“That’s the theory behind academia.edu, a social media-inspired platform that allows research scientists and other academic professionals to critique and collaborate on research. Since its founding in the fall of 2008, the site has attracted almost 2 million members (including a growing community of librarians), 1.7 million papers, and 3.9 million unique visitors per month.”
via Scientists Seek New Credibility Outside of Established Journals – The Digital Shift.
“Flexibility is the guiding principle at Coliloquy: narrative structure, process, and format are all up for adjustment with every new title, and every last reader. A choose-your-own-adventure model* for the data-tracking age, its books are designed with multiple “pathways” that lead stories down divergent plotlines. The choices that readers make are logged, anonymously, for analysis by Coliloquy’s team and the authors themselves.”
via The Data-Driven, 21st-Century ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ – Betsy Morais – The Atlantic.
Zeen – Startup in beta. Librarians help patrons with self-publishing digital content such as eBooks or print-on-demand books…why not magazines too?
“Collect links on your favorite topics. Publish the links in beautiful magazines. Add your voice – Share it with the world.”
via Zeen.
“Auto-Graphics is rolling self-publishing software from FastPencil into its library management platform.”
via Auto-Graphics Adds Self-Publishing Tool to Library Software – The Digital Shift.
The British Film Institute, as part of its five-year “Film Forever” blitz to revitalize the UK movie industry, will digitize 10,000 titles from its massive vault of 450,000 film cans by 2017. The goal? To offer them on-demand.
via British Film Institute Plans to Digitize 10,000 Films by 2017.
“The US trade associations for public libraries and book publishers exchanged heated words last week regarding the growing impasse over e-book lending.”
via Publisher-Library Feud over E-Books Heats Up « Copyright and Technology.
“In the latest effort to use digital technology to transform how consumers, students, and teachers engage classic literature, Sourcebooks is releasing The Shakesperience, enhanced e-books that exploit the iPad’s touchscreen technology to bring Shakespeare’s plays to life in new ways with a rich selection of carefully chosen multimedia and text. Sourcebooks is releasing Shakesperience editions of Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and Othello today, selling for $9.99 via Apple’s iBookstore.”
via Sourcebooks Upgrades the Bard with ‘The Shakesperience’ Digital Editions.
After an eventful week in the press, ALA officials and publishers engaged in a cordial exchange over e-books yesterday at an event hosted by the Association of American Publishers at their Fifth Avenue offices. Under a strict admonishment not to talk about specific business models or policies, due to antitrust concerns, ALA president Maureen Sullivan explained the basis of an ALA open letter published this week, before opening up the floor for an open exchange with the 70 or so publishers in attendance.
via ALA Officials Ask for ‘Equitable Access to E-books at Fair Prices’.
infophile 