1. Gaming in the library- Over the past year, this topic has exploded. Libraries all over the country are holding gaming events for people of all ages. The Philadelphia Inquirer posted an article about the benefits of gaming in libraries. The Home News Tribune released a story about the Old Bridge Library using gaming to bridge the technology and generation gap among teenagers and seniors. The gaming trend helps to bring in patrons who otherwise may not come to the library.
2.The National Endowment for the Arts released a study about the reading habits of Americans. The study “reveals recent declines in voluntary reading and test scores alike, exposing trends that have severe consequences for American society.” The New York Times’s article “You Are What You Read,” talks about this study in more detail.
4. Librarians received considerable attention this year in both film and journalism. The documentary “The Hollywood Librarian” was released in libraries across the country. This film explores the library profession in an upbeat and glamorous way. Similarly, the New York Times published an article about the next generation of librarians. “A Hipper Crowd of Shushers” describes the complex and diverse roles of upcoming librarians.
5. Along with the release of its new blog, the Library of Congress introduced its new touch screen exhibits. Using the same technology as the new iphones, these exhibits allow users to move three-dimensionally around materials such as maps and artifacts. Wow! A non-touch screen version of these exhibits can be viewed here.
6. Google continues to lead in the information technology field through its introduction of Google Book Search. With the help of several major libraries, Google has started scanning sections, or entire works of literature, which are archived on the web. Although raising some controversy, Google Book Search helps guarantee the future use of many books and materials. Google may have more projects planned for 2008, such as the introduction of their own operating system, free laptops, cell phones and other wireless services, and the launch of more sophisticated Google applications.
7. Shortly before the Christmas holidays, Amazon released a new way to read. The new reading device Kindle allows users to read not only books, but magazines, newspapers, and blogs. The popularity of this device has lead many to question the future of books. The Century Foundation explored this issue in some detail. Some libraries, such as the Sparta Public Library, has started to loan out the Kindle to patrons.
8. The popularity of children’s fantasy books has continued to anger parents who believe that some fantasy topics are unsuitable for children. The release of the new Harry Potter book, as well as the newly turned-into-movie-book The Golden Compass, has continued to anger parents, leading to the banning of some of these titles. One popular instance was the removal of The Golden Compass from some Toronto area schools.
9. The Perry Branch Library opened its doors with one unique difference from other libraries. For cataloging and organizing its books, the branch chose not to use the Dewey Decimal System . Instead, the library puts a general category sticker on the spine, such as “history.” Many people are comparing this format to the way in which book stores, such as Barnes and Noble, organize their books. The Wall Street Journal publishing an interesting article on this new method of cataloging.
10. There were many popular books for 2007, but overall, there seems to be a trend in anti-religious materials. Popular books such as The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins, held strong on the New York Times bestseller charts. Other books, such as The Golden Compass (Philip Pullman) and God Is Not Great (Christopher Hitchens) have also added to this atheist trend.
Filed under: By: Hip Shhusher, News, libraries | Leave a Comment
Tags: banned books, dewey decimal, gaming, god delusion, google, harry potter, hollywood librarian, iphone, kindle, libraries, library of congress, national endowment for the arts, philip pulman, richard dawkins, the golden compa
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