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
Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Tue, 10/05/2011 - 11:06 E-book sales could exceed 8% of trade publishers' sales in 2011, and could reach 15% next year, Random House UK's deputy chairman Ian Hudson told delegates at the World e-Reading Congress this morning (10th May). Hudson also... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#digital sales
#trade publishers
#enhanced ebook
#sit back
Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Tue, 10/05/2011 - 11:17 Alan Bennett is to hold a fundraiser to help fund the legal campaign against the Brent library closures. Residents of Brent sent a legal letter to the council's legal director on Friday (6th May). It argues the council's move... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#legal campaign
#legal director
#friday 6th
#consultation period
#4th march
Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 10/05/2011 - 14:19 Blackwell has today (10th May) axed 19 head office jobs from its library supply team. The staff, who are all based at the Blackwell headquarters in Oxfordshire, were told today they will be made redundant as of 1st July. read... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#made redundant
#1st july
Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 09/05/2011 - 08:51 Random House is publishing its first "instant ebook exclusive" with William Heinemann's rapid response to the death of Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. Beyond Bin Laden: The Future of Terror will be published tomorrow... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#william heinemann
#bin laden
#audio download
#canada rights
#random house
Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Mon, 09/05/2011 - 11:21 Brent council, which recently confirmed a decision to close six of its 12 libraries, has become the latest to face a legal challenge from residents. Law firm Bindmans sent a letter before action detailing a proposed claim for... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#legal challenge
#judicial review
#legal director
#friday 6th
#consultation period
#4th march
Random House has acquired Smashing Ideas, a digital media agency, in an effort to strengthen its digital publishing side, the publisher said on Thursday. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2011-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#media decoder
#random house
Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Thu, 05/05/2011 - 15:40 Bertelsmann has acquired digital media agency Smashing Ideas, with the aim of beefing up Random House Inc's digital offerings. The terms of the acquisition were not made public. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#random house
#digital offerings
#made public
Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 04/05/2011 - 09:30 Digital sales were worth 18% of Simon & Schuster's total global sales in its first quarter as its revenues increased 2% to $155m. Digital revenue more than doubled to $27.9m (£16.9m) from the first quarter in 2010, with... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#digital revenue
#simon schuster
#ebook sales
#growing fast
Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 04/05/2011 - 09:15 Somerset and Gloucestershire county councils have been landed with a judicial review in the High Court over their plans to close over 20 libraries. Somerset County Council plans to withdraw funding for 11 libraries while... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#library closures
#judicial review
#high court
#withdraw funding
Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Tue, 03/05/2011 - 09:22 The digital publishing market is now worth 6% of UK publishers' sales, the Publishers Association has revealed, with consumer digital sales up more than 300% in 2010 to £16mthe third year of treble digit growth. The PA... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#digital sales
#uk publishers
#publishers association
Designing a digital reading experience that goes beyond the magazine is a priority for publishers, particularly those launching the latest tablet apps. In December, Bonnier debuted a quarterly iPad-only edition of Parenting featuring exclusive digital content. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
With the latest slew of magazine apps launched in the past few weeks comes promising news for publishers in the digital space: publications with an Apple app have seen enough success to try their luck in the Android market. Enter the Droid Apps Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#latest slew
#digital space
#android market
The first time former U.S. vice president Al Gore issued his warning about the dire state of our environment, he used the traditional format of bound paper. To... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2011-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#dire state
#traditional format
#bound paper
In a white paper titled The Media Company of the Future: The Revolution Goes On, consulting firm AMR International Consulting Inc. outlines the steps it says traditional companies must take to incorporate technological advances into their business model and stay competitive against New world... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#digital age
#media company
#business model
#stay competitive
McGraw-Hill says revenue grew 7.7 percent to $1. 3 billion while net income jumped 16.2 percent to $120 million in the first quarter of 2011. Revenue in McGraw-Hill's Information & Media segment rose 10.3 percent to $227.5 million while operating profit grew 34.5 percent to $37.4 million. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-04-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#$120 million
Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Tue, 26/04/2011 - 15:48 The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams criticised library closures during his Easter Sermon, delivered at the weekend. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Amazon said Wednesday that its popular Kindle e-reader will allow customers to borrow Kindle books from more than 11,000 U.S. libraries starting later this year. Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2011-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#kindle books
Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Thu, 21/04/2011 - 08:10 A second wave of library closures will be announced following the May local elections and through into the summer, claim library experts. Just over 500 public libraries, including mobile library services, are currently... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#library closures
Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Wed, 20/04/2011 - 07:27 A first planning meeting is to be held to establish a National Libraries Day, after widespread support for the idea from organisations including the Booksellers Association, the National Union of Teachers, Booktrust, The... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#royal society
#widespread support
#organisations including
#booksellers association
#national union
#chartered institute
#information professionals
Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Wed, 20/04/2011 - 12:11 The Publishers Association has said it is "delighted" by the High Court ruling in favour of the government in a legal challenge against the Digital Economy Act. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#publishers association
#legal challenge