A follow up to my post of a couple of days ago.The San Francisco Chronicle ran this story last Wednesday. Smithsonian and Corbis Enter Media Deal. "Under the licensing agreement, Corbis will provide hundreds of images from the Smithsonian museums, including archival photos and images of cultural objects, paintings, sculptures, aircraft and space vehicles."The images will then be licensed for a fee.In 1846 President James K. Polk established the Smithsonian Institution as a trust to be administered by a Board of Regents and a Secretary of the Smithsonian The current Board of Regents approved the deal with Corbis last year.Here...
The Limit of Wikipedia
Make no mistake Wikipedia is a tremendous digital asset to our culture. It is a breath of open access in an increasingly restrictive society. Its born of the seeds of true democracy and freedom of expression. I have referenced information found there many times in my blog posts.Unfortunately, open access has an Achilles heel. The very openness that makes Wikipedia possible is also the thorn which will keep it from becoming the dictionary of the 21st Century.There is an article at Inside Higher Ed entitled "A Stand Against Wikipedia" which addresses the challenge facing academia. It talks about the history...
Become A Rare Bookseller
Doesn't get any better than this. Another biblio-classic via YouTube.A public service type instructional video from a series called "The Significant Occupation Series" circa late 1950's.A 2+ minute commercial promoting the joys of rare bookselling.Thanks to Biblio-Technician for the lead
It’s Family Literacy Day!
Since 1999 our friends up north have designated January 27th as Family Literacy Day"Every year, on January 27, families and communities across Canada celebrate this special day at literacy-themed events coordinated by literacy organizations, schools and libraries"Why might such a celebration be in order?Because of these 7 facts of life: Simple things like reading and telling stories to a child at 18 months are powerful stimuli for brain development in the early years. (Early Years Study Final Report: Reversing the Real Brain Drain, Government of Ontario, 1999) Reading to children more than once a day has a substantial positive impact...
The Digital Battle For Our Literary Heritage: The Internet Archive vs. Google
"Libraries exist to preserve society's cultural artifacts and to provide access to them. If libraries are to continue to foster education and scholarship in this era of digital technology, it's essential for them to extend those functions into the digital world." One of the most important battles in the book world today is the fight for who gets to digitally archive our literary heritage.From the leading university libraries to the great collections housed in our public institutions decisions are being made that could potentially alter access to the treasure trove of material that lies within their walls.It is an idea...