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Review of the Year 2010 and Trends Watch 2011
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by Paula J. Hane
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The year 2010 saw the emergence of the iPad, the Android, and apps—lots and lots of apps. The market for mobile computing skyrocketed this year. And, information industry providers were quick to jump in with content delivery apps of all kinds. But I actually think it's a toss-up for top news of the year. While some say 2010 was the year of the app, there's also a very strong case that it could be considered the year of the ebook. And in our information industry, you could make a claim for it being the year of the platform relaunch (and I did, in my December 2010 NewsBreak Update column in Information Today,.
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Tutor.com Launches New Mobile and Personal Features
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Tutor.com released a new look and new mobile and personal features to its thousands of library, school, and military sites. Tutor.com reports that it is the first online homework-help company to release a mobile application for library patrons. The Tutor.com library advisory council, data from more than one million student surveys, and feedback from a network of 2,200 tutors drove the development process. New features are available to current clients at no additional cost and were showcased at the Midwinter ALA Meeting.
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NPG Introduces Mobile and Article ‘Rental’ Access Options
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Nature Publishing Group (NPG) introduced a range of new affordable access options for readers. A number of Nature journals now offer 24-hour "view only" access for $3.99 via the DeepDyve platform and a range of access models via the nature.com iPhone app. The nature.com reader for iPad is expected to launch later this month.
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Readex to Release African American Periodicals, 1825-1995
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African American Periodicals, 1825-1995, will be released by Readex, a division of NewsBank, in spring 2011. This newest Archive of Americana collection will feature more than 170 periodicals by and about African Americans. Published in 26 states, the publications will include academic and political journals, commercial magazines, institutional newsletters, organizations' bulletins, annual reports, and other genres. Soon to be fully searchable, these diverse periodicals—which have shaped, and in turn, been shaped by, African American culture—will enable new discoveries on lives of African Americans as individuals, as an ethnic group and as Americans.
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First One: Leading the Digital Revolution
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by Theresa Cramer
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When Karen Hunter started noticing a shift in publishing a few years ago, she says, "I was treated like Chicken Little." A journalist for more than 15 years, the co-author of several books (including the best-selling I Make My Own Rules with L.L. Cool J) and a self-professed tech geek, she says she told her co-workers at Simon & Schuster, "Something's going on that we need to capitalize on." Just like at most publishing companies, Hunter's warnings went unheeded, and as she puts it, "We got jacked." Digital publishing exploded, and even now—as ereaders flood the market—many companies are still trying to figure out how to make money from ebooks. Now, with the Jan. 11 launch of First One Digital Publishing, Hunter is trying to make up ground and help publishing regain some of its power with a new business model.
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If you are interested in sponsoring the NewsLink newsletter throughout the year, please contact account executive LaShawn Fugate for details: lashawn@infotoday.com.
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