Tuesday, March 29, 2011

National DBTAC Launches Accessible Technology Web Site!

The Accessible Technology Web Site, developed as a national project
for the Disability & Business Technical Assistance Centers across the
country, is now live and ready for public use. The Web Site is
"AccessibleTech.org" and its purpose is to build a partnership
between the disability and business communities and to promote full
and unrestricted participation in society for persons with
disabilities through the promotion of technology that is accessible
to all. To access this Web Site, go
to: http://www.accessibletech.org/

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Losing Stat Abstract??

Taken from GovDocs Archive - FYI
Dear Folks,

I couldn't take the uncertainty anymore so I called the Census Bureau
and spoke to Ian O'Brien who's the Chief of the Statistical Compendia
Branch. He said that the 2012 budget doesn't include funding for his
branch, which would mean the elimination of not only the Statistical
Abstract, but all titles produced by that branch (State and
Metropolitan Area Data Book, County and City Data Book, etc.). No
new editions would be produced in print or online.

I asked if there was any hope of changing this and he said that
there's always a chance that Congress could be convinced to continue
funding for the program. He said those who would like to save the
Statistical Compendia Branch could write to their Senators and
Representatives. I'm guessing this would go for the Federal
Financial Statistics Program as well.

So, start writing your letters and encourage others to do the same.
Jim Jacobs
data services librarian, emeritus
university of california san diego

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Merged University Press Group

For Libraries, Merged University Press Group Becomes Big Player in E-Book SalesMarch 10, 2011, 4:50 pm

By Jennifer Howard
The list of joint nonprofit ventures angling to sell university-press electronic books to libraries just got shorter. Two of the leading contenders, Project MUSE Editions and the University Press E-Book Consortium, or UPEC, announced today that they will join forces “to collect, host, and market scholarly e-book collections to the library marketplace.”

The five presses involved in planning UPEC—the University of Nebraska Press, New York University Press, the University of Pennsylvania Press, Rutgers University Press, and Temple University Press—had put out a request for proposals for potential partners, and Project MUSE was the winner.

The resulting partnership, called the University Press Content Consortium, or UPCC, will make its debut in January 2012, says the announcement, with preselling to take place this fall. The consortium will market collections of new and backlist scholarly monographs to libraries, with what it calls “minimal DRM,” or digital-rights management. It will not sell titles individually.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

House votes to stop NPR funding - CNN.com

House votes to stop NPR funding - CNN.com: "House votes to stop NPR fundingBy the CNN Wire StaffMarch 17, 2011 3:30 p.m. EDT"

Washington (CNN) -- The House of Representatives passed legislation Thursday that would bar federal funding for National Public Radio -- a longtime target of conservatives irritated by what they consider the outlet's liberal bias.

The bill passed 228-192 in a sharply partisan vote. Most Republicans backed the measure while every Democrat opposed it.

While the measure was expected to pass the GOP-controlled House, it is believed to have little chance of clearing the Democratic-controlled Senate.

The move to strip funding comes after a conservative activist secretly taped a NPR fundraising executive criticizing Tea Party supporters and saying public radio would be better off without federal money.

On Tuesday, the House voted to cut $50 million from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which helps support NPR. That measure was part of a larger bill to keep the government running for the next three weeks.

Saturday, March 05, 2011

Library Snapshot Day

Free webinar provides info on how to implement Library Snapshot Day

The Committee on Library Advocacy will present a free webinar on Library Snapshot Day from 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. CST on Thursday, March 17, 2011.

Library Snapshot Day is an event that provides library staff a simple means to show the value of the library by capturing what happens in a single day in all types of libraries, across a state, community, or even in a single library. Learn how to implement this event, as well as how to maximize photos, statistics and stories to make the case to decision-makers.

Founder of the initiative, Peggy Cadigan, Associate State Librarian for Innovation & Communication, New Jersey State Library and Robert E. Banks, Deputy Director, Topeka & Shawnee County (KS) Library will present the session. The webinar is co-sponsored by the ALA Chapter Relations Office and the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA).

Registration is mandatory. Visit https://ala.ilinc.com/register/ccsybtp to sign up today.

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

HCOD, eBook User Bill of Rights and Math | SarahGlassmeyer(dot)com

HCOD, eBook User Bill of Rights and Math | SarahGlassmeyer(dot)com: "SUMMARY: U.S. Libraries circulate about 2 billion items per year. This means each person that has a library card averages about 13 checkouts a year. Given that the average price of a book is about $20 (low estimate), that means the value of materials circulated by libraries is 45 Billion dollars or $270 to each borrower.
If each borrower changed one checkout to purchase – $3,750,063,240
If each borrower bought one eBook at $6.00 – Publishers would get $1,001,352,000."

The ebook saga continues........

HarperCollins, OverDrive Respond as 26 Loan Cap on Ebook Debate Heats UpEmail Print | Reprint/License | Subscription | RSS |
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By Josh Hadro and Francine Fialkoff Mar 1, 2011

In the wake of sustained criticism following HarperCollins's decision to limit to 26 the number of times an ebook can be lent—as first reported by LJ on Friday—both OverDrive and Harper took steps to repair the damage.

Today OverDrive released a statement on its Digital Library blog indicating that "[u]ntil we have time to review the effect of these new terms with our library partners, HarperCollins eBooks will not be listed in our Library Marketplace." Instead, librarians "will be able to review and order HarperCollins eBooks from a separated catalog."

OverDrive CEO Steve Potash directly tackled librarians' criticism that the company "failed to stand up for you and your readers," defending his company's role in moving ebooks and e-audio into libraries, in supporting the EPUB standard, and in developing mobile apps for library ebooks.

Potash also pointed out that he has been working with librarians for ten years now to make ebooks accessible in public libraries and that he will "continue to innovate, invest, and advocate for libraries so readers will have the best options for accessing digital books, anywhere and everywhere."

HarperCollins responds
After stating on Twitter that the company is "reading your posts & listening to our authors," HarperCollins has followed up with a statement of its own (reproduced below), expanding on the brief remarks initially provided to LJ. The letter contends that HarperCollins's previous policy of "selling e-books to libraries in perpetuity, if left unchanged, would undermine the emerging e-book eco-system, hurt the growing e-book channel, place additional pressure on physical bookstores, and in the end lead to a decrease in book sales and royalties paid to authors."