The Source: news about digital libraries and library innovations from around the web

Introducing The Source

Adult digital media literacy needs (Note: PDF)

From the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) website

This qualitative research report focuses on non-use and limited use of internet and mobile phones by adult Australians. It provides an understanding of explaining factors such as lack of skills, motivation or economic circumstances, and how the digital media literacy of these groups might be increased.


Mythconceptions: A reality check on e-Books from the publisher’s POV

From the Smashwords website

This report, without denying that the time has definitely come for book publishers to take e-Books seriously, will debunk some of the more prevalent myths about e-Books under current market conditions and technological realities.


Digital quality of life: understanding the personal and social benefits of the information technology revolution (Note: PDF)

From the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) website

In the new global economy, information technology (IT) is the major driver of both economic growth and improved quality of life. The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) in its 2007 report "Digital Prosperity: Understanding the Economic Benefits of the Information Technology Revolution" documented how IT, since the mid-1990s, has been the principal driver of increased economic growth not only in the United States but also in many other nations. However, IT is also at the core of dramatic improvements in the quality of life for individuals around the world. In our new report, we show how IT is the key enabler of many, if not most, of today’s key innovations and improvements in our lives and society - from better education and health care, to a cleaner and more energy-efficient environment, to safer and more secure communities and nations.


The Internet: empowering or censoring citizens? (Note: MP 3)

From the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) website

In the context of authoritarian states, the internet has always been viewed as an unambiguous force for good. It has, indeed, had a wide-reaching impact on many such regimes, allowing their citizens to mobilise around particular political and social issues and gain access to previously banned materials. However, many authoritarian governments are now also beginning to exploit cyberspace for their own purposes; some of them appear to be succeeding in subverting the internet's democratising potential. We may have overestimated the internet's ability to bring change and underestimated the role that political, social and cultural forces play in determining how new technologies are being adopted.
Could the internet actually inhibit rather than empower civil society? Join Evgeny Morozov, 2009-2010 Yahoo fellow at Georgetown University, as he outlines the dramatically different ways in which the internet's potential can be utilised by citizens and regimes.


Australian mobile phone lifestyle index (Note: PDF)

From the Australian Interactive Media Industry Association website

The findings of this report provide valuable insights into the background, usage behaviour and preferences of Australian mobile phone users. This information is intended to better inform mobile application developers, content and service aggregators, content and service owners, mobile telecommunication companies, handset manufacturers, analysts and other industry partners about the current Australian mobile content and services market and key longitudinal trends.