Books For 2018

An American Marriage

Tayari Jones, 2018

The Wife Between Us

2018

Everything Here Is Beautiful

Mira T. Lee, 2018

The Female Persuasion

Meg Wolitzer, 2018

Red Clocks

Leni Zumas, 2018

The Woman in the Window: A Novel

A. J. Finn, 2018

Still Me

Jojo Moyes, 2018

Neon in Daylight: A Novel

Hermione Hoby, 2018

Beneath the Sugar Sky

Seanan McGuire, 2018

Fire and Fury

Michael Wolff, 2018

Anatomy of a Scandal: A Novel

2018

Reign of the Fallen

Sarah Glenn Marsh, 2018

Grist Mill Road: A Novel

Christopher J. Yates, 2018

The English Wife: A Novel

Lauren Willig, 2018

Meet Cute: Some People Are Destined to Meet

2018

The House of Impossible Beauties

Joseph Cassara, 2018

This Could Hurt

Jillian Medoff, 2018

The Girls in the Picture

Melanie Benjamin, 2018

The Chalk Man

C. J. Tudor, 2018

Books That Are Becoming Movies

 

Ereaders vs The Printed Book At Bedtime

Anne-Marie Chang, associate professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State University, and her colleagues found that when comparing digital readers with the printed word people who use the electronic devices such as an iPad had more disrupted sleep patterns and were more tired the next morning than those who read from traditional books.

Chang, who conducted the study while at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, designed the trial to be as objective as possible. Chang found a marked difference between each participant’s sleep patterns and alertness depending on whether they read from a digital reader or from a book. When they read from an iPad, their evening levels of melatonin failed to drop as much as they should, while they remained at expected levels when they read from a book. That led to a delay in body’s biological signal to go so sleep of about an hour and a half, making the participants more alert and therefore not ready for bed.

And when the scientists looked at their sleep patterns, they found that the differences went even deeper. When the volunteers read from electronic devices, they had shorter REM sleep, the stage in which memories are consolidated and the brain refreshes itself, than when they read from printed books. This occurred even though the volunteers slept for the same amount of time, eight hours, every night.

Moreover,  the effect of those differences in sleep patterns spilled over into the next morning. When they read from digital readers, the participants reported feeling sleepier and were less alert (as measured on standardized testing of alertness) than when they used books. Chang was surprised to see the effects the next day. There was no difference in total sleep duration between the two conditions, but there was a significant amount of REM sleep difference.

Previous studies have indicated that the reason for the disrupted sleep linked to the electronic devices may be due to the type of light they use. It’s in the blue wavelength, and some researchers have connected this light to a disruptions in the melatonin system, similar to those Chang found in the study. The findings hint at why sleep — getting enough, and getting good quality sleep — is becoming more a of challenge and potentially a growing health problem.

Researchers suggest putting tablet down hours before bedtime or read a printed book.

Poppin And Joking At The Library

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Libraries-The Report

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Additional Reading 

New Adult Genre -Makings its Way In The Publishing Scene

A new and growing genre of literature aimes at primarily female readers between 18 and 25. AKA “new adult,” the genre features mainly university or college-aged protagonists dealing with early twenties life, in particular romance and intimate relationships. New adult successes such as E.L. James’s Fifty Shades of Grey and Colleen Hoover’s Slammed, reportedly earned $95-million (U.S.) between mid-2012 and mid-2013. Several authors, such as Ms. Hoover and new adult romance author Bella Andre, have also managed to negotiate with larger publishing houses for print-only deals while keeping e-book selling rights – a rare luxury that happens only when authors hold some clout. New adult or NA was born out of a casual mention in a call for manuscripts sent out by New York-based publishing giant St. Martin’s Press in 2009. But the throwaway term caught the attention of the online book community and, finally last year, received its own Book Industry Standards and Communications (BISAC) code, which assigns genres to books so that booksellers can more easily place them in sections. Ms. Tucker, who was signed to New York-based Simon & Schuster’s imprint Atria Books shortly after Ten Tiny Breaths came out, said the industry now sees her and others as hybrid authors, those who have some titles signed to big-name publishers, but who also release their own e-books on the side.

Urban Fiction could also fall into the new Adult Category

The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorenson

Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines

The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski

Lexis Nexis Now Offering A New Online News & Information Resource

 

LexisNexisLegal & Professional, has  launched a new online news & information resource offering access to materials and tools on legal eBooks, digital library technology and print titles.

Called LexisNexis® Legal Content Insider, this new resource was unveiled at the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas. The site provides legal professionals up-to-date  information on legal publications. Built on the LexisNexis® LexTalk platform, the site also is connected to a network of community forums where legal professionals such as law librarians can connect with one another on issues of the day. This site features legal eBooks & print titles as well as influential blogs, and legal news feeds from Law360® and LexisNexis® Mealey’s®, as well as connection to the full LexTalk network of forums for legal professionals.
The sites goal & strategy is to offer innovative technologies to legal professional and help them better use legal publications, by providing resources to assist them in managing their collections.

South Carolina’s Governor Vetos Bill For Public Library Disrupters

 

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Long Gone Are The Days When Public Libraries Were Extremely Quiet

Libraries Lending WiFi Hotspots

 

 

The digital divide widens when you look at race, age, income and especially education level. Only 37 percent of non-high school graduates have broadband, compared to 57 percent of high school graduates, 78 percent of those with “some college” and 89 percent of those with a higher degree.

