December 2015

American Panorama

About the Project
American Panorama is created by the Digital Scholarship Lab at the University of Richmond. Robert K. Nelson and Edward L. Ayers serve as editors, Scott Nesbit as an associate editor. Justin Madron manages the project’s spatial data. Nathaniel Ayers leads the design work.
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the University of Richmond have generously provided funding for American Panorama. Stamen Design developed the software for this project.

From American Panorama

I read 164 books in 2015 and tracked them all in a spreadsheet. Here’s what I learned.

At the end of every book I loved, I felt transformed. I wanted to tell everyone about it, if not read it again right away. The other books, the ones I didn’t care about, I read because I thought they would make me better in some way — more well-read, perhaps, or even more interesting. But reading books I wasn’t invested in just made me bored and disengaged; I would have been better off doing something else.

I became a librarian because talking about books is one of the only things I like as much as reading them

From I read 164 books in 2015 and tracked them all in a spreadsheet. Here’s what I learned. – Vox

Wikipedia fails as an encyclopedia, to science’s detriment

Most entries, but not all. Disturbingly, all of the worst entries I have ever read have been in the sciences. Wander off the big ideas in the sciences, and you’re likely to run into entries that are excessively technical and provide almost no context, making them effectively incomprehensible.

This failure is a minor problem for Wikipedia, as most of the entries people rely on are fine. But I’d argue that it’s a significant problem for science. The problematic entries reinforce the popular impression that science is impossible to understand and isn’t for most people—they make science seem elitist. And that’s an impression that we as a society really can’t afford.

From Editorial: Wikipedia fails as an encyclopedia, to science’s detriment | Ars Technica

The value of books is not restricted to price

The best way to pass along books for future generations to value is give them today. They do this better in Iceland than anywhere. An online article by Giulia Trentacosti described Iceland’s Jolabokaflod, or “Christmas book flood,” festival. The majority of Iceland’s books are published around Christmastime when it’s traditional to exchange new and used books. The flood comes from the fact Iceland is so literate. 

“With around 330,000 inhabitants, Iceland is certainly one of the smallest book markets in the world. Nevertheless, it boasts one of the highest rates of books per capita.” They also each read an average of eight books annually, and “an impressive 98 percent read at least one.” Giving and reading books in a national pastime.

From The value of books is not restricted to price | At The Library Column | newsminer.com

Just How Gross Are Library Books, Exactly?

But here’s the thing: Unless you’re stuck in some sort of weird literary torture chamber, nobody is ever going to inject you with library book juice. And modern scientists say that just curling up with a book is not enough to make you sick.

“I have never heard of anyone catching anything from a library book,” infectious disease specialist Michael Z. David told the Wall Street Journal. David says that viruses and bacteria can indeed live on the pages of library books, but that the risk of actual infection is very, very low.

From Just How Gross Are Library Books, Exactly? | Mental Floss

New LibraryBox Release! v2.1

Updates

This release brings with it some long-needed upgrades, including:

Multi-language support for the user interface and a dozen languages built-in
New CSS-styled file directory listings, including responsive design for tablets and smartphones
Even more hardware is now supported, including our least-expensive hardware ever, the GL-iNet router that lets you build a LibraryBox for less than $25.
DLNA support for playing media from your LibraryBox on your TV or other DLNA compatible device
An improved upgrade process for future code releases that means no more need to SSH into your LibraryBox to upgrade it
General stability and speed improvements that make using LibraryBox even better for everyone

From LibraryBox v2.1 | Pattern Recognition

Tested by budget battle and funding cuts, Pa. libraries buckle

But even if a deal is struck or funding released, Drury said the cutbacks could continue at the library if that state funding is reduced.  

“Depending on what the budget number is we may have to make these reductions permanent instead of reinstating them,” Drury added.  

Penny Talbert, executive director of the Ephrata Public Library, also in Lancaster County, said state funding for programs like hers has decreased heavily in recent years.  

From Tested by budget battle and funding cuts, Pa. libraries buckle | PennLive.com

Adult Coloring Books Test Grown-Ups’ Ability to Stay Inside the Lines

Eight of the top 20 selling books on Amazon currently are coloring books designed for adults. These books tend to be much more finely detailed than those for children. Popular topics include animals, fish, flowers and mandala spiritual symbols.

Michael O’Mara Books Ltd., a British publisher, says it got the ball rolling. “A staffer said how embarrassed she was to see her mother coloring and getting enormous enjoyment,” says Michael O’Mara, founder and chairman. “We thought, ‘Why not have a stab producing a coloring book aimed at adults?’ ”

From Adult Coloring Books Test Grown-Ups’ Ability to Stay Inside the Lines – WSJ

New Conservation Effort Aims To Protect Hemingway’s Papers

It’s been a year since the U.S. and Cuba began normalizing relations. Tourism, business and cultural exchanges are booming. And there is another curious benefactor of those warmer ties — Ernest Hemingway, or at least, his legacy. The writer lived just outside of Havana for 20 years, and that house, called the Finca Vigia, has long been a national museum.

But years of hot, humid Caribbean weather has taken a toll on the author’s thousands of papers and books. A Boston-based foundation is helping restore those weathered treasures, and who better to lead that effort than the original dean of home repairs: Bob Vila, of public television’s This Old House. He tells NPR’s Carrie Kahn that he has a personal connection to Cuba. “I’m American-born Cuban,” he says. “My Havana-born parents emigrated during the latter part of World War II, and I was born in Miami, raised there and partially in Havana up until the revolution in 1959.”

From New Conservation Effort Aims To Protect Papa’s Papers : NPR