When Bob Jewett goes to the Georgetown library, he usually picks up a handful of books, a few magazines, and his daily newspaper. The one thing you won’t see him picking up is an ebook or, more correctly, an ebook reader. At 78-years-old Jewett prefers large print paperbacks, not computer, tablet, or phone screens. [Read more…]
Borrow a drone from the library?
Libraries are extending their collections beyond books and movies. More than ever, libraries are trying to meet the needs of their communities by providing computers, printers, and classes. However, the recent purchase of drones by the University of South Florida may create even more headaches for them as they consider how the drones are used. [Read more…]
Is technology making libraries obsolete?
In 2011, popular political comedian Bill Maher said, “We have the Internet. We don’t need a library. I don’t know anyone that has gone to a library since 1998”.
Is the tradition of putting ideas in print going the way of the dinosaurs? It can certainly seem that way these days, given all of the new technology we have for gaining knowledge and interacting with the world. Today, about half of adults in America own a tablet or an ereader. That said, tablets are used for lots of other things – often games with “bird” in the name – and not everyone who owns one is going to be reading on it. Still, it’s estimated that the number of people who will actually read an ebook in a year, amongst adults anyways, is about 28%. [Read more…]
Did you know that public libraries offer technology classes?
When you think of the public library, what image comes to your mind? Is it a quiet room filled with shelves, all lined with seemingly endless books waiting to be read? Of course, books have always been the backbone of libraries, but in today’s world, libraries offer so much more than just story time. Libraries give the members of the community a place to come and take classes in which they can learn new skills to enrich their lives. [Read more…]
Court rules libraries must allow access to Wiccan and pagan websites
The ACLU of Eastern Missouri won a victory for a client yesterday that involved a public library censoring certain content on their computers.
U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber yesterday ordered the Salem Public Library in Missouri to allow access to websites that contain Wiccan or pagan content. The court determined that the filters that the library was using on their computers were violating the First Amendment. [Read more…]