On Libraries and New Media, powered by Library Journal and School Library Journal
In an ambitious foray into transmedia, Razorbill has teamed with the special effects company Framestore to produce The Creature Department (2013). The making of the new novel by Robert Paul Weston, starring a cast of fantastical characters, was a unique collaboration—with Framestore playing an active role in the book’s creation.
With OverDrive’s “Netflix-like” streaming video service to libraries and schools, borrowers can watch videos on any tablet, computer, or device with an Internet connection. Streaming content can be sent to any device via email, QR code, or text message.
Midwest Tape’s pay-per-circ streaming media service hoopla has announced the addition of thousands of popular movies and television shows to its lineup, through new agreements with Universal Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, National Geographic, and BBC America.
In a move that underscores OverDrive’s plans to support a robust selection of streaming video for libraries, the company on Tuesday announced the appointment of Lee C. Milstein to the newly created position of chief strategy officer. Milstein was most recently head of the news content partnership team for Google’s YouTube division, and previously held […]
Inspired by the experiences of Connecticut librarian Sarah Ludwig’s Minecraft library club, Elizabeth Grohoski and Karen Letteriello of the Mattituck-Laurel Library (NY) are now using a virtual Minecraft library to attract young patrons. The game allows users to build in a 3-D virtual world with cubes similar to Legos—but without any proscriptive kits and manuals.
Since the beginning of 2013, four major library vendors have announced the launch of new or expanded streaming services that will enable patrons to view movies and television shows at their library or at home using computers, tablets, smart TVs, or any device equipped with a web browser.
Movie and game rental business Redbox and OCLC will launch a pilot program this summer that will sponsor arts festivals, concerts, outdoor movies, and other free public entertainment events in partnership with local libraries. The program, called “Outside the Box,” will begin with five libraries: the Billings (MT) Public Library, the West Town Branch of the Chicago Public Library, the Richland Library in Columbia, S.C., Chattahoochee Valley Libraries in Columbus, GA, and the Cuyahoga County (OH) Public Library.
Hachette Book Group on May 29 announced plans to provide unabridged audiobook recordings for free to the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), a division of the Library of Congress (LOC). Select backlist and new titles, including new releases, will be available through NLS’s Talking Books program by the end of 2013
This spring, BiblioLabs, the Charleston, SC–based developer of the free multimedia anthology production platform BiblioBoard Creator, began offering a subscription service that will allow users to download and view anthologies created by libraries and other third parties.
Now anyone can create a beautiful digital zine of customized content, thanks to Flipboard. In a highly touted feature, version 2.0 of the iconic newsstand app allows users to select content they find on Flipboard to create magazines on any interest or topic. SLJ’s screencast shows you how to make your own publication in the image-rich format, add articles, and publish to the world or select subscribers.
