A newly minted MOU will make each state’s state librarian the point person for the Open Library’s lending program. This program began last March and now includes 1,000 libraries in eight countries and has a collection of 100,000 titles. Judging by the map of registered libraries, several U of T libraries have joined. Participating libraries supply books to the Internet Archives to be digitized - this builds the collection from which their patrons can borrow. Consortial collection sharing at its best.

See: http://openlibrary.org/borrow

A new report from Pew finds that 21% of Americans have read an e-book - up from 17% from last year and those with devices read more than the average print reader.

So how do libraries come off in this report? We are in the space, but not leaders - and maybe that’s our role. According to the study e-book readers turn to friends and family first for title recommendations and to libraries last and prefer to buy their e-books rather than borrow. It would be interesting to see a study that addresses these two issues in just the print realm; I’m guessing the outcome would be the same - the general public’s information seeking behaviour usually taps friends and family first, and those with means usually buy instead of borrow. The format of the book doesn’t radically change the patron/library relationship.

As the P v. E battle continues, with everyone waiting for the tipping point, the study shows that print books are still preferred when people want to read to children or share titles. If the publishers can drop the DRM (like you TOR UK!) and child friendly devices and content are created, the tipping point may be here soon than we think.

The report: http://libraries.pewinternet.org/2012/04/04/the-rise-of-e-reading/

I know Canadians have a reputation of politeness and I must admit that I am a chronic thanker, but TTC, please just don’t. Don’t thank me for taking the TTC. This implies I have a choice and I really don’t, you are my one option to get to work (too many bike accidents, too far to walk, don’t want to get sweaty by running in…). For the most part I have positive experiences on my route - great bus drivers who stop for me as I run to try and catch the bus, easy going subway riders who somehow get along as we are smushed and pressed together way closer than politeness could ever allow - but still. The delays! The breakdowns! If I had a choice, I would choose something else simply because I’m sick of being late for things (and yes, I do give myself enough time…or think I do. What, I have to leave at the crack of dawn?). So, please stop with the canned “thank yous” that you play in the subways stations. They just made me a little bitter.

DOAB is a discovery service for peer reviewed books published under an Open Access license. DOAB provides a searchable index to the information about these books, with links to the full texts of the publications at the publisher’s website or repository.

Right now the pickings are slim, but hopefully the repository will grow, and will be a useful tool for selection and acquisition.

Give it a whirl: http://www.doabooks.org/

Thanks, Lone Wolf Librarian for bringing Jonah Lehrer’s video for his new book, “Imagine: How Creativity Works” to my attention. The contents of the book aside (I haven’t read it) what I loved about this video is that we usually only see the end result of things, the big reveal, the big ta-da! When I am struggling to write concisely, solve a problem, just get something done I think, why is this so hard!? It seems so easy for others. It’s hard …. because that’s the way it is - for everyone. Thanks, Jonah for reminding me that anything worth doing is going to be a struggle and solutions are found after despair.

Check it out - the drawing are delightful:

http://lonewolflibrarian.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/imagine-how-creativity-works-by-jonah-lehrer-04-17-12/

Off to #sc12 for a day of learning, connecting and seeing friends.