Out of 148 countries, the United States ranked 35th for Internet bandwidth capacity. Broadband Internet in the United States is, on average, slower but still more expensive than in other countries. Riga, the capital of Latvia, has an average Internet speed two-and-a-half times faster than the one in San Antonio, TX, and yet their service is only a quarter of the cost.  Two plans to begin lending portable WiFi hotspots to underserved communities were among the winning projects of the Knight News Challenge to strengthen the Internet for free expression and innovation. Although the Chicago Public Library and New York Public Library initiatives are unique, however their goal to expand internet access and promote digital literacy are the same. Since the target demographic for these projects are underserved, often poor communities, the libraries will have to be careful to not infringe on users’ privacy or digital freedoms in order to demonstrate the success of the projects.  New York Public Library and Chicago Public Library  want to see users from underserved communities become more comfortable using digital technology. Their longterm goal is to see an increase in broadband adoption rates in the communities they serve and to begin eliminating the countrywide digital divide

The digital divide in New York City is even higher than the national average, Currently, anyone with a library card can use a desktop or laptop computer at one of the 92 branches for up to 45 minutes. The NYPL website suggests making an advance reservation up to one day in advance (through, of course, an online reservation system). The Chicago Public Library,  provide a third of the free computer and Internet access in the city, and the largest provider. Anyone with a library card (or an ID proving they don’t live in Chicago) can get on a computer for up to two hour-long sessions per day, 8 hours a day, 6 days a week. (They also have an online reservation system, although the website states computers can be reserved in person as well.)

The proposed plan in Chicago would provide members of underserved communities in three locations access to both portable WiFi and laptop computers for up to three weeks. During the course of the two year pilot, 300 – 500 WiFi hotspots would be made available in several library locations in areas with less than 50 percent broadband adoption rates. In both New York and Chicago, the hotspot lending program will be accompanied by digital literacy and Internet safety classes.

The pilot programs will be judged based on exit interviews conducted with participants. The libraries want to ensure that borrowers become increasingly comfortable with digital technology and if home Internet access changes their attitudes towards technology. They will also probe whether borrowers are aware of or interested in free or low cost broadband Internet programs.

Chicago Public Library will also collect and analyze circulation data to understand demand and use. The NYPL plans they to look at the broad categories of Internet use such as social media, education, entertainment, commerce, search and utility. NYPL is in talks with other New York City library systems (Brooklyn & Queens) as well as Maine and Kansas (rural areas)

More Info 

Economic & Political Competition– Today

 

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Books That Were Made Into Movies

 

 

 

Image Credit: Warner Bros.

All You Need is Kill
by Hiroshi Sakurazaka

EDGE OF TOMORROW
A soldier who dies during an alien war relives his final day in battle over and over until he can figure out how to escape the time loop.
Based On: All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka
Release Date: 6 June 2014
Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton  Playing…  

Gone Girl

by Gillian Flynn

 Gillian Flynn’s third novel, and to call it thrilling would be a massive understatement. The story digs deep into the psychology behind long-term relationships, exploring the difficulties within a failing marriage and a wife’s disappearance. Fingers crossed that Ben Affleck’s performance as a husband suspected of murder follows in the footsteps of Argo and The Town rather than Gigli.

 

Divergent

by Veronica Roth

 Shailene Woodley perfectly captures Tris’ vulnerability and strength. For those of you who haven’t read the novel, Divergent is set in a post-apocalyptic Chicago where society has been divided into five factions, all of which focus on a particular value such as honesty, intelligence or bravery.

 

The Giver

by Lois Lowry

The Giver is about a 12-year-old boy who is chosen to inherit the human experiences — such as pain and love — that his society has given up in exchange for widespread harmony. With a cast that includes Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image Credit: Paramount

Hercules: The Thracian Wars
by Steve Moore

HERCULES
In a futuristic society where people have given up individuality and choice in order to protect themselves from pain and emotion, a young boy is selected to inherit The Giver’s memories of what living really feels like.
Based On: Hercules: The Thracian Wars by Steve Moore
Release Date: 25 July 2014
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Rufus Sewell, John Hurt, Ian McShane
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Image Credit: 20th Century Fox

The Maze Runner
by James Dashner

THE MAZE RUNNER
A group of teenage boys trapped in a seemingly inescapable maze full of horrific creatures is surprised by the arrival of a girl.
Based On: The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Release Date: 19 September 2014
Starring: Dylan O’Brien, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Kaya Scodelario
0 points

 

Image Credit: 20th Century Fox

Addicted
by Zane

ADDICTED
A woman must decide if pleasure is worth more than her family life and career.
Based On: Addicted: A Novel by Zane
Release Date: 5 September 2014
Starring: Sharon Leal, Boris Kodjoe, Tyson Beckford, Tasha Smith
0 points

 

Image Credit: 20th Century Fox

Animal Rescue
by Dennis Lehane

THE DROP
After a botched robbery, a man finds himself entangled in the investigation of a Boston neighborhood.
Based On: Animal Rescue by Dennis Lehane, from the short story collectionBoston Noir
Release Date: 19 September 2014
Starring: Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, James Gandolfini

