How do you quantify a public good? Library supporters have struggled with this problem for a long time, as public libraries are often the first institutions up on a budget-slasher’s chopping block. But a recent study from the London School of Economics bolsters the value of libraries in a major way. By translating well-being gained from visits to the library into dollars, the study’s authors conclude that a year of library visits is equivalent to a little more than a $2,200 raise.
READ MORE: Feeling Unsatisfied? Get Thee To A Library And Feel Like You Got A Raise | Co.Exist | ideas + impact.
The Cybersecurity Lab is a game designed to teach people how to keep their digital lives safe, spot cyber scams, learn the basics of coding, and defend against cyber attacks. Players assume the role of the chief technology officer of a start-up social network company that is the target of increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. In the game, players must complete challenges to strengthen their cyber defenses and thwart their attackers. The Lab also features stories of real-world cyber attacks, a glossary of cyber terms, and short animated videos that explain the need for cybersecurity, privacy versus security, cryptography (cyber codes), and what exactly hackers are. MORE: Cybersecurity | NOVA Labs | PBS.
Making a pilgrimage to the Videogame History Museum has been tough so far; most of its collection is in storage, and what little you do see has been going on cross-country tours. Pretty soon, though, it will have a permanent public display. A Frisco, Texas community board has approved a deal to give the Museum a 10,400 square foot location inside the citys Discovery Center by this April.
READ MORE: The Videogame History Museum has found a home in Frisco, Texas | Engadget
HarperColllins and ebook distributor LibreDigital, have signed up to use a new technology called Guardian Watermarking for Publishing from Digimarc, a new anti-piracy technology that embeds an invisible watermark into ebooks at the time of transaction. The service is cloud-based and offers an easy-to-integrate API for most ebook formats, including EPUB, PDF and MOBI.
READ MORE: HarperCollins Is Now Using Digital Watermarks To Stop Ebook Piracy | Gizmodo
While most of the evidence has been largely anecdotal, the idea that a mentor can help guide you along a better path in life is hard to argue against. Now, a large study from North Carolina State University seems to support the claim that, yes, having a mentor at a young age can lead to better, more-fulfilling employment later on.
READ MORE: Study: Children With Mentors Find Happier, More Fulfilling Careers | Fast Company | Business + Innovation.
Here’s the thing: sometimes, you just want to read a good love story. Or at least, something with a little sex, a little passion, a few dramatic swoons. But a romance novel, per se? Nothing so gaudy or slapdash for you! You need real literature. Well, person who I’ve just made up though I know you’re out there, here’s the answer: a selection of romantic books that will rev your motor emotional or otherwise but don’t fall into that taboo category of cheap paper and cheaper storylines. After the jump, 50 romantic novels for people who hate romance novels.
READ MORE: Romantic Books for People Who Hate Romance Novels | Flavorwire
This is a pretty good list. It could be better…Pride & Prejudice is missing. Also suggest Simon the Coldheart or An Infamous Army by Georgette Heyer; North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell; Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon; The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy; Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews; The Winer Sea by Susanna Kearsley. I guess the author does not consider YA literature, as I don’t think the genre is represented. I don’t read much YA myself, so I don’t have any suggestions.
Did you read the recent Wall Street Journal article that said we would soon be experiencing a shortage of librarians and sea captains?
Does that math sound right to you?
READ MORE: Library Jobs Math | Hiring Librarians.
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