Introducing The Source
For the Kindle: British Library will begin providing free digital access to 65,000 rare first editions of 19th century fiction
From the Telegraph.co.uk website
Owners of the Amazon Kindle e-book device will be able to view the books, including their original typeface and illustrations, of famous works by Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, and Thomas Hardy, as well as thousands of more obscure authors. Printed paperback copies of the first editions, including Dickens’s Bleak House and Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, will also be available for the public to order from Amazon for around £15.
While some other services, such as Google Books, offer out-of-copyright works for free download, the library’s e-book publishing project, which is funded by Microsoft, will make first-editions available for free download for the first time. “Freeing historic books from the shelves has the potential to revolutionise access to the world’s greatest library resources,” said Lynne Brindley, Chief Executive of the British Library.
Assessing the economic benefits of digital inclusion (Note: PDF)
From the Digital Inclusion Initiative website
Constrained by cost or a lack of knowledge - and often both - a significant number of disadvantaged people are missing out on the basic tools that engender participation in modern life. This ‘digital divide’ has a significant negative impact on the communities it affects, by limiting their access to information, employment and social networks. On the upside, however, bridging this divide has genuine, measurable benefits for individuals and the broader community. This paper demonstrates the scale of these benefits, and makes a strong case for expanding the process of ‘digital inclusion’ to other disadvantaged areas of Australia.
The Digital Inclusion Initiative (DII) is a whole-of-community effort, spearheaded by the non-profit organisation, Infoxchange, and its eleven corporate partners. The initiative is designed to eradicate the digital divide by providing access to computer hardware, software, affordable internet, and user support for residents of public housing. Two disadvantaged communities in Victoria have already benefited from DII: Atherton Gardens Estate in Fitzroy and Collingwood Public Housing Estate. Now, using a robust economic model, management consulting firm A.T. Kearney has been able to identify and measure these benefits.
Perceptions 2009: An International Survey of Library Automation
From the Library Technology Guides website
Libraries make significant investments in technology in order to automate their libraries and deliver information resources and services through their websites. The integrated library system (ILS) for most libraries represents the most critical component of its technology infrastructure and can do the most to help or hinder a library in fulfilling its mission to serve its patrons and in operating efficiently. As libraries consider their automation strategies, such as moving to a new ILS, it is helpful to have as much data as possible to make an informed decision.
One aspect of that data might involve some measure of the perceptions of libraries that use those products regarding such things as the quality of the ILS, the company involved, and its customer support. In order to produce data that portrays some of the general perceptions that libraries have about these questions, a major survey has been conducted for the last three years, recording each library's satisfaction level with their ILS and the company involved, and probes at levels of interest in open source ILS products, one of the major issues brewing in the industry. The survey aims not only to provide libraries with helpful information regarding the products in the field, but might also serve as a tool for the companies involved to glean information on areas of strengths and weaknesses that will help them make any needed improvements.
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