Image Credit: 20th Century Fox

Gone Girl
by Gillian Flynn

GONE GIRL
Cops investigate the mysterious disappearance of a beautiful woman who went missing on the day of her fifth wedding anniversary.
Based On: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Release Date: 3 October 2014
Starring: Rosamund Pike, Ben Affleck, Missi Pyle, Tyler Perry, Neil Patrick Harris

Image Credit: Universal

Kill the Messenger
by Nick Schou

KILL THE MESSENGER
The true story of a journalist pushed to the breaking point after he exposes a cocaine conspiracy within the CIA.
Based On: Kill the Messenger: How the CIA’s Crack-Cocaine Controversy Destroyed Journalist Gary Webb by Nick Schou
Release Date: 10 October 2014
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Michael Sheen, Mary Elizabeth Winstead
0 points

Image Credit: Lionsgate

Mockingjay
by Suzanne Collins

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 1
Katniss Everdeen, having successfully escaped the Hunger Games arena yet again, reluctantly becomes the symbol of Panem’s rebellion against the Capitol.
Based On: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Release Date: 21 November 2014
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks
0 points

 

 

The Hobbit
by J.R.R. Tolkien

THE HOBBIT: THERE AND BACK AGAIN
The final installment of director Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings prequel trilogy, starring Bilbo Baggins and a rough-and-tumble team of dwarves.
Based On: The Hobbit; or, There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien
Release Date: 17 December 2014
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom
0 points

 

Inherent Vice
by Thomas Pynchon

INHERENT VICE
A 1960s Los Angeles detective investigates the disappearance of a former flame.
Based On: Inherent Vice: A Novel by Thomas Pynchon
Release Date: 12 December 2014
Starring: Jena Malone, Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Josh Brolin

 

Chicago, New York City & Hawaii Bid For Obama Library

 

 

 

Four of the confirmed bidders are from President Barack Obama’s hometown Chicago.  Obama’s birth state of Hawaii offered an oceanfront location in Honolulu. And Columbia University, where he got his undergraduate degree, is offering a West Harlem site in New York City.

The Obama Foundation, which is planning the library, declined to confirm the bids it has received.

Four of the five proposed Chicago locations are on the city’s South Side. Which includes: the University of Chicago, where Obama taught constitutional law for 12 years; Chicago State University; vacant land in Bronzeville that was part of Chicago’s failed bid for the 2016 Olympics; and a former steel plant near Lake Michigan being pitched by real estate developer Dan McCaffery.

The library and museum is seen as a potential driver of economic development. The University of Chicago cited a study it commissioned that concluded the library would draw 800,000 visitors a year and create 1,900 permanent jobs. The University of Illinois-Chicago also is also offering potential locations on and off campus on the city’s West Side. Hawaii’s bid is being led by the University of Hawaii and backed by the state. The library would sit on oceanfront property in Honolulu, but the university says it’s willing to share the library and museum.

Columbia’s bid would put the library on its new Manhattanville Campus in West Harlem. The Obama Foundation is expected to announce a decision in early 2015

Library of The Year

Edmonton Public Library (EPL) of Alberta, Canada has been chosen, the 2014 Library of the Year by Library Journal magazine and Gale, part of Cengage Learning. Each year, this prestigious recognition goes to a public library that most profoundly demonstrates service to community, creativity, leadership and innovation in developing community programs. EPL serves one of Canada’s fastest growing cities through its 17 branches operated by more than 600 employees who last year answered nearly 2.5 million questions and facilitated 5.2 million library visits (with another 4.7 million visits via their website). Every three seconds someone is borrowing from EPL. Their social media popularity – with 20,000 Twitter followers and 9,000 Facebook fans – leads almost all North American urban libraries.

 EPL lacks the stereotypical image of library as a book repository and serves as a center of civic engagement. Community librarians at each branch integrate deeply with local institutions such as school districts, health centers and outreach groups in order to understand needs, eliminate barriers, and inform services and policies. their  makerspace – is a location dedicated to creating with technology such as 3D printers, game development software, a sound and recording studio and more. New branches have been designed or redesigned to focus on open space, collaboration, and sustainability, and a focus on lifelong learning, including online learning, helps ensure the success of individuals as well as the community.

 Cengage Learning is a leading educational content, technology and services company, that empowers educators and driving learner engagement through personalized services and course-driven digital solutions that bridge from the library to the classroom. Gale, part of Cengage Learning, serves the world’s information and education needs through its vast and dynamic content pools, which are used by students and consumers in their libraries, schools and on the Internet.

Library Journal  was founded in 1876, Library Journal is one of the oldest and most respected publications covering the library field. Over 75,000 library directors, administrators, and staff in public, academic, and special libraries read LJ. Library Journal reviews over 8000 books, audiobooks, videos, databases, and web sites annually, and provides coverage of technology, management, policy, and other professional concerns.

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American Libraries Vintage Posters

Take A Look At The American Library Association Archives Poster Collection@ The University of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign. The vintage collection  includes printed posters, rotogravures and architectural drawings of ALA divisions, committees, projects and events. Subjects include the work of the ALA during World War I and II, the 50th Anniversary of the ALA in 1926, the Andrew Carnegie Centenary in 1935, librarianship recruitment, and general library and readership promotion.

