The Chicago Public Library has joined the list of major U.S. libraries that have signed on with Toronto-based BiblioCommons as its discovery provider. An investment from the Chicago Public Library Foundation made possible the three-year deal that was announced Saturday. Among the other libraries where Bibliocommons’s BiblioCore catalog is live are Seattle Public Library, Cleveland […]
ReadersFirst, Vendors Search for a New Lending Model
By on January 29, 2013
On a late rainy Monday afternoon at the end of the American Library Association’s Midwinter meeting, 39 leading librarians and library vendors gathered for about 90 minutes around a horseshoe-arrangement of tables on the fourth floor of the Seattle Public Library to discuss how to create a new lending experience. The group came together at […]
Boston University Libraries Pushing Forward With Alma Platform
By on January 28, 2013
Roger Brisson, the head of metadata services at Boston University (BU) Libraries, has been deeply immersed in the cloud-based library services platform Alma from Ex Libris for the better part of two years. BU went live with Alma in November, one of the early adopters, and Brisson, as part of the ALA Midwinter Conference, explained […]
Libraries Offer Publishers Local Marketing Advantage
By on January 22, 2013
With major bookstore chains struggling to draw foot traffic and ebooks proliferating online, publishers are finding it increasingly difficult to help potential customers discover new authors or explore their midlist titles. In this environment, libraries could be powerful partners, noted a group of panelists during the “Libraries: More Important Than Ever for Discovery” session at the Digital Book World 2013 Conference in New York last week. “Nobody loves debut novelist like a librarian. We love finding books,” said Stephanie Anderson, head of readers’ advisory for Darien Library.
A Digital Birthday Present for Jack London
By on January 19, 2013
Tonight I will be attending the 137th birthday celebration for Jack London, put on by the Jack London Foundation in Sonoma Valley where I live. Jack lived here for many years, built his “Wolf House” here, and died not long after it burned to the ground and just before he was to move in. Meanwhile, by […]
Get to Know Goodreads: Share this primer to the social reading site and help teachers and kids connect with great books
By on January 16, 2013
That’s the first thing you do when you finish reading a book? Pass it along to a friend? Return it to the library? Place it on the unruly pile of titles that you charitably call your “office”? Scores of dedicated readers log on to Goodreads and share their opinions with the world. Imagine Facebook and your […]
“Library Link of the Day” Turns 10
By on January 15, 2013
As I do virtually every day, today I received an email in my box with the subject “Library Link of the Day”. Some years ago I signed up for this service and I haven’t regretted it since. As advertised, it is simply a link with a title or short description that I can either choose […]
With SirsiDynix Announcements, ILS Vendors Move Closer to Ebook Integration
By on January 14, 2013
With a flurry of partnership announcements pending before ALA Midwinter in Seattle, SirsiDynix is within weeks of the official launch of eResource Central (eRC).The electronic resource management system promises to make ebooks and other digital content from multiple vendors seamlessly available through its Symphony and Horizon ILS systems via the SirsiDynix Enterprise and Portfolio discovery tools.
EBSCO Focuses on Discovery and Partnerships
By on January 14, 2013
In recent months, EBSCO Publishing has been deepening and extending partnerships with major vendors of library management systems around the world so that it can remain focused on what it considers a core competency—discovery. To that end, the company is planning in 2013 to implement ILS integrations (first announced in June 2012) with OCLC, SirsiDynix, […]
Major Milestone for the Wayback Machine
By on January 10, 2013
I can’t begin to recall how many times I have relied on the Internet Archive’s “Wayback Machine” to fetch a file that I had inadvertently deleted without a backup. Or checked out how bad my web design was back in 1996. I mean, srsly. So I was delighted to see that the Wayback Machine had […]
