|
|
|
McGraw-Hill eBook Library Debuts As Its Etextbook Platform
|
|
by Nancy K. Herther
|
|
On May 12, 2011, McGraw-Hill Professional announced its new ebook platform, the McGraw-Hill eBook Library, described as "a state-of-the-art platform delivering unparalleled access to the publisher's premium content for institutions around the world." According to the website, the product was initially scheduled to launch in March 2011. Company officials plan appearances at library-related conferences throughout the coming year to demo the new ebook service, geared to the needs of professional and academic markets.
|
|
Groups Support Congressionally Mandated Reports Act
|
|
|
|
Nearly 30 organizations, including SLA, ALA, ARL, and AALL, recently joined OpenTheGovernment.org in endorsing the Congressionally Mandated Reports Act, a bill soon to be introduced by Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Illinois). The Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act requires that any report required by statute to be issued to Congress and releasable under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) be posted on a website managed by the US Government Printing Office (GPO). The reports would be available no later than 30 days after their transmission to Congress and would be searchable by a number of categories.
|
|
National Library of France Embarks on Huge Digitization Project
|
|
|
|
The BnF, the National Library of France, signed a new deal with the Jouve-Safig-Diadeis partnership for the digitization of its print collections. As the principal representative of the operation, the Jouve Group will work in partnership with Safig, Diadeis, and the subcontractor BancTec, to digitize more than 70,000 works per year, of which about 70% will come from the print collections of the BnF and 30% from the collections of partner libraries. Financed by the Centre national du livre, the agreement has been set for a 3-year period, renewable for 1 year after.
|
|
Print Isn’t Dead, Says Bowker’s Annual Book Production Report
|
|
|
|
Bowker released its annual report on U.S. print book publishing, compiled from its Books In Print database. Based on preliminary figures from U.S. publishers, Bowker is projecting that despite the popularity of ebooks, traditional U.S. print title output in 2010 increased 5%. Output of new titles and editions increased from 302,410 in 2009 to a projected 316,480 in 2010. The 5% increase comes on the heels of a 4% increase the previous year based on the final 2008-2009 figures.
|
|
Book Recommendation Services
|
|
by Paula J. Hane
|
|
My family and friends have long been valued sources of recommendations for that next good read. We eagerly trade paperbacks, and we don't get bent out of shape if our preferences don't always match someone's recommendations. Amazon's recommendations have proven helpful to me over the years (Customers who bought this also …), and sometimes it highlights items I might not have thought of checking. But with the increased interest in ebooks and the phenomenal sales of e-readers, it's worth knowing about some other very helpful sources for book recommendations. There's a growing number of them popping up, and I was quite surprised to find so many when I started digging. Each has its own special strengths, so you might want to check out several.
|
|
|
If you regularly read blogs, add these to your reader:
ITI Books Blog – booksblog.infotoday.com – news, observations, and commentary from the authors, editors, and publishers of Information Today, Inc.'s many book offerings.
ITI Conference Blog – libconf.com – covering ITI's library conferences worldwide.
Library Stuff – librarystuff.net – the library blog dedicated to resources for keeping current and professional development, written by Steven M. Cohen.
InfoToday Europe Blog – infotodayeurope.com – The latest news, analysis and opinion on the information industry in Europe and the UK.
Business of Video blog – blog.streamingmedia.com – Daily posts about the online video industry, business trends and analysis, market data, and research as well as the online video business models in the media and entertainment, broadcast, publishing, advertising and enterprise industries.
destinationCRM Blog – destinationcrmblog.com – a blog from the editors of CRM magazine, dedicated to providing Customer Relationship Management information in a timely manner to connect decision makers and providers.
SpeechTech Blog – speechtechblog.com – updates on speech technology and its applications in daily life. Covers everything from ASR to VUI, with lots of links, threads, and even a few pictures thrown in for good measure.
|
Paula Hane's New Chapter
Effective June 1, Paula J. Hane is giving up her assignment as News Bureau Chief at Information Today, Inc. (ITI), where she was engaged to provide editorial direction to the ITI NewsBreaks service hosted on infotoday.com. She also wrote for Information Today and the Cyberskeptic’s Guide to Internet Research. She has been associated with the company for 16½ years and was previously the Editor of Database magazine for Online, Inc. She will continue to accept freelance editorial and writing assignments.
The responsibility for producing news commentaries and in-depth analyses for the infotoday.com website will be integrated into the workflow of the Information Today newspaper, with Barbara Brynko as Editor-in-Chief/Editorial Director. Assisting Barbara will be Brandi Scardilli as Managing Editor.
Vendors should continue to send information industry and product news items to Information Today: Barbara Brynko (Editor-in-Chief/Editorial Director) at bbrynko@infotoday.com. Library technology news should continue to be sent to Computers in Libraries magazine at cilnews@infotoday.com. As always, freelance writers are encouraged to submit story ideas directly to the editors.
We wish Paula success in her new ventures and thank her for her many years of great work as News Bureau Chief at ITI. Paula can be reached at paulajeanhane@gmail.com.
|
|