 

Summer Reads

 

I Said Yes to Everything

A Memoir

Lee Grant

Academy-Award winning actress Lee Grant writes of her early success on the New York stage, the devastating effects of being blacklisted in the 1950s and her glamorous return to Hollywood. (July)

Stand Up Straight and Sing!

Jessye Norman

Opera singer Jessye Norman chronicles her years in music, the challenges she faced and the strong women who gave her the tools and inspiration to succeed. (May)

Mambo in Chinatown

Jean Kwok

A young Chinese-American woman is torn between her family duties and tradition in New York’s Chinatown and the contemporary life she discovers through ballroom dancing. (June)

I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You

 Courtney Maum

After basking in the brief glow of a successful solo exhibition in Paris, a British artist continues to pine for his mistress while attempting to reignite his marriage. (June)

The Good Girl

Mary Kubica

A young art teacher’s one-night stand turns into a failed abduction in this twist-filled debut thriller narrated from four perspectives — one of them the kidnapper’s. (July

The Director

David Ignatius

In this post-Edward Snowden thriller from a Washington Post columnist, the new CIA director’s attempt to stop a leak lands him in a shadowy world of hackers and murder. (June)

The Farm

Tom Rob Smith

Daniel doesn’t know who to trust when his dad calls to say his mother had a breakdown, and then his mother tells him of a crime that implicates his father in this thriller from the author of “Child 44.” (June)

Eyes on You

Kate White

This thriller set in the New York media world, from the former editor of Cosmopolitan, features a TV host who must figure out why someone is stalking and undermining her in increasingly dangerous ways. (June)

The Silkworm

A Cormoran Strike Novel

Robert Galbraith, read by Robert Glenister

J.K. Rowling returns under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. This second in the Cormoran Strike series features the case of a missing novelist whose tell-all manuscript, if published, would ruin lives. (June)

Think Like a Freak

The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain

By Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, read by Stephen J. Dubner

The authors of “Freakonomics” continue their mission of changing the way people solve problems, applying advice to business, politics and personal issues. (May)

Uncertain Justice

The Roberts Court and the Constitution

Laurence Tribe and Joshua Matz

Harvard constitutional law professor Laurence Tribe and SCOTUSblog.com contributor Joshua Matz take a hard look at how the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts has reinterpreted the Constitution. (June)

Raheen Library

 

 

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France’s Interactive media Library

 

 

The ‘Mont de Marsan Mediatheque‘ an interactive media library located in the south-west of France. The project was recently nominated for the London Design Museum‘s ‘Designs of the Year 2014 Award’ in the category of architecture.

A clean envelope of pure geometric lines, a 197 ft x 197 ft square, the building complies with the classical layout yet contrasts with its austerity by offsetting the system with a corner opening onto the city. Its facades reflect the surrounding barracks with a respectful, deferential mirror.

Authors Hating On Other Authors

Just Move Your Mouse Over The Arrows -Authors hating on Authors back in the day

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Digital Public Library Of America

The Digital Public Library of America (http://dp.la),is one year old this week. In celebration, DPLA is proud to announce the addition of six major new partners and other significant milestones as it enters its second year.

The New York Public Library (NYPL) this week expanded access to the full breadth of its digital collections through its partnership with DPLA, a major increase over its initial contribution of 14,000 records at DPLA’s launch. Over 1 million digitized items from throughout the Library’s research holdings are available, significantly increasing DPLA’s offerings by nearly 20%.

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http://dp.la/

Beautiful Libraries That Still House Books

1. Trinity College Library, Ireland

 

 Balme Library, Ghana

 EPM Library, Colombia

Images courtesy of Guia de Viajes Oficial de Medellin’s and Biblioteca EPM’s Flickr streams.

s.

26. Villanueva Public Library, Colombia

Images courtesy of Nicolas Cabrera via Dezeen.

 

27. Central Library of Vancouver, Canada

Images courtesy of Evan Leeson’s and David J. Laporte’s Flickr stream.

Many modern building designs are based on historical icons, but few of these designs focus on the ruins rather than the original. The Central Library of Vancouver is an exception. Based on the Roman Coliseum, this massive building takes up one full city block and features not only a library with 1.3 million reference materials, but also retail shops, restaurants, a parking structure, office buildings and a rooftop garden.

28. Library of Parliament, Canada

images courtesy of Wikipedia users Wladyslaw and Alejandro Erickson

Hearst Castle Gothic Study, USA

Skywalker Ranch Library, USA

Image courtesy of Michael Heilemann’s 

he Tianyi Pavilion Library, China

Images courtesy of What’s On Ningbo.

Victorian State Library, Australia

 

 

Images courtesy of Wikipedia users Bjenks and Diliff

 

56. The State Library of New South Wales, Australia

Image courtesy of Flickr user Christophe

57. The State Library of South Australia

Images courtesy of Flickr users OZinOH and gracias!

 

58. Victorian Parliamentary Library, Australia

Images courtesy of Flickr user Sally Cummings

Beitou Library, Taiwan

 

 

 

Why Are People So Mean?

