Park and Read Program Inspires Library Cardholders to Experience the Great Outdoors of Michigan
Alternative Partnerships: The Rise of Seed Lending Libraries
While borrowing seeds from your local library may seem like a fairy tale, it is in fact, a reality. A recent article on Boing Boing led me to research further this fairly new and quite amazing phenomenon of seed lending libraries. According to the article taken from PC Sweeney's blog, "A free seed lending library can also provide people with a chance to transform their lives and communities by providing access to fresh, healthy food that may not otherwise be available" (2011). This access is provided to patrons by means of making available seeds to "check out," take home, and plant. While this article pertains specifically to the East Palo Alto Library and their partnership with Collective Roots, many other libraries across the country are participating in similar endeavors.
Britannica Shifts From Paper to Web
It has been highly publicized for the past week, but as many people know - Britannica Encyclopedia has ended their production of printing their literature after 244 years. The last hard copy of Britannica's collection is their 32 volume 2010 edition (Bosman, 2012). Now the question is: will Britannica be in competition with Wikipedia?
As it turns out, Wikipedia has gone from being a website that no one trusts to one that is now being used in higher education for research. Now, sources must be cited. From reading different articles and blogs on this issue, many people think that Britannica will have a set up similar to Wikipedia and will be always-changing and current. I do think that this is a nice concept to have for an online, trusted encyclopedia source. It will be different not seeing the newest set of Britannica at a local library anymore, though!
I personally like to read a print book. I feel like by thumbing through pages, I can stumble across more facts and articles than just using a search engine to find a subject I may be interested in. I know many people that prefer this and are disappointed that Britannica is no longer in print. However, a collection of encyclopedias can be very expensive and not many people are willing to keep a collection of encyclopedias current.
What do you think? Are you a fan of digital copies? Do you think online encyclopedias will now be in competition with Wikipedia?
Sharing Ideas: Using Pinterest in Libraries
In this day and age, technology plays a huge role in many
people’s everyday lives. Social media sites that were once being using
primarily by individuals are now becoming an excellent tool for businesses and
organizations, alike. Pinterest is an excellent social media tool for
individual users, organizations, businesses, AND libraries. Not only is it an
excellent resource for finding and “pinning” ideas but it is an excellent
source for sharing your ideas and, also, marketing. “People are providing
information for and acquiring information from each other thus fundamentally
shifting the web from an information access tool to a knowledge sharing tool”
(Heinrichs, 2012). As easily as friends can share their favorite new home
project ideas, teachers can also share their lesson plans, a photography
business can highlight their best work and market themselves, and libraries can
share their collections and show their community, even the world, what is
happening inside their doors.
Technology Buzz: Printing On Demand with Espresso Book Machines
I first heard of Espresso Book Machines (EBMs) a few months ago when Michigan State University introduced theirs. For some reason I didn't think much of it until I more recently stumbled upon an article in American Libraries online. On March 7, Brooklyn Public Library's Central branch unveiled their own EBM in order to "[join] several dozen universities, public libraries, and bookstores around the world in offering the technology to their clientele." (Goldberg, 2012). So what exactly is an EBM, what do they do, and what's the big deal?
E-books in Libraries
Museum Adventure Pass: A Metro Detroit Library Trend