Librii: A New Kind Of Digital Library For The Developing World

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 ]
News tagged with: #educational programs

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National Libraries Day set for 4th February

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Fri, 09/09/2011 - 11:02 The nationwide celebration of libraries and librarians that is to be National Libraries Day has been confirmed for Saturday 4th February. Author Alan Gibbons of Campaign for the Book, a prime mover behind the initiative, said... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Adobe's Digital Publishing Suite Will Support IOS 5 Newsstand Feature

Adobe has announced that its Digital Publishing Suite will support the Newsstand feature in iOS. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-09-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Random House Moving to Digital Catalogues in 2012

Random House is the latest publisher to replace paper catalogues with digital editions. Random will begin the transition with its Random House Children's Books division's summer 2012 list which reps will start selling in January. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-09-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nineteen libraries now under threat in Surrey

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Wed, 07/09/2011 - 15:55 Surrey council now plans to hand 19 libraries over to community management, or close them, according to local news site Your Local Guardian. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ebury launches digital first romance list

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Wed, 07/09/2011 - 15:59 Ebury is launching a straight-to-digital romance list, Rouge, acquiring print rights to the titles in order to launch physical editions of the most popular titles. The first eight ebooks will be released on 29th... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Faber teams with US firm to provide digital services

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 06/09/2011 - 08:30 Faber has entered into a partnership with The Perseus Books Group in the US, setting up a company to provide global digital services for independent publishers in the UK, Ireland and Commonwealth. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Templar forges digital link for Ology titles

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Fri, 02/09/2011 - 07:35 Publisher Templar is working with US company Nukotoys to develop digital trading cards for its Ology brand, beginning with the launch of Monsterology trading cards in the spring. The launch is timed to mark a decade of the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Readmill Aims to Make Digital Reading Social

As ebooks become popular, there are increasing opportunities to share and personalize the digital reading experience. That's where the upcoming Readmill iPad app and social network come in. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-09-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital more than 10% of RH UK sales

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Wed, 31/08/2011 - 10:05 E-book sales now account for over 10% of Random House Group UK sales, as worldwide earnings for parent company Random House surged despite a dip in sales. In the first six months of 2011, Random House worldwide reported... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble Digital Sales Quadruple, Retail Sales Decline

Bookseller and newsstand provider Barnes and Noble had a strong first quarter with its digital content, sales in that channel quadrupled. Though digital sales have had some tenacious growth, sales at retail decreased by more than $25.7 million or 3 percent. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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WI to support libraries campaign

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Tue, 30/08/2011 - 08:37 The Women's Institute will mark the 96th anniversary of its first meeting on 16th September with an action to support its Love Your Libraries campaign. The WI's membership are being asked to each borrow a book from their... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Agenda: James Tye talks about making digital publishing profitable

James Tye, CEO at Dennis Publishing, warns against assuming all your readers want the same, and reveals how the company is monetising its digital products. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2011-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Turnit Offers Free Digital Newsstand--And Says It Will Remain Free

Evolusent Inc.--owner of Lifestyle Magazine as well as several different companies offering new media content and commerce services--is beta testing Turnit, a free digital newsstand for magazine publishers. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC Books to develop series around TV's Sherlock

Publication Date: Wed, 24/08/2011 - 08:25 BBC Books is to launch a publishing programme around Bafta-winning TV series "Sherlock", which was inspired by the adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle's Victorian detective Sherlock Holmes. The titles will each feature the show's branding and introductions... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Maxim Converts to Mag+ for Its Digital Edition

After initial rumors circulated Maxim was no longer available through iTunes, it’s been clarified that Maxim is still available for the iPad, NOOK and Zinio platforms, but has switched support providers. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Better off more likely to use libraries

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Mon, 22/08/2011 - 09:00 People in the least deprived areas of England are most likely to have visited a library in the past 12 months, according to new government statistics. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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US indies lead the way on digital royalty shift

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 19/08/2011 - 15:01 Publishers are becoming more flexible on ebook royalty rates, as UK agents receive offers of 30%–35% of net receipts as standard from some US publishers. A P Watt agent Caradoc King said he was recently receiving offers... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Grant appointed World Book Day director

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 19/08/2011 - 12:03 World Book Day has appointed Kirsten Grant as director, with Cathy Schofield stepping down from her position as co-ordinator which she has held since October 2000. Grant, who was previously Puffin marketing and campaigns... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital companies "have stranglehold on publishing"

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 18/08/2011 - 15:35 Canadian novelist Kate Pullinger has said the power of Amazon, Apple and Google has put publishers in a "difficult situation". read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital rates could dissuade authors from writing - Swift

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 18/08/2011 - 12:10 Man Booker-winning author Graham Swift has said there is a danger aspiring writers may be put off from writing if the rates they are paid decrease in the digital age. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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