The Psychological Point of View

There is  popular belief that people are mean to others in order to feel better about themselves. Humans have a need to feel unique from others in positive ways. As they naturally form groups, this need for positive distinction extends to the groups we belong to. Meaning, we tend to view our in-groups more favorably than out-groups (groups we do not belong to). And as a consequence, we tend to see people who are not part of our group less positively than people who are. This is especially likely to occur when there is competition between the groups or when people feel like the identity of their group has been challenged. Research  often reveals that people display in-group favoritism, and further, that degrading out-group members can have a positive impact on self-esteem and feelings of positivity towards one’s groups.

When self-esteem is threatened, humans are more likely to compare themselves to people they think are worse off than them to see other people as having more negative traits, to degrade people who aren’t members of our groups, and to become more directly aggressive towards people in general. Insulting or criticizing someone else, may say more about how you are feeling about yourself than the other person. Insecurity over ourselves drives much of the cruelty in the world.

Another Point Of View

They’re hurt. Here’s the long answer: They’re really hurt. At some point, somebody did them dirty. They were crushed. And they’re still afraid the pain will never stop, or that it will happen again. “I am a victim; people want to hurt me; I must hurt them first to be safe.” This is why mean people may turn ugly when you say something like “Please pass the salt” or “Hey, it’s raining.” They immediately rewrite whatever they hear to support their story line (“She’s saying I’m a bad cook” or “He’s bringing up the weather to avoid talking about us”). The story, not other people’s behavior, both motivates and excuses their hostility.

 

 

The Heartbleed Bug

Several websites running SSL encryption, such as Airbnb, Pinterest, USMagazine.com, NASA, and Creative Commons, among others, were exposed to a major security bug called Heartbleed on Monday. A member of Google’s security team and a software security firm called Codenomicon discovered the bug. A list  on GitHub, exposed sites vulnerable to the bug as well.

The bug affects web servers running Apache and Nginx software, and it has the potential to expose private information users enter into websites, applications, web email and even instant messages.

The Heartbleed bug has the ability to allow malicious operators to defeat this security layer and capture passwords as well as forge authentication cookies and obtain other private information.

The bug has affected many popular websites and services  such as Gmail and Facebook .

A security patch for the bug was announced on Monday, but many websites are still playing catch up.

Book Selling World Thats Rapid Changing

Nearly three years ago, Liberty Media wanted to acquire Barnes & Noble. Now it appears that the media conglomerate has had enough and will sell most of its shares  in Barnes & Noble. In the meantime ,the number of businesses trying to muscle in on Barnes & Noble’s traditional territory, trying to reshape the relationship between book publishers, retailers and readers, is growing constantly.

Today a new breed of start-ups wants to turn book buyers into book consumers. Once, the two were analogous — unless,  trekked back and forth to your local public library to borrow books. Unlike movies, where rentals of VHS tapes and, later, of DVDs, had become standard by the 1980s, “renting” books never caught on as a business model. So while consumers have long gravitated to, say, Netflex as an alternative to a bricks and mortar Blockbuster store, the ability to send digitizedbooks to an e-book reader hasn’t been followed as rapidly by a “rental book” model.

Three companies are battling for readers and market share: Entitle Books, Scribd, and Oyster. you pay a flat fee and you can then download books from their library.

 

“It’s all about bringing in a new audience of readers, by bringing content to them on the devices they use,” he explains. Putting an array of 100,000 or so books at the fingertips of Oyster users on their Apple  iPads or iPhones and enabling them to sample at will — as many books as they choose at a flat fee of $9.95 a month — means that in aggregate these Oyster subscribers end up paying more than they would have otherwise to read books, and funneling more than they would have otherwise to the bottom lines of publishing companies. There are reasons to doubt that we’ll ever really have a “Netflix for books.” First, for most casual readers, the value of a monthly e-book subscription for $8.95 or $9.95 is less obvious than Netflix’s $7.99 rate for unlimited streaming. Also, we consume books differently than we do music or television or movies. That doesn’t mean that we don’t consume them digitally — simply that as readers, we seem to value retaining all kinds of different options.

Sales of e-books topped those in print” for the first time two years ago. They are still buying books, not just viewing them as downloads. And some of us are still mixing and matching: buying some from bookstores as hardcovers or paperbacks, selectively borrowing from libraries, choosing which books to add to e-readers and scrutinizing these new services to decide which might best fit our needs. It’s not a one-size-fits-all world — yet.

 

 

Library Of Congress Announced 25 New Entries Chosen For Preservation

 

Recordings by, Isaac Hayes, the Everly Brothers,U2, Linda Ronstadt, Jeff Buckley, Lyndon B. Johnson and the original Broadway cast of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street are among those newly selected for induction into the Library of Congress National Recording Registry.

Librarian of the Library of Congress says “As technology continually changes and formats become obsolete, we must ensure that our nation’s aural legacy is protected”. This years selections include everything from classic singles such as Brother, Can You Spare A Dime (recorded in 1932 by both Bing Crosby and Rudy Vallee, separately) to later pop hits such as the Everlys’ Cathy’s Clown (1960), Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Fortunate Son (1969), and the late Buckley’s 1994 cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.

Among the albums chosen are Hayes’ Shaft (1971), Ronstadt’s Heart Like a Wheel (1974) and U2’s blockbuster The Joshua Tree (1987), presidential recordings of Lyndon B. Johnson (nearly 850 hours, recorded from 1963-1969), Lawrence Ritter’s interviews with baseball pioneers (1962-1966) and The First Family, a collection of comedy skits from 1962. New recordings also include  Art Blakey’s 1954 albums A Night at Birdland (Vols. 1 and 2) and Aaron Copland’s Copland Conducts Copland: Appalachian Spring (1974).

