Much like independent bookstores, public libraries are struggling to come up with a strategy that will help them stay relevant in todays shifting landscape. I recently blogged about the changes taking place at the college library level but the public libraries are also undergoing a transformation.John Morrison has a post at the Guardian that talks about some of the changes happening to the libraries of Great Britian. On of the most striking tidbits is that some libraries have been remodeled then reopened without the word library in their title! His local library is now referred to as the "Kaleidoscope".Yes, there...
The Business of Bookshelves
Anyone who has an appreciation for the books they own must spend some time thinking about bookshelves. Should I build them or buy them, where should I put them and which books should I put where are all questions one asks when trying to house their books.BusinessWeek.com has a story "Beyond the Bookshelf"that talks about some of the do's and dont's when thinking about shelves for your books as well as a slideshow of some of the different types of bookshelves on the market.When thinking about placement for your bookshelves just remember the Three D's - dark, dry and dust...
A Couple of Updates and a Few Headlines
A few updates on recent posts:Re: Google Book Search-I blogged a few days ago about the inherent danger in having a private company being in charge of digitizing our written heritage then yesterday word came that that the Alfred A. Sloan foundation donated $1 million dollars to the Internet Archive to digitize the holdings of the Boston Public Library, the Getty Research Institute, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Excellent start.Link to original postLink to article on Sloan grantRe: The guy who wrote the worlds longest diary which is housed in 80+ boxes in the Special Collections of Washington State University....
A Couple from the Google Monster
There has been much hoopla over the launch of Google's new patent search tool. I am pretty certain all the info was already easily available at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) but hey this is a Google world.I had to dig deep to find this book related one. A patent for the "Slanted Book" designed in 1974 by Richard A. Kjarsgaard. Here is the diagram:From what I can make out it looks like the same book design perfected by my dog Roxy who had a brief book chewing phase while a puppy.Much more important is the article...
Save the Libraries-Save the Earth- NOW
The libraries and the content of the libraries of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency!) are in serious danger. The administration is attempting to weed out any questionable material that might put the corporate and fossil fuel gods at risk of losing their thrones. What began as a $2 million budget cut (out of a total library services budget of $2.5 million) in the President's 2007 budget for the EPA's library services is now an all out assault on the precious information housed in the EPA libraries. Here is just a snippet from the in-depth coverage this travesty is getting by...