The ability for teachers and students to embed their own content into digital texts, write notes, and get feedback on student reading—classroom reading just got a lot more dynamic. SLJ columnist Jeff Hastings test driives Gobstopper and Subtext.
SLJ Reviews Gobstopper and Subtext: Apps that Enable Interactive Classroom Reading
By on April 15, 2013 Leave a Comment
SLJ’s Best of Apps and Enhanced Books | April 2013
By on April 15, 2013 Leave a Comment
High-res 3-D images of black holes and nebulae that you can tweet or post to Facebook are among the features of a companion app to a popular BBC series, which is reviewed this month in School Library Journal.
Simon & Schuster Launches Ebook Lending Program With NYC Libraries
By on April 15, 2013 Leave a Comment
Simon & Schuster, the last remaining holdout among the Big Six publishers when it comes to library ebook lending, announced today it was launching a program with New York City libraries. The text of the press release follows and this story will update as more information becomes available: Simon & Schuster, together with The New [...]
3M Revamps Library Ebook Acquisition Tool
By on April 11, 2013 Leave a Comment
3M is in the process of rolling out a new catalog acquisition tool for its Cloud Library ebook platform, the company announced today. Beta testers said that new features included with the buying tool offer several helpful improvements compared with the old interface.
Welcome to the Mothership: Travis Jonker’s Take on Amazon/Goodreads
By on April 11, 2013 6 Comments
When word came out that Amazon was pulling social network Goodreads into its acquisitional tractor beam, reaction seemed to fall into one of two categories… Travis Jonker, a librarian who blogs at 100 Scope Notes, falls somewhere in between.
Interactive Storytelling App Versu | screencast tutorial
By on April 2, 2013 Leave a Comment
In her latest screencast, School Library Journal contributor Linda W. Braun test drives Versu in an assessment that considers the potential of interactive platforms that blur the lines between reader and creator—a particularly compelling concept when it comes to kids and teens.
Credo Integrates Text-to-Speech Accessibility Features Into Literati
By on March 28, 2013 Leave a Comment
Credo Reference is integrating text-to-speech technology from ReadSpeaker into its Literati full-text reference line of offerings. The text-to-speech functionality is already available for Literati Public and will soon be added to Literati Academic, Literati School, and Literati Student Athlete. The latter two products were launched earlier this year. The move comes as several library organizations are embarking on more focused efforts to address the need for accessibility with digital content.
Freading Working on Enhancing Discoverability, Bigger Publisher List
By on March 28, 2013 4 Comments
On April 12, Library Ideas will launch Freading 2.0, an upgrade of its existing pay-per-circ ebook platform. This will include several new features, such as MARC records supplied by OCLC for all of the 30,000 titles now offered by the service, along with an updated website with enhanced search functions, and new navigation tools that will help users find books grouped by category. This summer, Freading will also begin offering foreign language ebooks, beginning with 2,000 titles in Spanish.
Penguin Lifts Library Ebook Purchase Embargo
By on March 27, 2013 5 Comments
Penguin Group today announced that it will be changing the terms on its library ebook lending program, and on Tuesday, April 2, will begin allowing libraries to purchase and lend ebook titles the day that hardcover editions are released, according to The Associated Press. Previously, Penguin had placed a six month embargo on new ebooks, [...]
Why We Miss the First Sale Doctrine in Digital Libraries
By on March 8, 2013 3 Comments
In this article, the fourth installment in a series on the initiative to build a Digital Public Library of America, I examine the underlying role of law in the ebook lending debate, explore potential solutions to the problems, and consider how the DPLA can contribute to solutions for those we serve. At the core of this issue is the way the copyright law works–or doesn’t–when it comes to books, libraries, and readers in the United States today and into the future.