April 13-19 is National library Week

Public Libraries That have Become Bookless

TheTexas south central city’s digital library, known as the BiblioTech allows the Bexar County readers to check out up to five books at a time on their devices from home or wherever they are. Military personnel can even download the latest bestseller from Afghanistan.

Locals can check out tablets or e-readers for free. Or they can use the library’s 48 iMAC desktop computers. Children can take home any of the 200 Nook readers pre-loaded with 150 books aimed at their age group.

Opened six months ago, BiblioTech is the nation’s first totally book-free public library. It just added a satellite branch in the jury room of the Bexar County Courthouse. The name plays off the word “biblioteca”: Spanish for library.

In Washington, the downtown Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library cleared the stacks in one wing last June to open a vast, bookless “Digital Commons” _ part computer lab, part design center and part reading lounge.

The bound book doesn‘t look like it’s going away anytime soon. But the digital age, which has crept into libraries through new technology, is slowly taking over.

A number of ambitious national and international digital efforts are underway, focused on making cultural heritage books, manuscripts and books available online. The Digital Public Library of America and a Library of Congress-supported World Digital Library, which just reached 10,000 entries this past week, are making literary treasures, such as an early 16th-century Gospel manuscript from Ethiopia, more accessible. Librarian of Congress James H. Billington says “he is gratified to see that it continues to grow.”

At the MLK library, there’s a giant touch screen used for teaching classes and a 3D printer created a small basket. There’s also a new book printer machine that will print and bind a book, small work spaces for people who need places for start-ups, a sound studio and a touch screen table in the children’s section for reading and playing. There are express computers that visitors can use for 15 minutes, no library card needed.

At North Carolina State University’s new James B. Hunt Jr. Library in Raleigh, the 1.5 million books are stored underground, leaving lots of space for research and study groups. Virtual stacks enable students to check out books from a unique robotic retrieval system known as a bookBot that delivers them in five minutes or less.

 Surprisingly, people still purchase books in print but dont read them.  Nelson Wolff, aka the San Antoinio county judge is a collector of first edition 20th- century books and has more than 1,500. He buys hardcover books but does not read them.

The BiblioTech attracts a steady flow of foreign and national visitors. Several San Antonio library officials are traveling to the Netherlands and England in a few weeks at the invitation of foreign officials to make presentations about their operation. He is pleased that the local, majority Latino community has access to reading materials and the Internet. There is 100 percent return rate and no late fees with the digital books. The eBooks just simply disappear off the mobile device after two weeks.

In downtown D.C., where the MLK library’s computers are the only access to the Internet for many, users come from all economic levels. Teens and preteens enjoy the digital options, including gaming.

Obama Administation Cedes Control Of The Internet

The Obama Administration announced plans to cede control of the  Internet to the Internet  Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), an international body  and non-profit group based out of California,  that seeks larger control, over the Internet.

ICANN’s primary role is over the registration of domain names.  The  ability to allow or delete a domain name effectively allows ICANN to choose who  can, and cannot, maintain an Internet site. Who can, and cannot, publish content  online.

This change lets the contract between the Commerce Department and the  Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to expire.

Newt Gingrich has tweeted about this announcement:

International groups have been pressuring the United States for years to cede  control of the Internet to an “International” body.  Everyone can  understand why these groups want that.  It erodes American power and it  degrades liberty online.
We’ll wait and see what happens next

 

Researchers Say SmartPhones helps Disadvantage To Read

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The Luxury Technology Show

Emperor LX Chair

Aura Breathalyzer

Equil Pen

 

 

Technology Trends For 2014

 

Major companies are working on data encryption to detour NSA from snooping

Smartphones will be able to connect with our homes

No-Touch interfaces

3D printing

Wearable technology

Cloud services

 

Microsoft’s New Chief- Satya Nadella

 

Mr Nadella, who has been at Microsoft for 22 years, is now the new chief.  Bill Gates, Microsoft’s founder, has stepped aside as chairman. However, he will be doing more rather than less. At Mr Nadella’s request Mr Gates will become “technology adviser”. Mr Gates plans to  spend a third of his time at the firm. Recently he has devoted almost all his energy to the philanthropic foundation that bears the names of himself and his wife, Melinda. Like Mr Gates, Mr Ballmer will stay on the board.

Microsoft is still a reigning company with revenues of  $43 billion, 15% more than the year before. Its net income was $11.8 billion, up by 8.8%. It has a cash pile of $84 billion and a market capitalisation of $300 billion. However it has struggled to find its way in a world where the personal computer no longer reigns supreme. Mr Nadella’s job is to set a course through what he calls a “cloud-first, mobile-first world”. When it comes to mobile, Microsofts places third. Its operating system, Windows Phone, is far behind Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS. 

Microsoft is expected to start selling its widely used Office suite of programs (which includes Word, a word-processor, Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint slide shows) on iPads and Android tablets.

When you consider the tough challenges Bill & Melinda Gates takes on with their philanthropic foundation its quite amazing.

