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The Kansas City Public Library, MO (KCPL) developed its new Software Lending Library, a remote desktop system that will enable patrons to “check out” and use software applications such as Adobe Photoshop or Microsoft Excel on their home computers or laptops.
echnology education provider Treehouse announced Treehouse Education Library Aid, a new pricing plan that offers small or demonstrably cash-strapped libraries discounts of up to 50 percent on subscriptions to its collection of step-by-step online courses on website design, computer programming, app development for Android and iOS devices, entrepreneurship, and other topics.
The DC Public Library (DCPL) yesterday hosted the grand opening of its new Digital Commons and “Dream Lab” collaborative workspace. The new areas are designed to enhance the library system’s digital literacy efforts, while building relationships with local tech entrepreneurs.
With the continuing travels of Edward Snowden keeping the National Security Administration’s (NSA) surveillance habits in the news, the discussion during Sunday’s LITA Top Technology Trends 2013 panel at the American Library Association’s Annual Convention turned frequently to the future of privacy, and the role that libraries might play in protecting their patrons.
The American Library Association (ALA) this week launched a preview version of Digital Learn, a free online resource for librarians working with digital literacy learners. The new hub, which will be fully available June 30, follows recommendations released this month from ALA’s Digital Literacy Task Force.
For libraries that use both services, items checked out using the new Quick Connect interface for 3M SelfCheck will trigger a NoveList search, enabling SelfCheck screens to display reading recommendations limited to items that are owned by the patron’s library.
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.
Following a successful pilot with the Orange County (FL) Library System (OCLS), online technology education provider Treehouse Island has launched a subscription-based service that will allow library patrons to learn programming skills at home or on any library computer.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s $4 billion Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) has helped about 20 percent of U.S. libraries make improvements to publicly available technology resources and digital literacy within their communities, according to a report released on Monday by the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP).
The vast majority of parents with children younger than 18 feel libraries are very important for their kids, leading to higher-than-average use of a wide range of library services, a new national report from the Pew Research Center shows.
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