August 2012

Booksellers Group Partners With Canadian E-Book Company

Nearly five months after Google said it would end a little-used program that allowed independent bookstores to sell its e-books, a Canadian e-reading company named Kobo has stepped in as a replacement.

The American Booksellers Association, a trade group for independents, said on Wednesday that it had formed a partnership with Kobo that would make the company’s platform available to bookstores. The partnership will begin with 400 bookstores this fall.

Full article

The End Of Neat New Stuff

Marylaine wrote in with sad news on her loooooooong running “Neat New Things I Found This Week.” This week was her final week of Neat New Things I Found This Week…. “Something I did there that I think may be especially useful is a calendar of some lesser known annual events that I think are wonderful opportunities for libraries programming, connecting them with their communities, and letting them know what the libraries have to offer.”
The link is the usual: http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html

LJ editor in chief Francine Fialkoff leaves the publication

For Immediate Release

August 31, 2012

New York, NY—Today, Library Journal announced that editor-in-chief Francine Fialkoff is leaving LJ effective September 1. Fialkoff has had an extraordinary career at LJ spanning 35 years, with over 15 years at its helm (as editor and editor-in-chief). Under her leadership, LJ moved from a print magazine to a multiplatform entity.

Fialkoff’s work has benefitted libraries across the United States and beyond. Highlights of her career at LJ include being a driving force behind the pro bono restoration of the devastated Alvar Street branch following Hurricane Katrina. She was integral to launching the annual LJ “Movers & Shakers,” a coveted annual award that identifies up and coming stars in the library world, now boasting over 550 inductees. She helped put LJ on the map as a major player in library building and design, with, among other things, the launch of a biannual Library by Design tabloid as well as a popular Design Institute event series now in its 11th cycle. And she has been involved in the creation of awards, including Best Small Library in America Award, the LJ Teaching Award, and the new LibraryAware Award, as well as enhancing the impact of the annual Library of the Year and Librarian of the Year awards. She has also overseen the launch into important original research such as Patron Profiles; the integration of webcasts; and the launch of LJ’s widely read enewsletters.

For Immediate Release

August 31, 2012

New York, NY—Today, Library Journal announced that editor-in-chief Francine Fialkoff is leaving LJ effective September 1. Fialkoff has had an extraordinary career at LJ spanning 35 years, with over 15 years at its helm (as editor and editor-in-chief). Under her leadership, LJ moved from a print magazine to a multiplatform entity.

Fialkoff’s work has benefitted libraries across the United States and beyond. Highlights of her career at LJ include being a driving force behind the pro bono restoration of the devastated Alvar Street branch following Hurricane Katrina. She was integral to launching the annual LJ “Movers & Shakers,” a coveted annual award that identifies up and coming stars in the library world, now boasting over 550 inductees. She helped put LJ on the map as a major player in library building and design, with, among other things, the launch of a biannual Library by Design tabloid as well as a popular Design Institute event series now in its 11th cycle. And she has been involved in the creation of awards, including Best Small Library in America Award, the LJ Teaching Award, and the new LibraryAware Award, as well as enhancing the impact of the annual Library of the Year and Librarian of the Year awards. She has also overseen the launch into important original research such as Patron Profiles; the integration of webcasts; and the launch of LJ’s widely read enewsletters.

A passionate advocate for libraries and librarians, Fialkoff retains her enthusiasm for LJ and its role in the library world both as a source of news, information, and education, and as a community of, by, and for librarians and those in the library field.

“I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the smartest people both at LJ and in the library world,” said Fialkoff, “and I have great confidence in LJ’s future.”

“Francine’s departure leaves all of us at LJ saddened. Her dedication to the brand, the staff, and the markets she cares so deeply about are an inspiration for all of us to follow. Library Journal has an experienced editorial team with close ties to our readership and mission. We are confident it, and its voice, will continue to thrive and innovate as it serves the library market and our valued readers. On behalf of the entire staff at Library Journals, and Media Source, we wish Francine the absolute best in her future,” said Ian Singer, VP and Group Publisher, Library Journals, LLC.

Effective immediately, LJ’s executive editor Michael Kelley ([email protected]) will take over as interim editor-in-chief. Fialkoff plans to stay in the library world and can be reached at ([email protected]). Her final editorial will appear in the September 15 print LJ.

Layoffs at book company as schools shift towards digital reading

Perma-Bound books let go of 23 employees this week. Company president Jim Orr says about the same number of people were furloughed last year. He says some of this week’s layoffs were people who were brought back.

Perma-Bound employs about 280 people.

The company focuses on public and school library reading materials and school curriculum texts. Orr says part of the reason for the layoffs is due to the economy, but he notes that school districts aren’t ordering as much material as they used to.

What Kind of Book Reader Are You? A Diagnostics Guide

Sometimes we engage in threeways, fourways, or even orgies of reading, in which there are so many books involved, well, we might not even be keeping track. It’s horrible, isn’t it? But, for as many books as exist, there are also any number of different reading types a book lover (or even a book hater) might demonstrate. What kind are you?

The Hate Reader
The Chronological Reader
The Bookophile

Forensic Linguists: You Can Write, But You Can’t Hide

According to forensic linguists, the experts who investigate a text’s originator, if they have an individual’s known writings, they can detect with up to 95% accuracy that person’s authorship of any other document. Forensic experts have been called as witnesses in the high profile lawsuit by Paul Ceglia, who has sued Mark Zuckerberg, claiming he owns half of Facebook. They’ve also been expert witnesses in murder trials.

The Born Digital in the Archives: One Curator’s Experience

Working to solve this digital preservation dilemma became the focus for Doug Reside, Digital Curator of the New York Public Library, along with Mark Horowitz, Senior Music Specialist in the Library of Congress Music Division and curator of the Jonathan Larson collection (see a related blog post). With Mark providing access and expertise about the collection, Doug was able to uncover previously hidden Larson materials by the use of digital forensics techniques (see this blog post interview with Doug Reside about this collaboration).

OpenGrey Repository

Not sure how I’ve never seen the OpenGrey Repository before…
“The OpenGrey Repository was launched mid-2011. OpenGrey succeeds OpenSIGLE, which was an initiative by INIST-CNRS to transfer the contents of a commercial database into an open access environment – including the results of 25 years of collecting and referencing grey literature by European partners. Since 2008, GreyNet’s conference preprints complement the offer on grey literature in OpenGrey by providing full-text access to research output in this field of information science. OpenGrey not only signifies a change in platform but also provides improved features for users redesigned to meet the needs of a Google generation. OpenGrey moreover closes the gap caused by the termination of the SIGLE database by reopening the way for new record entry with links to full text, research data, as well as post-publication data.”