Technology Trends & Changes In Higher Education

 

1. Social media is helping to shape the way technology is adopted on American campuses. Social media ubiquity is identified as “Fast trends,” or trends that will drive change in the next year or two. Facebook and Twitter are used for formal and informal discussion forums. While Vanderbilt University’s YouTube channel give students, faculty, and the general public a glimpse into important work happening on campus

2.There is a shift in higher education to online, blended and hybrid learning

3.  Data-driven learning and assessment will be a key concern for academic institutions, particularly as it concerns policymaking.

4. The adoption of agile business models in higher education to promote “a culture of innovation in a more widespread, cost-effective manner. Pilots and other experimental programs are being developed for teaching and improving organizational structure to more effectively nurture entrepreneurship among both students and faculty.”

5. Online learning  is seen as a viable alternative to some forms of face-to-face learning

6. Recent developments in business models are increasing the stakes of innovation in these digital environments, which are now widely considered to be ripe for new ideas, services, and products

 

 

Young Ones March For Their Own Library

“Books, access fairness, we’re marching to raise awareness,” the more than 50 second-graders declared as they marched from the Chinatown gate to City Hall Friday afternoon.

“We want justice. We want it now!” they chanted. 

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CES 2014

A First Of Its Kind: Library To Offer High School Diplomas

The Los Angeles Public Library has announced  that it is teaming up with a private online learning company to debut a program for high school dropouts, it is believed to be the first of its kind in the nation. It is the latest step in the transformation of public libraries in the digital age as they move to establish themselves beyond just being a repository of books to a full educational institution, said the library’s director, John Szabo. The library ‘s goal is to grant high school diplomas to 150 adults in the first year at a cost of $150,000.  Many public libraries offer programs to prepare students and in some cases administer the General Educational Development test, which for decades was the brand name for the high school equivalency exam.  However,this is not a GED or high School Equivalency program.  Students will be required to take courses to earn high school credits.

The program is slated to begin this month. Applicants must pass an initial evaluation to become eligible for a library-sponsored scholarship to attend Career Online High School, a kind of private online school district through the Smart Horizons corporation, based in Pensacola, Fla. Career Online High School has been accredited through AdvancED Accreditation Commission, a private nonprofit agency, said spokeswoman Jennifer Oliver.

The program is expected to grow from there, and may be introduced to other public library systems in the country, said Nader Qaimari of Gale-Cengage Learning, a leading provider of content and software to libraries, which introduced the program to the Los Angeles Public Library. 

Howard A. Liebman, who is the superintendent of the corporation’s online schools, said public libraries offer the perfect place for serving dropouts, who often left high school because of a traumatic experience, be it a teen pregnancy, a discipline problem or other issues.

Unlike traditional high school students, the online adult learners must choose a career path so their education can be geared toward their future job. Library staff will be trained to help the adult learners and the library system is looking at making available spaces for the students so they can meet their fellow pupils.  The library plans to  target about a dozen areas with high percentages of high school dropouts to offer the program at those neighborhood branches initially. The Los Angeles public library system has 72 branch libraries and 22 literacy centers.

Tech Trend For 2014

The Internet

Cisco Systems predicts the connectivity of devices to the internet will be growing massively in 2014 and by 2015, reaching about twenty five billion devices and 99% of all “physical objects” will be connected to a network.

 Analytics and “Big Data”

There is now the opportunity to look at huge amounts of data in real time and use the data to understand the supply chain, logistics, customer behavior, patient outcomes and many other things in a way that wasn’t possible in the recent past.

Cloud Boxes versus Gadget Storage

Loads of enterprises are shifting from the traditional devices that store data (drives, servers, disks) to the “omnipresent” Cloud. This allows business, educational institutions and state agencies to be more mobile in doing their work and activities. Tech Gurus are predicting that the Cloud will actually be the most used storage device in 2014 replacing the decades long favorite – the Personal Computer

Apps

More people are bringing their own devices (BYOD) into the workplace and classrooms. Organizations are relying less on server controlled data and more on Apps that perform a specific function for the student or worker. 

 

Harlem NY To Receive Nation’s Largest WiFi

 

 

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced the launch of a free new outdoor public WiFi network in Harlem accessible to all users. The Harlem WiFi network will extend 95 city blocks, from 110th to 138th Streets between Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Madison Avenue making it the largest continuous free outdoor public wireless network in the nation. The network, which will be rolled out in three phases in coordination with the city’s Technology Development Corporation and the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, will increase digital access for approximately 80,000 Harlem residents, including 13,000 public housing residents, as well as businesses and visitors in the area. The free public network will serve the community for an initial five-year term and is funded through a generous donation from the Fuhrman Family Foundation to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. The first phase, extending from 110th to 120th Streets between Madison Avenue and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, is underway and the remaining phases will be complete by May 2014. The Mayor was joined at the announcement by Chief Information and Innovation Officer Rahul Merchant, Glenn and Amanda Fuhrman, Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City President Megan Sheekey, Chief Digital Officer Rachel Haot, New York City Housing Authority Chairman John Rhea and Harlem Children’s Zone President and Chief Executive Officer Geoffrey Canada.

 

What Is The Rest Of The World Reading ?

