Last Monday night, Mark Zuckerberg published a post announcing Facebook's new initiative to bring Internet access to the developing world. The blueprint for internet.org mapped out how Facebook and a host of phone company allies might connect an additional 5 billion people online through more affordable access, increasing data efficiency, and investing in local business infrastructure. It came with a video that depicted IRL social interactions in developing countries, along with a soundtrack cut from a JFK speech and soft, inspirational piano tones. As the Atlantic's Alexis Madrigal deftly pointed out, no one can call this ignoble, or unreasonable, even. Simply put, increased Internet access is a good idea––though the other message Facebook was trying to sell, the one that equated the company with peace and progress, was hokey at best. But there's another facet of Internet access that Internet.org does not address, and that's Internet inequality right at home, in cities that otherwise rank as some of the most "connected" places on the planet. New York City is already well–known for its ample (and growing) income inequality. But on Wednesday, Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer put out a report showing that the city's public schools and libraries vary widely when it comes to its broadband speeds. The report revealed that over 75% of New York City schools had maximum download speeds of 10 megabits per second, 100 times slower than the 2020 goal outlined by President... Continue reading at 'Fast Company'
[ Fast Company | 2013-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
Leading library service provider OverDrive this week reported that a total of 121 public libraries and consortia across seven countries and from 37 U.S. states surpassed one million digital lends in 2021, a significant jump from 2020, when 102 libraries hit the mark. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-01-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
In exceeding more than 500 million annual lends for the first time, OverDrive's 2021 figures suggest the pandemic has, as librarians have suggested, raised demand for digital content in public libraries. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-01-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A law forcing publishers in the US and abroad to license e-books to the state's public libraries in the US state of Maryland is expected to come into effect as planned on 1st January 2022 after a court challenge was set for February. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-22 09:32:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Publishers Association and the Federation of European Publishers have voiced their support for the Association of American Publishers’ challenge of an “unprecedented, unjustified” Maryland law which could force publishers both in the US and abroad to license e-books to the state's public... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-20 16:08:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Alongside Richard Osman and JK Rowling, figures show huge successes for relative unknowns Ellery Adams and Brenda ChapmanThe UK’s library users are widely seen as a traditional bunch when it comes to choosing their next read, but while Richard Osman might have topped the list of the year’s... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-12-08 16:34:37 UTC ]
More news stories like this
With the ongoing climate crisis, public libraries are a temporary refuge from extreme temperatures for low-income families like my own, writes Carol Eugene Park. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2021-11-07 15:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Oxford University Press (OUP) has published a global report on the digital divide in education, following the shift to online learning during the pandemic, which reveals disadvantaged students have been "significantly affected". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-25 04:47:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this
In 2008, as the global financial crisis peaked and Ireland faced a long period of austerity, the government announced that the primary school library fund would be cut in its entirety. The €2.2m annual investment from the then-Department of Education & Science had been in place for 37 years;... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-10 10:30:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The report, '2020 Public Library Technology Survey,' provides a current, detailed snapshot of how libraries serve as digital equity hubs. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-09-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Maryland's recently passed library e-book law will require any publisher offering to license "an electronic literary product" to consumers in the state to also offer to license the content to public libraries "on reasonable terms." The question now is: what are reasonable terms? Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-08-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The pandemic has prompted, among other things, a slew of relocations. Some of those relocations (ie. to your mom’s house) have proved, or will prove, temporary; others, encouraged by new work-from-home policies, may become permanent. Or maybe you’re one of those people who looked around at the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-07-21 17:19:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Niles-Maine Public Library in suburban Chicago is being destroyed from the inside by politically-conservative Board officials. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-07-15 10:40:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
New York this week became the second state to pass a bill that would ensure public libraries the right to license and lend e-books that are available to consumers in the state. The bill is now headed to governor Andrew Cuomo's desk. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-06-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The new law requires any publisher offering to license "an electronic literary product" to consumers to also offer to license the content to public libraries on "reasonable" terms. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-06-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Here’s an incredible archival project you might not know about: Reveal Digital is partnering with academic and public libraries to fund an expanding, open access collection of American prison newspapers. “American Prison Newspapers, 1800-2020: Voices From The Inside” is collecting and digitizing... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-05-28 17:24:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Former President Barack Obama and filmmaker Ava DuVernay discuss "A Promised Land" at the L.A. Times Community Book Club. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-04-21 21:09:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Barack Obama and filmmaker Ava DuVernay will discuss the former president's memoir "A Promised Land" April 21 in a livestreamed event for the L.A. Times Community Book Club. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-04-16 01:25:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Former President Obama joins the L.A. Times Community Book Club April 21 to discuss "A Promised Land" with filmmaker Ava DuVernay. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-04-16 01:17:49 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Long considered a tool to encourage patrons to return materials on time, in the past few years hundreds of public libraries have decided late fees do more harm than good by keeping away low-income and disadvantaged readers. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2021-02-21 09:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Arts Council England (ACE) is awarding £152,000 to help public libraries buy e-books and digital audio products after demand soared during the pandemic. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-21 11:35:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this