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 ]
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Turning Digital into Dollars

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin to treble investment in digital content

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 07/03/2011 - 09:03 Penguin is to treble its investment in digital content in 2011 compared to 2010, as both Pearson and Bloomsbury cited a leap in digital sales as a key reason for growth in their interim full-year results, released last... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins Wants Libraries to Pay (and Pay...and Pay...) for e-Books

Back in 1984, I wrote a book that sold to a lot of libraries. It stayed on the shelves for over a decade. If it had been an ebook published today by HarperCollins, there's a good chance it would have been off those shelves within a year. Or sooner. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BML launches new research in digital future

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Fri, 04/03/2011 - 10:08 Book Marketing Limited has began new research among publishers to predict what comes next in digital. The provider of market research is working on behalf of Publishing Technology to assess what impact e-publishing is having... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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World Book Night books defy the critics as sales grow

Written By: Philip Stone and Felicity Wood Publication Date: Fri, 04/03/2011 - 09:43 The majority of the books to be handed out tomorrow (5th March) as part of World Book Night have already received a sales boost in 2011. The figures will be a welcome fillip for the organisers, with founder... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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EU Raids Digital Book Sellers in Cartel Investigation

The European Union’s competition regulators carried out unannounced inspections into various eBook companies on Tuesday. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital book buyers 'more realistic' over ebook prices

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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More legal challenges launched over library closures

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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B&N Looks for the Right Print, Digital Balance

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A World with Fewer Borders

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital doubles at this year's LBF

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Retailers finalise World Book Night plans

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital Ellie Award Nominations Announced

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[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Gibbons proposes National Libraries Day

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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High Court challenge launched over library cuts in Gloucestershire and Somerset

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trade gears up for World Book Day

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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