August 2011

Book-lending machines prove popular stand-in for Ottawa libraries

Book-lending machines prove popular stand-in for Ottawa libraries

In the year-and-a-half or so since book-vending machines run by the Ottawa Public Library were installed at the Hunt Club-Riverside Community Centre, the area’s councillor Maria McRae says she’s only fallen more in love with them. So much so that she says she’ll be pushing to have them installed in light-rail stations and possibly community and neighbourhood health centres — just about any public institution on a major transit line should at least be considered.

Academic publishers make Murdoch look like a socialist

Academic publishers make Murdoch look like a socialist
“What we see here is pure rentier capitalism: monopolising a public resource then charging exorbitant fees to use it. Another term for it is economic parasitism. To obtain the knowledge for which we have already paid, we must surrender our feu to the lairds of learning.”

See Also: Response to George Monbiot’s Rant against Academic Publishers
“No one doubts that commercial publishers are in the business of making money. But the way they make money is by doing something that academics value but that they would not do for themselves, left to their own devices. What I mean is captured in two words: ‘innovation’ and ‘extension’. “

Ann Patchett, New Bookstore Owner Talks about Touring, Bookstores & More

From the New York Times article entitled “Of Bugs and Books”, author Ann Patchett (State of Wonder) speaks about books, ebooks, bookstores, best-sellers, reading habits, author appearances, cicadas (the bug part) and so on:

“Everything cycles back around. Things I didn’t think could ever make a comeback — Newt Gingrich and platform shoes — proved capable of startling resurgence. Now when someone tells me a trend is dead, I think, no, probably just dormant.

Take bookstores, for example. With the demise of the Borders chain and the shaky footing of Barnes and Noble, one might be tempted to write off the whole business. But as one who spent her summer on a book tour, I would like to offer this firsthand report from the front lines: Americans are still reading books. Night after night after night I showed up in a different bookstore and people were there with their hardbacks. Sure, I signed a couple of iPad covers, Kindle covers. I’ve got no problem with that. But just because some people like their e-readers doesn’t mean we should sweep all the remaining paperbacks in a pile and strike a match. Maybe bookstores are no longer 30,000 square feet, but they are selling books. ”

Patchett and her business partner, Karen Hayes, and will open the doors to Parnassus Books in her hometown of Nashville in October.

The End for Old Greenwich’s Just Books

Three years ago, one of Greenwich’s remaining independent book stores was saved from impending closure.It looks like there won’t be a happy ending after all.

Just Books owner Marion Boucher Holmes says the increasing popularity of electronic readers, in particular Apple’s iPad, is forcing her to close the beloved Old Greenwich shop. Boucher Holmes bought the Arcadia Road store in 2008 from Greenwich resident Jenny Lawton, who at the time said financial pressure was forcing her to sell the store or seek investors. While she knew it was a difficult business, Boucher Holmes said sales had dropped significantly in the past 10 months.

“We were always dealing with the Kindle and Amazon, but the iPad has really accelerated,” Boucher Holmes said. “Old Greenwich is a small community, and if you start losing 25 to 30 percent of your readers to the electronic medium, the business is just not sustainable.”

The 10-year-old store is selling its inventory at 50 percent off, and will permanently shut its doors when everything is sold, though the plan is for the store to be out by the end of the month.

Just one of many sad endings for America’s indie bookstores. Who can you have an intelligent conversation with at Amazon.com?

Digital libraries wasted

Digital libraries wasted
“In their future career, students will have to research subjects related to their work more often than they might imagine. On the more professional levels, in fact, a basic search-engine query might not return any suitable results. Students should acquaint themselves with the databases USC subscribes to, most of which are common and highly regarded in the professional world.”

Librarian restrained on Austrian Airlines flight

Librarian restrained on Austrian Airlines flight
Passengers had to restrain an Austrian librarian following a mid-air dispute at the weekend.

Customers said that a 32 year-old lunged toward one of the crew members onboard an Austrian Airlines flight from Washington to the company’s base in Vienna, but didn’t make contact. Reports said that he had consumed wine and a sleeping tablet and became upset and aggressive when flight attendants refused to serve him additional alcohol.

Are Research Papers a Waste of Time?

Is the research paper still justifiable as a means of grading a college student’s performance?

Critics of the form say it is outdated because the Internet has made sources so readily accessible. In addition, argues an article published recently by the John William Pope Center for Higher Education, research papers promote deference to conventional opinions. Thomas Bertonneau, the author of the article, “Down With Research Papers!” argued that students should instead be assigned essays, focusing on concise arguments staking out a point of view rather than long, informative surveys of a subject.

Room for Debate piece at NYT.com

What We Do to Books

The creases, the annotations and the blood stains all imprint a book with the fact of my having read it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/28/books/review/reading-life-what-we-do-to-books.html?ref=books

Beautiful Library Facilities

Fourteen fantastic modern Libraries from Web Urbanist. Don’t get too jealous now.

Here’s one in Copenhagen, Denmark

SHL Architects gave Copenhagen an incredible new landmark with the Black Diamond extension to the historic Royal Danish Library. This monolithic design is surprisingly airy and open on the inside, encouraging not just the study of books but also the exploration of new types of media. “We are drawn to these projects for their potential to engage the public and not only to give cultural and social life to their cities and towns but also for their ability to work as a accelerator for learning and knowledge,” says Bjarne Hammer, an SHL founding partner.

Check all fourteen out at Web Urbanist.