Libraries: a plea from a silence seeker -- Any takers?

Once sanctuaries of quiet study, libraries have become glorified community centres.  spiked-online.com

Ebooks for Libraries: Still a Ripoff, BY ANNOYED LIBRARIAN

Info courtesy: Suresh D Nair

Extract:

It’s rare to see informed journalism about libraries and ebooks. Most news articles I see are along the lines of “Libraries are now lending ebooks,” with a brief report of a few libraries that are now, in fact, lending ebooks. That’s neither informative or particularly new. continue reading

On the same shelf:

• The Battle of Building Library's Digital Collection, Revisited
• What are the advantages of e-books over print books
• Ten of the Best Web 2.0 Tools for Cybrarians, by Cybrarian’s Web!

• The Canadian Ebook: Market Trends

• Ebooks in libraries: an overview of the current situation, by Linda Ashcroft Library Management,  2011, Volume 32, Issue 6/7, pp. 398 - 407
• Follow the Ebook Road: Ebooks in Australian Public Libraries, by Duncan, Ross Australasian Public Libraries and Information Services,  2011, Volume 24, Issue 4, pp. 182 - 193
• eBooks As a Collection and a Service: Developing a Public Library Instruction Program to Support eBook Use by Brendan O'Connell and Dana Haven Journal of Library Innovation,  2013, Volume 4, Issue 1, pp. 53 - 66
• eBooks for Libraries and Patrons: Two Years of Experience, by Richard L. Rosy Liber Quarterly : The Journal of European Research Libraries, 09/2002, Volume 12, Issue 2/3, pp. 228 - 233
• Ebooks and Beyond: The Challenge for Public Libraries by Duncan, Ross Australasian Public Libraries and Information Services,  2010, Volume 23, Issue 2, pp. 44 - 55
• Ebooks and the Retailization of Research by Fister, Barbara Library Journal, ISSN 0363-0277, 08/2010, Volume 135, Issue 13, p. 24
• OverDrive Media Stations Engage eBook and Audiobook Readers Inside the Library Internet Wire, 11/12/2013

Library book selection then (1925), now (2013),... in principle it remains unchanged...

• The theory of book selection for public libraries Lionel Roy McColvin (it was based on based on demand and value) (1925)

THE THEORY OF BOOK SELECTION
Lionel McColvin's classic The Theory of Book Selection for Public Libraries (1925) begins with thefollowing words:


"Book selection is the first task of librarianship. It precedes all other processes--cataloguing, classification, or administration--and it is the most important. No matter how thorough and efficient the rest of the work may be, the ultimate value of a library depends upon the way in which the stock has been selected." (McColvin 1925, p. 9).

McColvin starts with the need to have available the materials that will be in demand, not only because of the practical need to have in stock what users ask for, but also because there will be no benefit derived from acquisitions that are not used. No demand means no use and, therefore, no benefit, McColvin argues. But he also argues that a passive adapting of collections to demand would betray the mission of the library.


"If, however, we consider the library as a social force with the power to direct to some extent man's demand, (or, to use the usual expression, if we consider the library as an educationalforce) we will not be content to leave demand our only consideration." (p. 37, emphasis in original).

In brief, McColvin provides a frame with two dimensions--Demand and Value--which correspond to the dispensing and advisory roles of collections noted above. (source)

*More quotes by McColvin are in (p. 261):

Dictionary of Library and Information Science Quotations by Mohamed Taher and and L.S. Ramaiah. More quotations are here @ Library & Information Science Quotations or here: amazon.com

• Library book selection (Ranganathan series in library science;no.16) Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan (1966)
• Library Book Selection: (Edition 2) (Ranganathan Series in Library Science) S.R. Ranganathan and M.A. Gopinath (2006)
• Book Selection: Principles and Practice David Spiller (1991)
• Book Selection Then and Now (2013)
• Alive and Well: Revisiting Sable's "Death of Book Selection"
• Some problems in book selection policies and practices in ...
• A Comparison between the Book Selection Policy Decisions

Ten of the Best Web 2.0 Tools for Cybrarians, by Cybrarian’s Web!

Ps. Given below is the list. Full description of each tool is at the author's site, click here: http://cybrariansweb.com/links/

Incidentally, there is no date, hence not sure if this is a recent list or some of this is already gone with the wind (no pun indeed; just look at how often Google products vanish...). Wish the author could have added one liner to each of these to indicate how libraries (not just librarians as individuals) can use each Tool!!!

• Cloud Magic - for all your personal data
• ePubBud - for aspiring authors of children’s ebooks
• Google Drive - provides users with ‘cloud space’ to store and access files from anywhere
• Issuu - free digital publishing platform 
• Infogr.am - opportunity to create pictorial graphs to promote current services.
• Jumpshare - file sharing service
• Poll Everywhere - offers a unique way to create real-time audience responses for events
• Text2MindMap - allows users to create customized mindmaps directly on the website
• TodaysMeet - create chat rooms
• Weebly - ‘drag and drop’ website builder

2013 School Library Survey finds library resourcing linked to literacy

The 2013 Australian School Library Survey has revealed a positive relationship between a school’s literacy results and the library’s resourcing levels.  Release from Softlink Australia

Extract:

The survey found schools with high national average NAPLAN reading literacy scores reported higher levels of library funding and staffing, while schools with lower scores had lower levels.  These results echoed previous surveys.

A summary of other key survey findings included: 

•81 percent of all school library budgets either remained unchanged or declined in 2013

•A higher percentage of Government school libraries experienced budget decreases than Catholic 

or Independent school libraries

•28 percent of schools reported a decrease in library staffing in 2013 with 63 percent of all schools surveyed stating that there had been no change

•More than a quarter of respondent schools have purchased eBooks in the past year (28 percent) and 55 percent of respondents indicated they will “definitely” or “most probably” purchase eBooks within the next 12 months

•44 percent of teacher librarians said half or more of their student population owned a personal mobile device (iPod, iPad, smart phone or other tablet)  Continue reading

On the same shelf:

• Australian School Library Association www.asla.org.au › Professional learning‎