Far from making programmers an endangered species, AI will release them from the grunt work that stifles innovationWhen digital computers were invented, the first task was to instruct them to do what we wanted. The problem was that the machines didn’t understand English – they only knew ones and zeros. You could program them with long sequences of these two digits and if you got the sequence right then the machines would do what you wanted. But life’s too short for composing infinite strings of ones and zeros, so we began designing programming languages that allowed us to express our wishes in a human-readable form that could then be translated (by a piece of software called a “compiler”) into terms that machines could understand and obey.Over the next 60 years or so, these programming languages – with names such as Fortran, Basic, Algol, COBOL, PL/1, LISP, C, C++, Python – proliferated like rabbits, so that there are now many hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of them. At any rate, it takes quite a while to scroll down to the end of the Wikipedia page that lists them. Some are very specialised, others more general, and over the years programmers created libraries of snippets of code (called subroutines) for common tasks – searching and sorting, for example – that you could incorporate when writing a particular program. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2024-05-11 15:00:29 UTC ]
The Maryland legislature this week became the first to pass legislation that would ensure libraries can license digital content that is available to consumers. Similar legislation is pending in New York and Rhode Island. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-11 05:00:00 UTC ]
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From antiracism books to Reese's YA book club picks, here are the most uniquely popular books in US libraries from Quarter 4, 2020. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-03-08 11:33:00 UTC ]
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A deep dive into the history of racism in American public libraries, including the effects of Jim Crow laws and racism in libraries today. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-03-08 11:30:00 UTC ]
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I’ll be the first to acknowledge Amazon and I make rather strange bedfellows. Raised on local libraries and used bookstores, I’ve long been a loyal customer to many of the indie bookshops cornered by the world’s largest online retailer, prizing them as community centers and places to find a... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-03-08 09:49:14 UTC ]
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The Build America’s Libraries Act was introduced in the House of Representatives this week by Reps. Andy Levin (D-MI) and Don Young (R-AK) and would provide $5 billion to address decades of needed repairs, updates, as well as the construction of modern library facilities in underserved and... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Taking a look at libraries offering services to seniors during the pandemic, with programs for memory care, vaccine roll-out, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-03-03 11:33:00 UTC ]
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"What do libraries do?" You may be surprised by these seven basic services your public library offers for free, including job search help. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-03-01 11:30:00 UTC ]
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The Library Campaign has warned that hundreds of libraries may close not only for the pandemic, but permanently. With councils under financial strain and Walsall’s council leader even asking, “Do we need [them]?”, the future of libraries needs protecting. Libraries are an indispensable service... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-01 00:31:07 UTC ]
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Can you think of a single feel-good news story from the past five years that isn’t, at its core, an indictment of the society in which we live? Here at Lit Hub, one of our most-read stories last year was “Big-hearted strangers turn Little Free Libraries into Little Free Pantries.” While I don’t... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-02-23 16:10:35 UTC ]
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If you're planning some bookish trips for the future, don't miss adding these gorgeous libraries to visit post-pandemic to the list. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-02-22 11:30:00 UTC ]
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Long considered a tool to encourage patrons to return materials on time, in the past few years hundreds of public libraries have decided late fees do more harm than good by keeping away low-income and disadvantaged readers. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2021-02-21 09:00:00 UTC ]
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The American Library in Paris sits in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. Its collection of 100,000 books is spread over three stories. Members from 60 countries can work at long tables or whisper at the coffee machine. As the programs manager, I oversaw the ALP’s weekly Evening with an Author... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-02-19 09:48:59 UTC ]
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Cast aside your assumptions about academic libraries. You'd be surprised what absolute gems of nerdery you can find in a college library. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-02-08 11:30:00 UTC ]
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A great idea! Marshall University students in Bret Masters’s building technology class are currently building bookshelves to install Little Free Libraries in Yeager and Huntington Tri-State Airports. The idea for the project was originated by Kelli Johnson, associate librarian at Marshall, when... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-02-02 18:12:16 UTC ]
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Get to know the work and services of libraries for the visually impaired and print disabled people around the world. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-01-29 11:32:00 UTC ]
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Among the group's priorities will be to advocate for “less restrictive" e-book licenses and new digital licenses that would allow libraries to "own" digital works with the same associated rights as print materials. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-01-27 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Short of becoming a time machine for well-meaning Gen X slackers, I cannot imagine a grander afterlife for the humble phone booth than to be reincarnated as a cosy wee library. One day you’re a rusted urinal, all-but invisible to the cellphone-clasping masses trundling past, and the next you’ve... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-25 17:54:55 UTC ]
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A school librarian talks about how he teaches students to think critically about fake news on the internet. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-01-25 11:30:00 UTC ]
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Throughout our history, we've see that when we come together in civil, honest conversations based on facts and science, history and truth, we find commonality. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-01-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
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It’s been a bad year for libraries and those who love them. Despite some interesting tech innovations (we could have been cleaning our books with UV rays this whole time!), many temporarily reopened libraries are closing again due to surging COVID numbers and COVID exposures, and many other... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-11 18:26:49 UTC ]
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