Here’s a quick summary of the best articles I saw these past two weeks.
Good press about libraries
Why the Public Library Beats Amazon—for Now:
As E-Book Subscription Services Grow Their Catalogs, the Age-Old Institution Trumps All
This Wall Street Journal author compares subscription ebook services like Oyster, Scribd, and Kindle Unlimited to ebook borrowing services from public libraries. Guess who wins! The libraries — for their more extensive collections of titles.
The Public Library Wants to Be Your Office
Discusses libraries as useful alternatives to paid co-working spaces — more diverse, and often nicer spaces. Also points out the challenges for libraries.
Why Libraries should embrace change
A response to “This Librarian Is Not Impressed With Your Digital, No-Books Library”
Phil Bradley pens a well-thought out response to another blog post that criticizes the “no books” library. Here’s a good tidbit:
“… we need to embrace digital as a tool and effective resource, not to decry it as a pale shadow. We need to concentrate on the community and the activities of that community and by having a wide understanding of all the tools assist them in the most appropriate way. And that’s increasingly going to be digital.”
New technologies of interest
Vision-correcting displays: Technology could lead to e-readers, smartphones, and displays that let users dispense with glasses.
Interesting story from the MIT news office about a new display technology that automatically corrects for vision defects — no glasses (or contact lenses) required. Worth a read.
Wireless Charging, at a Distance, Moves Forward for uBeam
This New York Times article discusses a new technology that can “take electricity, convert it into sound and send that audio through the air over ultrasound. Then a receiver attached to a portable electronic device catches the sound and converts it back into electricity.” Allows you to move around the room with your devices constantly charging. Great!
p.s. If you liked this post, you might enjoy my newsletter: Mobile Apps News. It’s an easy way to stay current with the world of mobile apps for education.