Introducing The Source
Valuing Culture: Measuring and Understanding Canada’s Creative Economy
Download for free (upon free subscription) from the Conference Board of Canada e-library
This report sheds light on the value of culture as a cornerstone of the creative economy and as a contributor to economic performance across all sectors. It also presents evidence of how countries around the world recognize the pervasive role of the culture sector in building social cohesion and improving quality of life. The report examines key trends and drivers that are fundamentally changing the way we create, access, and experience culture, and the business models that support culture activity. Taking into account the substantial direct, indirect, and induced contributions of the arts and culture industries, the Conference Board estimates that the culture sector’s economic footprint was $84.6 billion in 2007, constituting 7.4 per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP). Employment in the culture sector exceeded 1 million jobs.In total, culture accounts for more than $43 billion or 3.8% of Canada's GDP. Libraries account for $1.3 billion of Canada's Gross Domestic Product.
Books in a virtual world: The evolution of the e-book and its lexicon (Note: PDF)
From the E-LIS (E-prints in Library and Information Science) website
Over recent years there has been considerable confusion over the use of the term ‘e-book’, and this article examines the variety of definitions used to date while proposing a definitive construct. Beginning by examining the definitions of ‘book’, the paper moves on to consider the essential element of a book – the content, and to examine publishing and structural aspects of e-books, as well as their place in libraries, before arriving at a final definition. The definition and its derivation embrace all of the issues that affect the way in which e-books are understood and used today. In conclusion, the article looks at both the genesis of e-books, and the stage of acceptance and adoption that they have reached, with brief reference to 3rd-generation e-book readers available at the time of writing.
From the blog designed to bring the wonderful world of marketing to librarians:
The Power of Marketing (Note: Video)
AND
Marketing 101 - Creating a demand (Note: Video)
2008 Kids & Family Reading Report: Reading in the 21st Century: Turning the Page with Technology (Note: PDF)
From the Scholastic website
A new study just released finds that 75% of kids age 5-17 agree with the statement, “No matter what I can do online, I’ll always want to read books printed on paper,” and 62% of kids surveyed say they prefer to read books printed on paper rather than on a computer or a handheld device. 'The Kids & Family Reading Report', a national survey of children age 5-17 and their parents, also found that kids who go online to extend the reading experience – by going to book or author websites or connecting with other readers – are more likely to read books for fun every day.
The key findings of the research, based on interviews with 501 children age 5-17 and their parents or guardians (1000+ total respondents) in 25 cities across the country, are as follows:
Kids & Reading
* a majority of kids say they like to read books for fun and that reading books for fun is important. Most kids perceive a correlation between reading and success
* One in four kids age 5–17 reads books for fun every day (high frequency reader), and more than half of kids read books for fun at least two to three times a week
* Reading frequency declines after age eight and is stronger among girls than boys
Technology & Reading
* Kids believe that technology will complement — not replace — book reading. After age eight, more children go online daily than read for fun daily; however, high frequency Internet users are still more likely than lower frequency users to read books for fun every day
* The majority of kids of all ages (62%) prefer to read books printed on paper rather than on a computer or handheld device
* Nearly two in three online tweens and teens (age 9-17) have extended the reading experience via the internet. These kids are more likely to value and enjoy reading, read more frequently, and agree with the statement: “No matter what I can do online, I’ll always want to read books printed on paper"
Parents’ Role
* Parents overwhelmingly view reading as the most important skill a child needs to develop
* Trouble finding books they like is a key reason kids say they do not read more frequently. Mom is the top source for book suggestions for kids age 5-11, and friends are most influential among kids age 12-17, who also turn to the Internet
* Eighty-two percent of parents say they wish their child would read more books for fun, and parents employ several tactics to encourage kids to read more
The Desk and Beyond (Note: podcast - Time: 29:27)
From the ACRL Insider weblog
In this podcast, 'College & Research Libraries News' editor-in-chief, David Free, talks with Sarah Steiner and Leslie Madden about current and future trends in reference services.
Exploring characteristics and effects of user participation in online social Q&A sites
From the First Monday website
People are seeking more meaningful and customized information than what is obtained by keywords–based queries and document retrieval through a search engine. In this paper, we look at a set of such services, referred to as social Q&A sites. With sites such as Google Answers, and primarily Yahoo! Answers, we attempt to understand various characteristics of user participation and their possible effects on the design and success of the site. We discuss these social Q&A sites by comparing their designs based on user participation and point out the effects and defects of each. We show that active user participation is the core component of these sites.
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