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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Almost a year after it was first announced 3M's Cloud Library ebook lending service is getting a proper rollout. Introduced today at a beta site in St. Paul, the system is now ready for its kiosks, e-readers and apps to hit the hands and eyes of library patrons. The touch-based Discovery... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-04-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Science fiction publisher Tor UK decides to drop anti-piracy restrictions from its electronic books. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2012-04-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors Sue Townsend and Joanna Trollope have welcomed Nottinghamshire County Council’s... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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On World Book Night thousands of volunteers in the US and Europe will hand out books, hoping to pass along their own love of reading. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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World Book Night founder Jamie Byng spoke about the "need" for stories as the 2012... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Duchess of Cornwall, Stephen Fry and actor William Rycroft are among those gearing up to hand... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nothing has challenged bricks-and-mortar bookstores to reconsider their physical space and what they carry more than the recession and the rise of ebooks. Recently, two independents announced that they will reduce their space. Third Street Books in McMinnville, Ore., which expanded in 2006, is... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Random House will focus on international partnerships, engage directly with customers and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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J K Rowling's first adult book, The Casual Vacancy, will have a more traditional digital... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publisher concerns over whether the ebook agency model can survive globally in the wake of the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pulitzer juror Susan Larson said she and the rest of the fiction jury are 'shocked … angry … and very disappointed' that the Pulitzer board elected not to choose a 2012 fiction winner. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Huffington Post—and digital media—has won its first Pulitzer Prize. The award went to David Wood, in the category of national reporting, it was announced Monday by Columbia University, which administers the prizes.A longtime print journalist who did stints at Time magazine and the Los... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2012-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Managing a digital audience is truly a mixed bag: on one hand, it is now possible to understand more about who is consuming what content, where and how-maybe even why; on the other hand, it can be incredibly complicated, despite all the advantages, to do so. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2012-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Getting to the consumer, getting the right content to that consumer, and then making this... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Works that will be available for perusal will include Gutenberg's Bible, believed to be the first text ever printed. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Eight of the top 10 publishers saw double-digit drops in printed book sales year-on-year in the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster has signed world rights in two novels by début author Susan Elliott... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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NEW YORK CITY– April 11, 2012 - Peecho (http://www.peecho.com), a free service that allows anyone to sell their digital content as a physical product, and Issuu (http://www.issuu.com), a leading global digital publishing platform that deliv ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Harry Potter theme park in Orlando, Fla., more than lived up to its hype for this fan. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Society of Chief Librarians (SCL) is to have meetings with individual publishers over e-... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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