Category Archives: Librarianship

Do books have the power to heal? | Macleans.ca

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Most of Ella Berthoud’s patients are young professionals: cosmopolitan careerists in their 30s or 40s. Some are burdened with anxiety. Some feel adrift in their mid-lives. Many are approaching rites of passage: a first child, retirement, a gap year in India, the death of a spouse. But others have more singular afflictions. One patient was hooked on chick lit, and “terrified of reading anything more demanding.” A young couple was eager to rekindle a fizzling romance. Berthoud—a London-based “bibliotherapist”—has heard it all. In each case, the prescription is the same: Read a book.

via Do books have the power to heal? | Macleans.ca.

The post also includes a transcript of today’s (September 10, 2013) live chat with Ella Berthoud.

Start-Ups Take Library Jobs | Reinventing Libraries | Library Journal

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Three years ago, I wrote here that “libraries are so valuable that they attract voracious new competition with every technological advance” (see “Libraries, Ebooks, and Competition,” LJ 8/10, p. 22–23). At the time, I was thinking about Google, Apple, Amazon, and Wikipedia as the gluttonous innovators aiming to be hired for the jobs that libraries had been doing. I imagined Facebook and Twitter to be the sort of competitors most likely to be attracted by the flame of library value. But it’s the new guys that surprise you. To review the last three years of change in the library world, I’d like to focus on some of the start-ups that have newly occupied digital niches in the reading ecosystem. It’s these competitors that libraries will need to understand and integrate with to remain relevant.

The full story: Start-Ups Take Library Jobs | Reinventing Libraries | Library Journal.

The article reviews competitors GoodReads, Wattpad, Readmill, SIPX and Zola Books.

Stunning, Tiny Paintings Found On Vintage Books | HuffPost Books

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Colleen Theisen, a librarian at University of Iowa’s Special Collections and University Archives, recently found these awesome fore-edge paintings on a series of books from the 19th century.

The books are a four volume series by Robert Mudie, one volume for each season of the year, and the paintings reflect each of those seasons. The artist of these mini paintings is unknown.

Iowa Special Collections

The full story: Stunning, Tiny Paintings Found On Vintage Books | HuffPost Books.

10 Essential Fashion Documentaries | Flavorwire

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New York Fashion Week opened earlier this week, and we’re celebrating with a list of essential fashion documentaries that go behind the scenes of the industry.

via 10 Essential Fashion Documentaries | Flavorwire.

I have watched The September Issue and Valentino: The Last Emperor and thought the subject matter fascinating. I highly recommend watching any of the films on the list just to see a glimpse of driven creative genius at work, as well as the uncompromising visions of the designers and fashion elite. These films and the others on the list are must see for fashion, art and culture aficionados. They are well worth watching to capture a glimmer of understanding of the fantasy that is the fashion industry and the effects of the fashion machine on society.

World’s largest Aboriginal exhibition goes online | Australian Geographic

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THE WORLD’S LARGEST AND most representative collection of Aboriginal artefacts will soon be accessible at the click of a mouse.

The South Australian Museum has undertaken a significant project to digitally photograph and database every object in its Aboriginal Material Culture collection, which is recognised as the world’s largest and most comprehensive.

Aboriginal Artifact

via World’s largest Aboriginal exhibition goes online | Australian Geographic.

Related: Australia’s Oldest Culture Enters the Digital Age – One Image at a Time | South Australian Museum

With Modern Makeovers, America’s Libraries Are Branching Out | NPR

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With Modern Makeovers, America’s Libraries Are Branching Out | NPR.

Quotable: When you say the words “libraries” and “future” together, the first question a lot of people have is: Will there still be books? According to most librarians interviewed for this story, the answer is a firm “yes.” But they also say that housing books will be less of a priority.

32 Free Library Webinars in September | Ellyssa Kroski – OEDB.org

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32 free webinars that are relevant for librarians and information professionals.

via 32 Free Library Webinars in September | Ellyssa Kroski – OEDB.org.

Dr. Seuss Available as eBooks for First Time | GoodReader

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Random House Children’s Books, the publisher of multi-award winning and best-selling children’s author Dr. Seuss’ entire catalog of children’s content, announced today that it would begin releasing most of the author’s forty-four books as ebooks for young readers, starting with fifteen titles near the end of this month. The ebooks will keep the original layout and beloved illustrations, but will also incorporate a read-aloud narration.

Dr. Seuss Ebooks

See the full story: Dr. Seuss Available as eBooks for First Time | GoodReader.

New Kindle Paperwhite Has Goodreads Built into Device | GalleyCat

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Amazon has unveiled a new Kindle Paperwhite, building Goodreads interaction straight into the $119 eReader. Goodreads members can now rate books and share passages from inside the Kindle.

via New Kindle Paperwhite Has Goodreads Built into Device | GalleyCat.

‘Most Amazing, Stupendously Clever’ Little Free Library of the Day | Shelf Awareness

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Checking in at Little Free Library’s Facebook page is always fun, but a post yesterday was so mesmerizing that even the LFL folks couldn’t resist exclaiming: “Is this the most amazing, stupendously clever, epic, mechanically excellent (?!) and stunningly cool Little Free Library ever? It’s a kinetic sculpture! A neighborhood art piece! Destined for the Museum of Modern Art? The Walker? The Guggenheim? Have you ever seen anything this fab?”

via ‘Most Amazing, Stupendously Clever’ Little Free Library of the Day | Shelf Awareness for Wednesday, September 4, 2013 | Shelf Awareness.