Citation
Oyelude, A.A. (2015), "What’s trending in libraries from the internet cybersphere – 04 – 2015", Library Hi Tech News, Vol. 32 No. 8. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHTN-08-2015-0060
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
What’s trending in libraries from the internet cybersphere – 04 – 2015
Article Type: General review From: Library Hi Tech News, Volume 32, Issue 8
Adetoun A. Oyelude
This edition of the column trends on books, banned books, stolen books and futuristic technologies that can be applied in libraries. Read and find out more.
Old books reborn as art
This interview posted on YouTube by Brian Dettmer at http://www.ted.com/talks/brian_dettmer_old_books_reborn_as_intricate_art, the page of TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design), is trending. The discussion is about transforming old books that would ordinarily be weeded away from library collections and thrown away or disposed of, into art forms through a fascinating creative process. The pages, cover, spine and all different parts of the book can be “chiseled” or “whittled” down to produce beautiful art. In reality, nothing is lost in the book discarding process. Speaking about his book work titled “Alternate Route to Knowledge”, Dettmer says: “This was a book of Raphael paintings, the Renaissance artist, and by taking his work and remixing it, carving into it, I’m sort of making it into something that’s more new and more contemporary. I’m thinking also about breaking out of the box of the traditional book and pushing that linear format, and try to push the structure of the book itself so that the book can become fully sculptural”. The book art form he produced is further trending on the Facebook page of TED at http://www.facebook.com/TED/posts/10155828723500652 with more than 2,500 Likes.
Wraclow, Poland is World book city 2016
The city of Wroclaw (Poland) was named World Book Capital for 2016 by an international committee of experts at UNESCO on 25 June 2014. This city was chosen “in light of the strong assets of its program in terms of quality and variety” and in particular, “for its special focus on grass-roots community involvement, as well as promotion of publishing, bookselling industries and libraries at regional and international levels”. The choice comes after that of South Korean city of Incheon. This news is trending more so as the city is to host the 2017 International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Congress in 2017. See more at: http://culture360.asef.org/news/world-book-capital-cities-2015-2016/#sthash.UqN6B5g7.dpuf and http://en.unesco.org/world-book-capital-city
Free haircut to kids for reading aloud
A barber, Courtney Holmes, in Iowa has started a bid to promote reading aloud for children by offering a free haircut to whichever one was ready to read a book aloud to/with him. The summer program is gaining popularity and encouraging reading. Find more, and pictures too at http://www.boredpanda.com/barber-free-haircut-kids-read-books-courtney-holmes as posted on the boredpanda website by Dainlius. It’s trending with many thousand likes and some 200 shares as at 7 August 2015.
I-Phone reading on the rise
The Wall Street Journal article by Jennifer Mallory tells of the rise in reading on the I-phone by many people, even those that are busy taking care of babies and doing other engaging tasks. The rise in reading on a smartphone is due to its convenience, being handy and the ability to switch between the functions of the phone. Publishers are looking to take advantage of this trend that makes even the use of Kindle ebook readers to drop. According to the post: “Most people who read on their phones toggle back and forth between devices, using whichever is closest at hand when the opportunity strikes, according to a survey this year by the book-recommendation site Goodreads. Nearly two-thirds of respondents who read on their phones said they did so because they didn’t have their e-reader or tablet with them”. Read more about this at http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-rise-of-phone-reading-1439398395
Florida parents try to ban books
In Florida, parents are attempting to ban children’s books set in Iran and Afghanistan. The books – “Nasreen’s Secret School” and “The Librarian of Besra” – are books they feel do not deal appropriately with issues of religion, and are too violent for young children. Educational groups, however, say the books are acceptable for young children. Neither book is about religion! According to Amanda Holpuch, in her 20 July 2015 post in The Guardian, the comment of an Illinois Professor about the parents is that, “They know very well that they can’t protect their children from any depiction of violence”, “And this book is such a thoughtful perspective of wartime and what wartime does to a city and the various things you would think when you’re considering – what’s the impact of war?” “Both books are based on true stories and are written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter”. Find out more at http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/20/florida-parents-ban-childrens-books-iraq-afghanistan
Banned books giveaway by teenager
From http://www.Deathandtaxesmag.com comes another post on banned books. “Parents called cops on a teenager, Brady Kissel who ‘defied’ their ban order and distributed a book they had succeeded in getting off the school curriculum”. The book titled “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian” by Sherman Alexie was a popular read among teenagers and focuses on “fitting in, making sense of race and sexual discovery”. The teens (about 350 of them) protested and this led to a crowd-funding campaign by Rediscovered Books who raised enough money to buy a book for each for the protesters. The police presence did not prevent the book giveaway however! Read more of this report by Alex Moore posted on 13th August at http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/219767/parents-call-cops-on-teen-for-giving-away-banned-book-it-backfires-predictably. It’s trending with thousands of Facebook shares, Tweets, Likes and all!
