Official Google Blog: Adding search power to public data
Check this out if you need to compare one community with another or with US national figures. If you're like me and always trying to figure out the demographics behind changes in library land, this is probably going to be a fun toy.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Shortcovers - Popular Shortcovers and Mixes
Shortcovers - Popular Shortcovers and Mixes
Oops! I thought I was onto something hot here! I thought Shortcovers was going to let me read what I want to read on my Blackberry, and so I downloaded their app. But what they offer is the opportunity to read what I don't want to read. If you've read any of my blogs or ever met me, you know that the words stern, serious, complicated and difficult are apt. I'm not someone who knows how to have a good time or who has any serious (there I go again) interest in having a good time. I'm always looking for something not just challenging but nearly impossible, and that goes for my reading taste as well as for how I choose to live the rest of my life. If you have a problem, I will solve it. If you want to have a friend, I'm not your guy.
However, if you want to read Heaven is Small, Sex and the City, The Pelican Brief and other popular titles (don't forget the literary classic, Four Blondes) then this seems to be a lower cost alternative to Mobi. They say that some of their titles sell for as little as $0.99 but they didn't have anything I wanted to read so I'm not sure. In any case, the architecture of their web site is sound. All they need is more content. And they are relying on you to point them to it and to give them some ammunition when they go to the copyright holders with a permission slip in hand.
Anyway, most of my readers are librarians, and they're way lighter hearted than I will ever be, so I would say please check out this site. Aside from the dearth of seriously grumpy intellectual content, it's worth your visiting just because it's an alternative to Kindle, so you don't' have to buy and tote another chunk of hardware, and it's an alternative to Mobi, which seems committed to charging the same for a download as for a printed book.
I've no idea how accessible they are for readers with print disabilities. If anyone can evaluate this, please let me know. Meanwhile, I'll go back to reading my gloomy and serious printed books.
Oops! I thought I was onto something hot here! I thought Shortcovers was going to let me read what I want to read on my Blackberry, and so I downloaded their app. But what they offer is the opportunity to read what I don't want to read. If you've read any of my blogs or ever met me, you know that the words stern, serious, complicated and difficult are apt. I'm not someone who knows how to have a good time or who has any serious (there I go again) interest in having a good time. I'm always looking for something not just challenging but nearly impossible, and that goes for my reading taste as well as for how I choose to live the rest of my life. If you have a problem, I will solve it. If you want to have a friend, I'm not your guy.
However, if you want to read Heaven is Small, Sex and the City, The Pelican Brief and other popular titles (don't forget the literary classic, Four Blondes) then this seems to be a lower cost alternative to Mobi. They say that some of their titles sell for as little as $0.99 but they didn't have anything I wanted to read so I'm not sure. In any case, the architecture of their web site is sound. All they need is more content. And they are relying on you to point them to it and to give them some ammunition when they go to the copyright holders with a permission slip in hand.
Anyway, most of my readers are librarians, and they're way lighter hearted than I will ever be, so I would say please check out this site. Aside from the dearth of seriously grumpy intellectual content, it's worth your visiting just because it's an alternative to Kindle, so you don't' have to buy and tote another chunk of hardware, and it's an alternative to Mobi, which seems committed to charging the same for a download as for a printed book.
I've no idea how accessible they are for readers with print disabilities. If anyone can evaluate this, please let me know. Meanwhile, I'll go back to reading my gloomy and serious printed books.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Education in New York | Off to school | The Economist
Education in New York | Off to school | The Economist
Fascinating article, from the perspective of a British writer for The Economist, on the state of innovation in US education.
Fascinating article, from the perspective of a British writer for The Economist, on the state of innovation in US education.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
MA Library Trustees' Pension Boost Sparks Backlash - 4/21/2009 - Library Journal
It's no wonder they never have enough money to buy materials, such as books... and library trustees and volunteer board members are supposed to be the good guys. Nobody pays me for volunteering. Maybe I don't understand the economics of oxymorons.
It's no wonder they never have enough money to buy materials, such as books... and library trustees and volunteer board members are supposed to be the good guys. Nobody pays me for volunteering. Maybe I don't understand the economics of oxymorons.
Monday, April 20, 2009
U.S. IMPACT Home
U.S. IMPACT Home
This is a web-based survey about public library computer use, i.e., about use of public access computers. The actual survey is at
https://www.uwsrd.org/mrIWeb/mrIWeb.dll?I.Project=IMLSPACVFINAL&i.User1=WA0063
Try it. Note that it does not seem to mention accessibility issues.
This is a web-based survey about public library computer use, i.e., about use of public access computers. The actual survey is at
https://www.uwsrd.org/mrIWeb/mrIWeb.dll?I.Project=IMLSPACVFINAL&i.User1=WA0063
Try it. Note that it does not seem to mention accessibility issues.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Pubmatch - Matching Publishers, Authors and Agents Worldwide
Pubmatch - Matching Publishers, Authors and Agents Worldwide
Networking with publishers, authors and agents has just become a whole lot easier, thanks to a new web site provided by The Combined Book Exhibit. If you are in publishing, this is an excellent tool to locate potential business partners, suppliers, etc.
Networking with publishers, authors and agents has just become a whole lot easier, thanks to a new web site provided by The Combined Book Exhibit. If you are in publishing, this is an excellent tool to locate potential business partners, suppliers, etc.
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