News: SCSL Social Media Library Launched, 10 Libraries Receive Grant, New Software Code Library, Favorite Gothic Romance Novels

Posted on October 5, 2013 by infophile

South Carolina State Library Launches Social Media Library and Archive | The Digital Shift
The South Carolina State Library (SCSL) has launched the South Carolina State Agency Social Media Library, a new project that will archive all tweets, Facebook posts, and YouTube content generated by the official accounts of South Carolina’s state agencies while simplifying public access to this social media activity via a single online portal at scsocialmedialibrary.org. The portal and the archive were developed in collaboration with ArchiveSocial, a for-profit social media archiving company based in Durham, NC. It follows a similar effort launched by the State Archives of North Carolina less than a year ago.

Ten ‘enterprising libraries’ receive grant | The Bookseller
Ten library services around the country will receive a share of £450,000 designed to help promote business and entrepreneurship. The scheme has been established by Arts Council England (ACE), the British Library and the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Ex-Amazon Engineer Builds Library for World’s Software Code | WIRED
Kumar created a service called Runnable, a means of finding and using all the software “building blocks” that are freely available across the web.

My Favorite Gothic Romance Novels | HuffPost Books
Reviews 7 gothic novels.

Though lighter on the romance, I would add The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova and Sepulchre by Kate Mosse to the list. Did you know Louise May Alcott wrote gothic short stories? She did! Take a look at A Whisper in the Dark by the author. A collection of gothic novellas no longer under copyright.

Open Source Solve[d] J.K. Rowling Mystery | The Official Rackspace Blog

Posted on October 3, 2013 by infophile

The software…used—the Java Authorship Attribution Program—is open source and freely available on GitHub for download. The academics studied the machine-readable text of Cuckoo’s and compared it to Rowling’s previous novel. In the course of doing so, they discovered a number of linguistic signatures that pointed to the author of Harry Potter. The software is predicated on the analysis of syntax, style and punctuation, but just as importantly on the distinctive use of prepositions and articles. It turns out writers can change sentence length and rhythm and can cater to a new audience, but they’re unlikely to change how they use “around” and “at” and “on.”

Read the full story: Open Source Solve[d] J.K. Rowling Mystery – The Official Rackspace Blog.

100 Great Children’s Books | 100 Years | NYPL

Posted on October 3, 2013 by infophile

The New York Public Library releases a list of the top 100 greatest children’s books from the past 100 years. You can browse the list on the website or download a pdf of the list.

Great stories never grow old! Chosen by children’s librarians at The New York Public Library, these 100 inspiring tales have thrilled generations of children and their parents — and are still flying off our shelves. Use this list and your library card to discover new worlds of wonder and adventure!

via 100 Great Children’s Books | 100 Years | The New York Public Library.

Canada Reads 2014 seeks inspirational novels | Quill & Quire

Posted on October 2, 2013 by infophile

Canada Reads, the CBC’s “battle of the books,” is underway again. The annual radio showdown seeks to elevate one book that all Canadians should read.

This year, advocates will debate not only the best book, but also “the one novel that could change Canada.”

Read the story for the full details: Canada Reads 2014 seeks inspirational novels | Quill & Quire

Penguin pays tribute to Tom Clancy | The Bookseller

Posted on October 2, 2013 by infophile

Penguin has paid tribute to thriller giant Tom Clancy, who has died at the age of 66.

Tom Clancy died yesterday (1st October) at a Baltimore hospital, close to his Maryland home.

Clancy wrote 25 fiction and non-fiction books for Penguin, including several thrillers based around the military and international espionage, dubbed “techno-thrillers”, many of which were adapted into Hollywood films. The author’s 17th novel, Command Authority, is due to be released in December 2013.

Tom Weldon, c.e.o. of Penguin Random House UK said: “Tom Clancy changed readers’ expectations of what a thriller could do. He was a master of his craft and it was our privilege to work with him. He will be greatly missed by millions of fans in the UK and around the world.”

David Shanks, Penguin USA c.e.o., was involved with every one of Clancy’s books. He said: “I’m deeply saddened by Tom’s passing. He was a consummate author, creating the modern-day thriller, and was one of the most visionary storytellers of our time. I will miss him dearly and he will be missed by tens of millions of readers worldwide.”

via Penguin pays tribute to Tom Clancy | The Bookseller.

Design And Print Your Own Moleskines With Paper’s New “Book” | Co.Design

Posted on October 1, 2013 by infophile

Paper is an amazing iPad app–and one of our Innovation By Design nominees–because its team at FiftyThree cracked the code of making creation a simple, beautiful experience on tablets. There’s just one problem: Paper isn’t actually paper; it’s a screen.

Today, FiftyThree and Moleskine are revealing a solution called Book. For $40, you will be able to turn your Paper sketches into a custom Moleskine print. The 15-page, accordion-style, handmade “Book” marks the first time that the iconic Moleskine has ever allowed cover customization. It’s also a potential peek into the future strategy of FiftyThree, a company that hasn’t been shy about their plan to expand their purview into a whole suite of creative productivity apps.

Read: Design And Print Your Own Moleskines With Paper’s New “Book” | Co.Design | business + design.

World’s Oldest Jewish Prayer Book Found? Rare Text Purchased By Hobby Lobby President | HuffPost

Posted on October 1, 2013 by infophile

The identification of the very rare prayer book, dated to the ninth century, was announced Sept. 26 by Steve Green, president of the arts and crafts retailer Hobby Lobby. Green facilitates his family’s array of biblical texts and artifacts, the Green Collection. The text was purchased from a collector.

Read: World’s Oldest Jewish Prayer Book Found? Rare Text Purchased By Hobby Lobby President | HuffPost.

GoodReads Tells Reviewers to Play Nice (Or Else!) | IndieReader

Posted on September 26, 2013 by infophile

Opinion piece.

In light of both author and reviewer behavior, GoodReads specifically has changed their Wild Wild West style of moderating their site and implemented some new standards. Our question is what does this mean for readers?

Read: GoodReads Tells Reviewers to Play Nice (Or Else!) – IndieReader

Other takes:

As GoodReads grows up, it can’t please everyone. Should it try? | GigaOM

Is GoodReads’ new policy really censorship? | Washington Post

Children’s reading shrinking due to apps, games and YouTube | Technology | theguardian.com

Posted on September 26, 2013 by infophile

Nielsen Book data suggests that 32% of children read books every day, and 60% every week. But these percentages are falling as digital entertainment rises.

Read the full story: Children’s reading shrinking due to apps, games and YouTube | Technology | theguardian.com.

U.S. Banned Books Week News Links

Posted on September 25, 2013 by infophile

Curated links of banned books news stories from the U.S. that you should read if you are concerned about intellectual freedom and the freedom to read. Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye challenge is of particular interest, as the author is from Ohio and the challenge to her novel originated from an official at the Ohio State Board of Education.

Practice of Banning Books Still Going Strong | Future Librarians for Intellectual Freedom

Banned Books Week: ‘Captain Underpants’ tops list of challenged books; 10 most challenged books of 2012 | CNN.com

Banned Books Week 2013: Books about LGBT Families Remain Targets of Censorship | ACLU

America’s most surprising banned books | The Week

10 Surprising Books That Parents Have Tried To Ban From Schools | Business Insider

Beauty is Truth: The Case Against Banning The Bluest Eye | The Millions AND Controversy Brews Over Official Comments About Author [Toni Morrison] | nbc4i.com

Freedom to Read Under Fire as Attempts to Ban Books Continue | HuffPost Books

7 Reasons Your Favorite Books Were Banned | HuffPost Books