The Boston Globe has an interesting read on some of the changes made at the W.E.B. Du Bois Library at the University of Massachusetts.Changes that have had some amazing results:Library use up 27%Library Circulation up 84%!What in the world could have happened?Well for starters they moved 500,00 under used books from the basement and moved them "into an old mountainside military bunker"Then they turned the place where "You could shoot off a cannon and not worry about hitting anyone" into a bustling hang out by adding a coffee bar, computers, "Vending machines [that] dispense everything from spare computer parts to...
To Catch a Book Thief
There is no question that technology has greatly impacting the bookselling world. The book world was on of the first industries turned upside down by the Internet and e-commerce. It is still an industry in transition but there is one aspect of these technologies that has had an immediate and positive impact. Catching Book Thieves!A post on Tech Ramblings from the Book Trade yesterday alerted the world to a suspected book thief who might of swiped a couple of books from the venerable London bookseller, Maggs earlier in the day. Mug shots and all. In Seattle we have the Stolen...
The Book Lives
There is alot of buzz in the blogosphere regarding Forbes magazine recent special report on Books. The first thing to note is that one of the worlds leading business magazines is devoting an entire special issue to books. This wouldn't happen unless there is still a large demand and a ton of money to be made. The report features numerous articles on the state of the book, including a Q & A with some literary heavyweights- The question: "To me, books are..." A couple of enticing and encouraging snippets: From Cory Doctorow's"Giving It Away". Doctorow is one of the blog...
For the Record Books: One Life 5 Minutes at a Time
Move over Samuel Pepys Did you know that the record for the world's longest diary is held by a Reverend Robert Shields of Dayton, Washington! for at least 4 hours a dayfor 24 years Shields recorded his every movement.35 million words Here is a link to a transcript of a radio interview Shields did with David Isay Here are a couple of excerpts: 12:20 to 12:25: I stripped to my thermals. I always do that. 12:25 to 12:30: I discharged urine. 12:30 to 12:50: I ate leftover salmon -- Alaska red salmon by Bumblebee, about seven ounces -- drank ten...
Color Your Penguin: Book Design by the Masters and the Masses
One place the phrase 'Don't judge a book by its cover' doesn't work is in the publishing and bookselling world. One of the most important factors that determine whether someone browsing for a book buys one is how the book looks. Cover designs that important.Patrick Ness has a nice commentary on book design in the Guardian today Arthur Hawkins, Rockwell Kent, Lustig, E. McKnight Kauffer, Milton Glaser, Paul Rand and Chip Kidd are just a few of the names of artists and designers known for the their dust jacket cover art.Along these lines if you are going to be in...