of publishing text books and eBooks and trying to make money, don’t sign anything that won’t let you share content.<br />
<strong>eBooks: Libraries at the Tipping Point Online Conference<br />
Ray Kurzweil Keynote</strong><br />
Kurzweil is a legend and it was fascinating to listen to him. The reality of information technology is that its growth is exponential. But our intuition about the future is linear in nature. This causes us problems in predicting the future accurately and being able to prepare for it. We’re at a point where eBooks in libraries are real.<br />
We will experience 20,000 years of progress in the 21st century, if today’s rate of information technology change continues. Information technologies double their price performance over a single year. Moore’s Law, baby! Communication technologies, biological technologies, are all increasing. The size of the internet in terms of bandwidth usage and pages hosting is exploding as well. Kurzweil predicts that we’ll put screens into our eyeglasses and view screens at any magnification we choose, looking at eContent, augmented reality applications, and web content.<br />
U.S. education expenditures have increased exponentially too, which Kurzweil connects to more of an investment in training on technology. (I must disagree with him on this. Schools have very poor technology investment in general. And expenditure increase has not seen any connection to increase in performance or graduation rates, so throwing more money at the problem won’t help. We need to fundamentally change our approach to education.)<br />
People are still asking for more text-to-speech capabilities, books read aloud to them, and more flexibility. He demo-ed Blio, an eBook Store with a million free eBooks: <a href="http://www.blio.com/">http://www.blio.com</a>. It’s out for the PC now, and they’re building iPhone & iPad, Android, and Mac versions now. Looks a lot like other eBook Stores with covers, reviews, publisher info, etc. Downloading the book preserves the original format, page by page — anything with a rich graphical format benefits from this. You can preview pages, turn the pages and they flip as with a printed book, use reference tools, magnify, etc.<br />
There needs to be a social compact that people will respect intellectual property rights. The technical means to break them exists, but the respect to not break them is the key. Kurzweil stresses that “it’s not cool to take intellectual property without paying for it.”<br />
The graphs from Kurzweil’s presentation on the evolution of many things can be found at <a href="http://www.kurzweilai.net/pps/KurzweilPowerPoint/">http://www.KurzweilAI.net/pps/KurzweilPowerPoint/</a>Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-31297310994876599162010-08-21T23:11:00.000-07:002010-08-21T23:11:04.694-07:00E-books taking off at Vancouver public libraries — and they carry no late fees<a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/news/books+taking+public+libaries+carry+late+fees/3378045/story.html">E-books taking off at Vancouver public libraries — and they carry no late fees</a>: "<br />Article of interest but comments are even more useful for libraries considering lending ebook readers.Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6178687955983278769.post-83142095631617813912010-08-21T21:44:00.000-07:002010-08-21T21:44:53.699-07:00Canadian librarian leads worldwide digital revolt for free knowledge - thestar.com<a href="http://www.thestar.com/living/article/846033--canadian-librarian-leads-worldwide-digital-revolt-for-free-knowledge?bn=1&sms_ss=blogger#article">Canadian librarian leads worldwide digital revolt for free knowledge - thestar.com</a>Lorebrarian.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05864045540429761250noreply@blogger.com0