Gather ’round, children, and let me tell you a story about the old bugaboo we used to call DRM. Digital Rights Management was the beast under every gamer’s bed in the mid-2000s, an invisible bit of software baked into game discs that dictated and tracked player behavior under the guise of preventing piracy. DRM software, like SecuROM, limited the times a game could be downloaded and forced players to regularly connect to the internet for authentication checks, at a time when less than half of American adults had reliable broadband connections. DRM features soured the releases of BioShock, Mass Effect and Spore, and by 2010, anti-piracy software had rendered Assassin’s Creed 2 and Splinter-Cell: Conviction unplayable. When Microsoft attempted to release the Xbox One with always-on DRM features in 2013, intense vitriol from fans forced the company to reverse its plans at the 11th hour. There were lawsuits. DRM was a curse word. Meanwhile, Valve was building out Steam. When it landed in 2003, the digital PC storefront was designed to streamline the patch process for games like Counter-Strike and make it easier for Valve to implement anti-piracy and anti-cheat measures. Steam was made to be a DRM machine. In 2004, with the release of Half-Life 2, Valve made Steam a requirement for every player, and even those who’d purchased new, physical copies of the game had to boot up the launcher first. There was some low-level grumbling, but PC players were used to being lab rats, and... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2024-03-04 16:30:21 UTC ]
Overshadowed by the drama-filled mayoral race, a quietly competitive contest is brewing between the candidates vying to become New York City comptroller: the city’s top watchdog and fiscal officer, charged with auditing its multibillion-dollar budget, scrutinizing mayoral agencies and stewarding... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2025-03-27 19:48:06 UTC ]
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The consequences of shutting down the Institute of Museum and Library Services would be particularly dire for smaller museums and rural museums. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2025-03-20 12:49:52 UTC ]
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An executive order slashes much-needed federal funding for these services, but you can aid the effort to save them by signing a petition or joining a protest. On Friday, President Donald Trump issued yet another executive order aimed at gutting our federal agencies in the name of fiscal... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2025-03-18 20:00:00 UTC ]
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Image from the New York Public Libraries Digital Collections The hogmen and shock troops of the Trump-Musk administration have gone after another essential and beloved mainstay of public life: libraries. Trump signed a broad executive order last Friday that puts libraries in existential danger... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-18 16:54:24 UTC ]
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Research by the BBC finds libraries are being lost at a rate of about 40 each year. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2025-03-18 01:41:07 UTC ]
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OverDrive will distribute Podium's audiobooks to libraries and schools outside of the United States and Canada. The post OverDrive Distributes Podium’s Audiobooks Outside North America appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2025-03-07 14:40:34 UTC ]
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From romance conventions to preserving romance history, here's how libraries and librarians support the beloved genre. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-02-28 12:30:00 UTC ]
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Data and analytics resource ProQuest will “phase out one-time perpetual purchases of digital collections” and require libraries to lease content rather than make permanent acquisitions, shocking the library and university press community. Competitor EBSCO responded by assuring customers that it... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-02-24 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Presidential libraries in the United States today follow the same principle: They become monuments to the former presidents, while giving back to their local communities. Here in Atlanta, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum has been part of my daily life for years. Parks and trails... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2025-02-22 09:30:00 UTC ]
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Using its I Love Libraries website as a platform, the ALA has launched a public supporter program intended to generate donations and keep library patrons apprised of the organization’s advocacy work and grants. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-02-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The Theological Book Network ships millions of religious studies texts to scholars whose libraries can't afford costly-but-essential books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-02-19 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The Portuguese network of libraries has launched a new program for digital book access, provided by Québec City's De Marque. The post In Portugal: De Marque’s BiblioLED Project Is Activated appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2025-02-04 16:05:31 UTC ]
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If you've noticed changes to the digital materials you can borrow from your library, that's because that access is costing libraries way more than ever before. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-02-04 14:30:00 UTC ]
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Libraries are good for you in ways you might not have thought of, an overdue translation comes to English, dystopian novels pop (again). All in today's book news. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-02-03 17:25:00 UTC ]
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How Trump’s unconstitutional federal funding freeze put libraries (and everything else) at risk: “They are not afraid to threaten vast swathes of vulnerable Americans—the point is to be cruel and to punish.” | Lit Hub Politics “When I think about it, tucking the label / back into my husband’s... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-01-30 11:30:26 UTC ]
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Science has backed up what many of us have long been saying: the library rocks. A study from the New York Public Library surveyed 1,974 users on how the library makes them feel and how it affects their lives, and the results are overwhelmingly positive. The researchers’ analysis (which used... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-01-28 16:23:23 UTC ]
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Digital borrowing of e-books, audiobooks, and digital magazines rose to more than 739 million checkouts at the libraries and schools who use OverDrive's Libby and Sora apps. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-01-28 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Pediatrician Dr. Genna Ableman juggles the usual clinical tasks at every wellness visit: measuring a child’s vitals, administering vaccines and talking about nutrition. But she also makes time for what she says is one of the most critical ways to improve a child’s health: reading.Ableman,... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2025-01-24 11:03:08 UTC ]
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Librarian of Year John Szabo, of the Los Angeles Public Library, talks about the fires and why libraries are so important in these political times. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2025-01-23 16:45:45 UTC ]
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Kootenai County libraries will create an "adults only" room, revoke library access to minors, and seek to ban purchases of a wide swath of book topics for anyone under 18. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-01-20 14:25:00 UTC ]
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