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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Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 03/11/2011 - 09:54 Amazon.com has launched a lending library for US Kindle owners with Prime membership today (3rd November), after signing deals on a variety of terms with publishers. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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National Geographic Magazine topped 100,000 paid digital subscribers this past weekend and the magazine's special series on world population, which was collected into one app called "7 Billion", was the number one free app for iPad in iTunes. The 7 Billion app was promoted in Apple's new and... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-11-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Wed, 02/11/2011 - 08:00 Two libraries due to close in Doncaster have been given a temporary stay of execution. Last month the council announced it was withdrawing funding from 14 of its 26 libraries. The council's Labour group argued the mayor's... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Wed, 02/11/2011 - 14:09 The latest annual statistics for the public library service show further falls in overall usage of the service amid a continuing decline in spending. Both the number of library "service points" on offer and the number of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Tue, 01/11/2011 - 09:25 Suffolk County Council is proposing setting up a charitable trust to run its 44 libraries. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Tue, 01/11/2011 - 09:49 Barnes & Noble is expected to reveal its latest digital device next Monday, as tablet competition hots up in the wake of Amazon unveiling the Kindle Fire. Journalists and analysts have been invited to a news conference for... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Mon, 31/10/2011 - 14:00 The appeal hearing into the closure of six Brent libraries is scheduled to take place next week. A start date of 10th November has been listed for the hearing, which will take place at the Court of Appeal at the Royal Courts... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This week alone, Ziff Davis Enterprise announced it will replace its three remaining print magazines with digital editions in 2012 and Hanley Wood president and CEO Frank Anton indicated that more magazine closures are likely in his organization, yet a new study from Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Going from paper to electronic catalogues has become one of the biggest upheavals in the way independent bookstores buy, on a par with cutbacks in field sales reps. I dont think our choice is between paper and electronic catalogues, says Carole Horne, general manager of Harvard Book Store in... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After the initial flurry of excitement surrounding the release of their digital editions, magazine publishers are now beginning to focus on the strategies behind the products. In addition to complete digital editions, many are seeking other avenues to repackage and sell digital content. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In the Internet age, theres been no shortage of talk about the future of libraries, and much speculation about where libraries fit in the increasingly digital-rich media market for American consumers. Now, there is data. This month Library Journal released the first issue of a quarterly... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 26/10/2011 - 09:15 Secretary of state Jeremy Hunt will be presented with a petition of more than 12,000 signatures tomorrow (27th October), demanding he intervenes to reverse the closure of six libraries in Brent, north London. Hunt has remained... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ziff Davis Enterprise has launched a new strategy called OmniDigital that will take the company all-digital with emphasis in four keys areas--traditional websites, mobile websites, tablets and digital editions. The company will convert its remaining three magazines--Baseline, CIO Insight and... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 25/10/2011 - 15:30 A new internet bookselling site has launched specialising in travel literature. The Culture Trip is selling four million books and films, organised into categories by countries. The company is also planning to launch a music... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Mon, 24/10/2011 - 08:15 Publisher Bloomsbury has organised a series of author events at Kensington Central Library for the first months of 2012. The Bloomsbury Season will see events with Anna Reid and Lady Antonia Fraser held in January, with Man... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Mon, 24/10/2011 - 08:30 Library campaigners from across the country vowed to work together to put pressure on government, at a pioneering day conference held in London on Saturday (22nd October). Meanwhile, speaking at the event, author Philip... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Mon, 24/10/2011 - 09:30 Northern Lights author Philip Pullman has launched an attack on the government's library policy, telling campaigners they were fighting a "war against stupidity", and criticising Brent council for "political bullshit" over... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In the digital sector, some publishers are still waiting for online advertising to become as profitable as its print counterpart once was. Many complain digital ad offerings are not comparable to the quality in print; others say the infrequency and size of advertising units may be causing the... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Business-to-business media company WTWH Media, LLC isnt afraid of the uncertainty surrounding the magazine market placethe company is launching a new title this month called Solar Power World magazine in an effort to expand its portfolio. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Wed, 19/10/2011 - 10:00 Lawyers acting for Brent's library campaigners have been granted an injunction to prevent further dismantling to the six libraries closed by Brent council. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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