This new library-in-a-shipping-container plans on using growing Internet access in Africa to create a new model for making available both electronic information and physical books. It’s a conundrum that library advocates have struggled with for years: in many areas in the developing world, libraries run on donations, which means they often end up with irrelevant books that never even get removed from their boxes. People still come to libraries in these places for a quiet place to read and study, but certainly not because of the resources they provide. Recently, a crop of initiatives have launched that aim to make libraries more relevant again. Librii, a project from Libraries Across Africa that’s seeking $50,000 in funding from Kickstarter, is one of them. The project, which began as Librii director David Dewane’s thesis idea at the Rice School of Architecture, bills itself as "a digitally enhanced, community-based, revenue-generating library on the frontiers of broadband connectivity." In simple terms, the founders envision low-cost libraries (a single library in Ghana to start) that take advantage of the burgeoning fiber optic infrastructure in Africa to provide Internet access, curated content, educational programs, and of course, physical books.Read Full Story Continue reading at 'Fast Company'
[ Fast Company | 2013-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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TV presenter Chris Packham has spoken out in defence of library opening hours, calling... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fresh from apparently wrangling online content fees from Google last month, Belgian newspaper websites will, in 2013, launch an industry-wide platform to take back their readers. Major Flemish- and French-language newspaper publishers, magazine publ ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-01-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers often want to work closely with ebook outlets -- possibly a little too closely -- but it's rare that they involve themselves directly. Pearson is taking that uncommon step by making a 5 percent, $89.5 million investment in Nook Media, the joint venture between Barnes & Noble and... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-12-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette UK saw 250,000 ebook sales between Christmas Day and Boxing Day, The Bookseller can... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nearly a quarter of Americans have read ebooks in the past year, with the number of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury, with its new Just Great Reads promotion, is running what it is calling the "first ever" global marketing campaign targeted expressly at readers who favor devices. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-12-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Newspaper publishing vendors and professionals convene in Frankfurt for education, networking, and business opportunities Publishers, journalists, production vendors, and techies from every corner of the digital market met in Frankfurt, Germany, ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Communities secretary Eric Pickles has described worries about the future of public libraries as... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Piatkus has acquired two debut UK authors, with their works to be published on their digital-... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At the heart of the debate between publishers and libraries over ebook pricing and lending is a simple question: do libraries increase book sales or cannibalize them? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's publishers' digital Christmas strategies are already being unwrapped, with... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The New York Times has partnered with Byliner and Vook to publish original ebooks between 10,000 and 20,000 words and designed to be read in one sitting. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Korea, Indonesia and Turkey are well positioned to take advantage of the growing interesting in developing book markets from Western publishers in coming years. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It's been quite a year for Newsweek. As the magazine plans for its transition to a digital-only future, you can count the remaining print editions of the storied publication on one hand. It's without question that this fall has been a tough one for the 80 year old magazine, capped by the... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2012-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The second quarter of fiscal 2013 proved to be a watershed period for what had been known as the professional/trade group at John Wiley & Sons. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Twelve per cent of all libraries could have “significant" support from volunteers in... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The online comics marketplace has exploded over the past year. Here, from innovative indies to blockbuster franchise extensions, some of the best from the emerging world of digital comics. 2012 was the year digital-direct comics went mainstream. Entirely bypassing the tried-and-true supply... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2012-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Twelve per cent of all libraries will be "community-supported" ie community-run by next... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Cairo leg of the Edinburgh World Writers Conference has been cancelled due to the violent... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Daily will publish its final issue this month after News Corporation bigwigs decided to pull the plug on the original iPad-only newspaper, proving it’s not easy to sell subscriptions to enhanced print-style media to a digital audience. ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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