German libraries try to return Nazi-looted books
This post by Polina Garaev on 1 August 2015 on the 124 website tells of the effort of German libraries to return books stolen by the Nazis during the war to their rightful owners. The bid to do restitution by the libraries has come after research into the library collections purchased or received as donations between 1933 and 1945. Sebastian Finsterwalder of the Central State Library (ZLB) who is in the forefront of getting these books returned to the owners has had some successes even though it is a difficult task and the search is for successors of the owners. The task still continues. The returned books usually have no real value, but that’s seen as irrelevant. “They carry memories and connect people to their past, especially the second and third generation, who sometimes know nothing of what happened to their family”, says Sebastian. Find out more at http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/europe/80492-150801-mission-impossible-german-libraries-try-to-return-nazi-looted-books
College librarian in China replaced art with fakes
Still on crime in the library, Louise Watt on 21 July 2015 posted on the Big Story website about a college librarian in China who admitted replacing art hangings in his library with fakes. These paintings were the sort that could be charged out by college professors and students and returned. The unfortunate incidents seemed to be ones that were going on unchecked for a long period of time until another employee noticed the changes and went to the police to make a report. This news is trending with 54 shares as at August 4th, 2015. See more at http://bigstory.ap.org/article/f9989d2800d94828b9a1283442fa791f/college-librarian-china-admits-he-replaced-art-fakes
Five publishers responsible for majority of science journals
An article in http://www.wired.com posted by Julia Greenberg on 15 June 2015 is trending with 519 Facebook shares, 817 Tweets and 24 comments, as of 30 July 2015. The contention is from the results of a study by Vincent Lariviere and his co-researchers who found out that in the medical sciences, natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, five major publishers: “account for more than 50 per cent of all papers published in 2013. Reed-Elsevier Wiley-Blackwell, Springer, and Taylor and Francis (The fifth differs for the two major fields – American Chemical Society for the hard sciences and Sage Publications for the more social ones”.
These five publishers could achieve this feat because the Internet got them to this position. Get to know more about WIREDs interview with Lariviere from http://www.wired.com/2015/06/web-will-either-kill-science-journals-save/
Sleep pods in libraries: power napping
The University of Western Sydney library has introduced sleep pods for its users. The energy pod provided plays soft music and lights, which make the user have a 20-minute nap right there in the library. At the end of 20 minutes, the pod starts vibrating to gently wake up the napping user. This post by the University of Sydney Library on their website can be found at https://library.uws.edu.au/uws_library/node/493. According to the post, “There is an increasing body of research that shows 20 minute naps improve concentration, increase energy levels and help reduce fatigue. The EnergyPods are here to provide these benefits to you, to help you with your studies”. Some other Universities are also into the use of sleep pods. A post on 6 May 2015 by Charlotte Dobson tells of the futuristic sleeping pods installed by the University of Manchester Libraries. “The pod has been installed as part of an informal experiment into how napping can optimize the brain’s ability to learn and retain information”. Read more at http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchester-university-installs-futuristic-sleeping-9197533. That’s what’s trending.
Newport news libraries teach drone skills
Are smart libraries using drones? It seems like it, but not really. Posted on 5 August 2015 by Sarah Hill, it is reported that the Newport Public Library system organized a program where “students engaged in activities which helped them develop critical-thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills while learning about small robotics”. See more at http://hrscene.com/newport-news-libraries-teach-drone-skills/. The program resulted in the students making unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) which could fly within the enclosed space provided. “The program is called UAVs 4 Me and was created by the Newport News Public Library System’s (NNPLS) Digital Services Team through a grant from the Best Buy Foundation”. See also another report by the Centre for Digital Education as reported by Tamara Dietrich, on August 6, 2015 at http://www.centerdigitaled.com/k-12/Drone-Design-Program-Flies-Students-Toward-STEM-Careers.html. The library is reportedly looking for more schools or groups to host another such program. It is to encourage careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Free public libraries are thriving in the digital age
Posted by Nicholas Adams-Dzierzba on 30 June on the Facebook page of the Sydney Morning Herald is the news that free public libraries are thriving in the digital age. Alex Byrne, head of the New South Wales library claims that the library has the highest statistics of 35 million visits in 2013-2014 and 45 million loans recorded. This is attributable to many innovations like “adapting to digital times, providing free Wi-Fi, making services available remotely and hosting a variety of programs and quirky events”. The report further states that “Membership to libraries may be free, but a recent valuation of the cultural heritage held by the State Library estimated its worth at $3.15 billion, making it one of the most valuable library collections in Australia and the world. Just a quarter of all Australian collections have been digitized, according to a CSIRO study on Innovation in the Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAM) sector. Dr Peter Kambouris of the CSIRO says libraries have embraced digital technology to build their local value, and the rest of the sector - museums and galleries - is trailing behind […]. In the digital age, the ability to talk to humans, to be personalized and instantaneous, has become paramount”. Read more at http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/free-public-libraries-are-thriving-in-the-digital-age-20150703-gi16cc.html#ixzz3k0QfoUkI
What is your GooglAbility standing?
Clearly, people are making decisions about you based on what they find online. Your Google results may be the determining factor in whether an executive recruiter calls you in for an interview, your manager decides to promote you or a prospective client chooses to work with you. It is no longer a luxury, it is a requirement for you to build and continuously manage your online identity. This is the trend now for information professionals who may be seeking a job or as an information consultant looking for clients. What information you have on Google can make or mar you according to a post by Nicholas Eberl on LinkedIn. There are many questions to ask yourself like – When was the last time you googled yourself? Who is Googling you? And what comes up on your first Google page?
Libraries could borrow a leaf from this. Who is Googling your library? Where is the face of the library? Find out more at http://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-do-recruiters-find-when-google-your-name-dr-nikolaus
Adetoun A. Oyelude (toyelude@yahoo.com) is Principal Librarian at University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.