ebrary’s Download Survey
ebrary’s Librarian Download Survey [PDF] In March of 2011, ebrary initiated a survey of librarians that
largely addressed changing technologies and expectations for e-book access. Most of the first fourteen questions (with the exception of 7 and 12) collect demographic or vendor specific information. Approximately 80% of the 1,029 respondents were from academic libraries with only 7% from public and the remaining 13% from corporate, government, school or other.
December 2011
It Pays ($100K+!) To Have Friends
ROCHESTER, MI — The Friends of the Rochester Hills Public Library recently gave the library $105,000 in funds raised throughout 2011.
“We were very pleased with the amount we raised this year,” said Friends President Kathy Dorn. “It’s the first time in recent history that we’ve gone over $100,000. I want to say we did $85,000 last year.”
Library Director Christine Lind Hage said the money will be used to fund free public programs — for both adults and children — throughout 2012, and to purchase 70 new public computers. Congratulations to the Friends!
Top Quote According to Yale Librarian Fred Shapiro
It’s that time again and…yes, number one on the hit parade is “We are the 99% percent.”
Shapiro’s sixth annual list is an update to “The Yale Book of Quotations,” edited by Shapiro and published by Yale University Press. More here.
Some Books Saved by Egyptian Protestors at the Institut d’Egypte
Further to our earlier story on Cairo’s library fire, here’s some positive news:
From Al Masry Alyoum (Egypt Independent) :
In the wake of the fire that destroyed much of the manuscript collection at the Institut d’Egypte on Saturday, scores of pro-democracy protesters have told of their efforts to salvage books and other rare documents from the smoking ruins.
The institute, which was built by Napoleon Bonaparte on Qasr al-Ainy Street, was set ablaze during fighting between security forces and pro-democracy protesters on Saturday morning. Many rare documents dating back to Napoleon’s campaign in 1789, including an original copy of the Description de l’Egypt, were damaged by fire or else by water used to put out the flames.
Protesters began salvage operations later on Saturday, as fighting continued around them, removing books and manuscripts from the building and arranging them on the pavement outside. They made contact with officials at the Ministry of Culture, who arranged to collect the works and remove to the safety of the Dar al-Kutub building on the Corniche.
More books, more choices: why America needs its indies
More books, more choices: why America needs its indies
All bookstores (with few exceptions) are going to stock and display the category killers: “Steve Jobs,” Stephen King, “The Night Circus.” They would be doing their customers and themselves a disservice if they didn’t. Farhad Manjoo’s assertion that there is “little that is ‘local’ about most local bookstores” is inaccurate: what makes a local bookstore “local,” and also relevant, is its reflection of the tastes, eccentricities, fads, and buying habits of the community it serves.
Few takers for library science in India
Few takers for library science
If estimates presented in a study by the librarian at the Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA) Shailesh Yagnik are to be believed, currently 2,22,350 people are engaged in libraries in higher secondary institutions, general colleges, professional colleges, central libraries and district and town libraries.
According to him, despite the higher potential of growth in LIS education, students are not interested in taking up the course.
Canadian authors: Really big , just not in Canada
Canadian authors: Really big … just not in Canada
Such pleasant surprises for Canadian authors are less common than they once were, despite what may seem to be impressive sales of foreign rights. Foreign publishers can acquire those rights cheaply enough that postponing or even cancelling a book’s publication is always feasible – and increasingly likely today, according to Bukowksi.
School librarians trying to survive budget cuts
School librarians trying to survive budget cuts
Certified librarians — those who have two degrees, including one in library sciences — have become somewhat of a rarity in California schools as districts statewide slash their budgets each year by sometimes hundreds of millions of dollars.
Death and Destruction at Cairo Library During Political Clashes
Cairo (CNN) — The new round of bloody clashes between pro-democracy protesters and Egypt’s security forces left 10 people dead Saturday, including six by live ammunition, even though the new prime minister denied that live fire was being used by his forces.
Meanwhile, 213-year-old Egyptian maps and historical manuscripts — described as “irreplaceable” — were destroyed after a library in Cairo was among structures set ablaze during the clashes, officials said.
Egypt’s Prime Minister Kamal Ganzouri, appointed by the military earlier this month, condemned the library attack, which he called an “arson committed by the protesters who portrayed no patriotism in protecting the symbols of the historical civilization of this nation.” The 200,000-book library is called the Scientific Center.
Destroyed in the fire were the original manuscript of the “description of Egypt” and “irreplaceable maps and historical manuscripts preserved by many generations since the building of the Scientific Center in August 1798 during the French Campaign,” Ganzouri said in a statement
Toronto library chair defends multilingual collection
Toronto library chair defends multilingual collection
“What proportion of our budget should go for non-English movies and books?” said Del Grande in a widely publicized statement.
“An argument can be made that this is what makes the city great, but I would dare say our common language is English, we’re spending tons of money for ESL, should we not have a discussion of how much of the library budget should go for non-English resources?”
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