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: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Wed, 05/10/2011 - 15:21 Publishing Scotland has launched a "Go-Digital Fund" to support Scottish-based book publishers develop their digital programmes and bring their books to a new digital audience. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Wed, 05/10/2011 - 08:50 Author Mal Peet has accused politicians talking about the importance of community of using "weasel words" unless they defend libraries. Peet was speaking at a Publishers Association (PA) and Authors' Licensing &... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Robert Stokes Publication Date: Wed, 05/10/2011 - 15:18 Liber, the 29th International Book Fair for the Spanish speaking world, starts today [5th October] in Madrid and takes place against the backdrop of the launch of Amazon.es, which publishers hope will lead to greater interest... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Wed, 05/10/2011 - 08:50 Doncaster council has announced plans to hand 12 libraries over to volunteer-running, some as early as November, the BBC reports. The development, which comes after a year's moratorium on library cuts, comes despite a... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a continuum of an acquisition series that has become Bonniers growth strategy, the publisher acquires Hearsts Cycle World. Terms of the deal remain undisclosed. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Fri, 30/09/2011 - 08:15 Librarians have warned that the year-long stalemate with the major publishers over the terms of ebook lending could damage the already beleaguered service. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Thu, 29/09/2011 - 08:42 Nottinghamshire library service has become the first to institute a charge for ebook loans. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As publishers prep for the next big tablet hope (Amazon is set to release its much-awaited tablet device on Wednesday), a new survey released from global business advisory firm FTI Consulting, Inc. details how digital media users (including tablet users and non-tablet users) are engaging with... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-09-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 27/09/2011 - 09:00 The Independent Publishers Guild (IPG) has appointed Imogen Forbes, previously communications officer at the Publishers Licensing Society, to the newly created role of business development manager. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Mon, 26/09/2011 - 15:00 Author Julian Barnes, shortlisted for this year's Man Booker prize for his novel The Sense of an Ending, has said it is "national self-mutilation" to damage the public library service. Barnes said: "Like most writers of my... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Mon, 26/09/2011 - 15:12 The Isle of Wight council has said five libraries originally scheduled for closure last June will become "community libraries" and will not be closed. But campaigners have branded plans to hand the libraries over to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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While many libraries are now checking out ebooks and digital audiobooks in addition to physical media, the Eau Claire library is taking things a step further by lending out iPads themselves. Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2011-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Thu, 22/09/2011 - 08:57 Library campaigners have expressed intense disappointment with the Arts Council (ACE)'s first strategy document on libraries. with one claiming it is not "devised to meet people's needs". read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Gayle Feldman Publication Date: Wed, 21/09/2011 - 09:16 The debut of World Book Night U.S., coinciding with the U.K.s second go-round next April 23rd, was introduced in a keynote at the Book Industry Study Group AGM in New York. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 21/09/2011 - 12:05 Amazon has made books for the Kindle available across 11,000 local libraries in the United States. Customers can search for books on their local library's website and choose a book to borrow. Once selected, customers can choose... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 21/09/2011 - 12:30 Campaigners against library closures in Somerset have reached its initial target in fundraising for the forthcoming legal review. Earlier this year, 11 closures in the region were announced with six to shut in October and five... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Last April, Amazon announced the Kindle Library Lending program would let Kindle users borrow books from more than 11,000 U.S. libraries. Today, the program officially launched at all participating libraries. Users can search their local library's website, and when they find a book, they can... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2011-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Wed, 21/09/2011 - 09:10 This years Bookseller Childrens Conference will focus on the range of digital opportunities now available to publishers for developing book brands into online spaces and for engaging with readers online. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Gayle Feldman Publication Date: Wed, 21/09/2011 - 09:16 The debut of World Book Night US, coinciding with the UKs second go-round on 23rd April 2012, was introduced in a keynote at the Book Industry Study Group a.g.m. in New York. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Wed, 21/09/2011 - 09:03 Libraries in Seattle have started testing the feature that allows readers to borrow books using their Kindle. Amazon signed a deal with Overdrive earlier this year to provide the service, which the retailer said will be... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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