When they realised even Miles Franklin winners can be sent to the pulp pile, authors, librarians and academics began building a digital ark for bereft books (24 Jun 2021) Of the 62 books that won Australia’s Miles Franklin Award between 1957 and 2019, 23 are currently not available as ebooks, 40 are not available…
(3 May 2021) Naomi S. Baron, Professor of Linguistics Emerita, American University, writes on The Conversation: “During the pandemic, many college professors abandoned assignments from printed textbooks and turned instead to digital texts or multimedia coursework. As a professor of linguistics, I have been studying how electronic communication compares to traditional print when it comes to…
New research project on mis/disinformation in library collections in Australia. (21 April 2021) ALIA is pleased to announce it is currently seeking applications from LIS researchers to lead/undertake a six-month research project on mis/disinformation in library collections in Australia. The issue of mis/disinformation, and a wider issue of community trust, has recently been…
(19 Mar 2021) Visits to public libraries in Taiwan dropped over 30 percent in 2020 amid the COVID-19 outbreak, but the number of e-books borrowed surged more than 40 percent for the second year, according to an annual report published on Friday. A total of 79.69 million visits to public libraries were recorded last year,…
(22 Jan 2021) From CNN Philippines: “With the country’s notoriously fickle internet connectivity and the continuing danger of physical contact, I find books a safe remedy to the growing loneliness of lockdown. Many local cultural workers and institutions, despite the punishing circumstances of this current crisis, are putting out work, which deserve a much…
(5 Feb 2021) Infamous as India’s ‘phishing capital’, Jharkhand’s tiny Jamtara district now has 45 public libraries diverting youth away from cybercrime. A library movement developed in a short span of time in Jharkhand’s Jamtara district is receiving a steady flow of students and helping them turn a new page. The district love for books…
(1 Jan 2021) The Leisure and Cultural Service Department (LCSD), Hong Kong launches its Edutainment Channel, a new one-stop online platform covering informative and learning materials on aspects of culture and leisure. The Edutainment Channel, combing education with entertainment, is best captured by its slogan “One click to treasures – Culture & Leisure” With…
(14 Dec 2020) News from Cambodia: Three ministries have joined hands to organise the annual Cambodia Book Fair from December 12-19. Due to Covid-19, this year’s event is called Book Week and will be held online with the theme of Building a Closer Relationship to Books in the Covid Era”. Cambodia Book Fair Committee…
(9 Dec 2020) IFLA’s new research into digital skills strategies highlights examples of where governments have recognised the role of libraries in helping people become more competent, confident internet users. It provides examples to use in advocacy for library inclusion in such policy documents. While giving everyone the possibility to get online is essential…
(10 Nov 2020) From The Digital Reader: 2020 was a strange year, for obvious reasons. Many of us spent a lot of 2020 in lockdown, either trying to keep up with work or looking for a new job. Some turned to streaming services such as Netflix (for example, I subscribed to Disney…