Libraries Reinvented as Laboratories
Martin Boyce
An article looking at some of the ways libraries are operating as spaces for production, not just consumption of information...
Read the whole article here...
From their inception, libraries were designed to be hubs of information. What that looked like for a long time was that they housed books and other media including music, film and historic documents. These days, being a hub of information looks rather different. In addition to lending traditional media materials, libraries are becoming community centers for creativity and innovation. By providing patrons access to emerging digital and manufacturing tools, libraries are reinventing themselves as laboratories that help bridge the digital divide and move projects from the idea stage into the production stage.
Cat Johnson on Shareable
Read the whole article here...
Monday, February 04, 2013
In the US of A 13% of those aged over 16 connected to their library via mobile devices.
Sutherland Shire Libraries
I thought this was an interesting study. The numbers had doubled over 3 years. This will only increase, and I would expect a similar study done in Australia would produce higher results.
The 'mobile' users are reflecting those whom we know use the physical space.....'Those who are most likely to have connected to a library site include parents of minor children, women, and those with at least some college education.'
Here's a link to the full report, if you are interested.
Cheers Jacinta
The 'mobile' users are reflecting those whom we know use the physical space.....'Those who are most likely to have connected to a library site include parents of minor children, women, and those with at least some college education.'
Here's a link to the full report, if you are interested.
Cheers Jacinta
Thursday, January 31, 2013
JSTOR announces free access to journal articles
Sutherland Shire Libraries
Here is link to an article on the JSTOR and how it is now allowing access to some of it’s journals free. They have apparently been testing this model for the last 10 months and have just now gone live with it.
It is very similar in setup to Freegal in that one can only access 3 articles a fortnight for free. Once the fortnight is up one can return the article and get another to read. The articles cannot be downloaded nor printed, unless you decide to buy them after all.
You may have heard of the JSTOR recently due to some media attention having been given to the death of a young genius Aaron Swartz, who was being sued by JSTOR for illegally downloading their content with the intention of making it publically available. This free access greatly expands the options for individual researchers and non-institutional students being able to locate quality resources. It could help the retired Uni lecturer who is frustrated with no longer having access to a research team.
Click here for How to Register and Read, as well as the title list. It's a very eclectic selection with wide ranging subjects. There is a very short video on how it works as well.
This is worth keeping in mind. (Tucked safely away behind the next holiday plans, ready to leap out when required)
Cheers Jacinta
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Want to Avoid Eye Strain? Read paper.
Max
The purchase price of tablet computers and e-readers continues to follow the trend already well established by laptops and desktop computers. Every year the number produced goes up, the products get better, but the price actually goes down.
We are familiar with dedicated e-readers such as Kindle, Sony Reader, Kobo, etc and of course tablets like the samsung Galaxy and the iPad are often used to read e-books.
It is agreed that a dedicated e-reader will provide a better reading experience than a tablet.
After all, the e-reader screen is designed to replicate the experience of reading a printed book. But does it?
James Felici has worked in the publishing industry — in both editorial and production — for more than 30 years.
In his article The State of E-book Typography he argues that, "... after 500 years of evolution, the printed word has taken a step backward in quality". because electronic screens like the one you are viewing now, are a poor substitute for good print on paper.
The article gets a bit technical in places but gives an interesting insight into the current technical quality of what we read print on. Felici argues that although display technology continues to improve, it has a long way to go to get to where print on paper was 90 years ago.
We are familiar with dedicated e-readers such as Kindle, Sony Reader, Kobo, etc and of course tablets like the samsung Galaxy and the iPad are often used to read e-books.
It is agreed that a dedicated e-reader will provide a better reading experience than a tablet.
After all, the e-reader screen is designed to replicate the experience of reading a printed book. But does it?
James Felici has worked in the publishing industry — in both editorial and production — for more than 30 years.
In his article The State of E-book Typography he argues that, "... after 500 years of evolution, the printed word has taken a step backward in quality". because electronic screens like the one you are viewing now, are a poor substitute for good print on paper.
The article gets a bit technical in places but gives an interesting insight into the current technical quality of what we read print on. Felici argues that although display technology continues to improve, it has a long way to go to get to where print on paper was 90 years ago.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
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