 

National Book Awards 2013

 

WINNER:

James McBride, The Good Lord Bird (Riverhead Books/Penguin Group USA) – Interview >

FINALISTS:

FINALISTS:

Rachel Kushner, The Flamethrowers (Scribner/Simon & Schuster) – Interview >

Jhumpa Lahiri, The Lowland (Alfred A. Knopf/Random House) – Interview >

Thomas Pynchon, Bleeding Edge (The Penguin Press/Penguin Group USA)

George Saunders, Tenth of December (Random House) – Interview >

LONGLIST:

– Tom Drury, Pacific (Grove Press)
– Elizabeth Graver, The End of the Point (Harper/HarperCollinsPublishers)
– Anthony Marra, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena (Hogarth/Random House)
– Alice McDermott, Someone (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
– Joan Silber, Fools (W.W. Norton & Company)

JUDGES:

Charles Baxter, Gish Jen, Charles McGrath, Rick Simonson, René Steinke

 

The Internet Hall Of Fame 2014

The Internet Society has established an annual global rotational schedule for The Internet Hall Of Fame . The Internet Society announced Asia Pacific as the region for the 2014 Internet Hall of Fame event. Latin America has been selected for 2015, followed by Africa in 2016, and North America in 2017. The Internet Hall of Fame is an annual awards program that has been established by the Internet Society to publicly recognize a distinguished and select group of leaders and luminaries who have made significant contributions to the development and advancement of the global open Internet.

View More Here

Worldwide Stats

Data & Visualizations created by Barland’s Ongoing Information

Source Internet World Stats

iPad Explodes-Vodaphone Store Evacuted

 

 

An ipad exploded with a burst of flames  from the charging port of an iPad demo mode in Canberra Australia. A The firebrigade was called in after the store filled with smoke and sparks continued to appear from the charging port. Vodafone confirmed that no staff members or customers were injured during the incident .

Curiosity About Google’s Barges-What Is Google Doing On Water?

Google’s four floating barges built between 2010 and 2012, serve as an interactive space where people can learn about new technology such as  Google Glass and other products, on an invitation-only basis. As of November 2013, two of the barges are docked in Treasure Island, San Francisco, while another is in Portland, Maine. 

 

The Portland barge and one of the Treasure Island barges have a superstructure consisting of four stories of modern shipping containers welded together. Most of the containers have small slits that may serve as windows, and each barge has a container that slants down to ground level at a shallow angle. The other two barges are owned by the same corporation (set up by Google) but do not have a superstructure. CBS sources claimed that the first three floors will serve as a showroom, while the upper floor will be a party deck. The top of the Treasure Island structure exhibits poles that may be antennas. On November 6, 2013, Google stated it was “exploring using the [San Francisco] barge as an interactive space where people can learn about new technology.

 

 

Up Coming New Books

 

This Is A Library

Apple Wants Patent For Digital Book-Signing Technology

One of the advantages of print books is that they can be hand autographed. Well, Apple is currently seeking a patent to that would allow authors to digitally autograph ebooks. Some users still prefer paper media products for the physical attributes of paper media products, which include the ability to have a copy of a book personalized. According to a recent patent application, allows for “embedding an autograph in an electronic book.” You can appear at an author signing with your iPad, have it signed and walk away with an authentic keepsake.

 

Books With The Most Evil Characters

 

Ever Met One Of These Villians In Real Life?

     

E.L. Doctorow, To Receive Honorary Medal For “Contributions To American Letters

E.L. Doctorow,  will receive an honorary medal for “contributions to American letters.” Doctorow, 82, won the National Book Award in 1986 for “World’s Fair” and was a finalist three other times. A native of New York City, he is best known for the million-selling historical novel “Ragtime,” which has been adapted into a feature film and a Broadway musical.

“Doctorow is a master of historical fiction who has brought the events of the past to people all over the world in an extraordinary fashion. It is also a special opportunity to give tribute to a native New Yorker in his hometown,”

 

Maya Angelou This Year’s Recipient Of The Literarian Award

 Maya Angelou author of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” will be this year’s recipient of the Literarian Award, an honorary National Book Award for contributions to the literary community, the National Book Foundation announced last week. It is the first major literary prize for the 85-year-old Angelou, who has been celebrated everywhere from the Grammy Awards to the White House. She has received three Grammys for best spoken word album, a National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor.

. “Caged Bird” is among the most widely read and widely taught memoirs of the past half-century, memorably documenting her rise from the rural, segregated South to international fame. Her poem, “On the Pulse of the Morning,” which she recited in 1993 at President Bill Clinton’s first inaugural, quickly sold hundreds of thousands of copies.

 

Libraries & E books

 

 

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Birmingham’s Bling Library

Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Europe

The rise of single-person households  in some European capitals now approaching 50% of households. Many libraries increasingly act as a meeting place or home from home, as they do for migrants, refugees and even tourists. The idea of the library as “the living room in the city” was first promulgated in 1970s Scandinavian library design, as architects responded to users’ wishes to stay longer, have a coffee, and enjoy storytelling sessions, lunchtime concerts or attend book-reading groups.  In some British towns, nearly half the population own a library card, even if it is only used infrequently. Libraries are seen as belonging to the public by right, compared with publicly funded theatres, art galleries, museums or concert halls.

The library’s changing demands is reflected in contemporary design. The library counter has largely gone. Self-service machines free up staff to spend more time with library users, organising storytelling sessions, book-signings and reading circles (there were more than 100,000 members of library reading groups in England and Wales at the last count.

Didn’t Read The Whole Book

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