NPR on Google Books

National Public Radio recently ran a story about an issue we’ve discussed several times here: the pros and cons of digitization projects like Google Books. Google Books in particular is a remarkable project with some great outcomes, but it also raises concerns that the world’s books will be accessible in the future through a single for-profit corporate entity.

Technology To Make Teens Polite

Thanks to the Shifted Librarian for pointing this one out: anecdotal evidence from an Omaha library that gaming in libraries not only increases teen book checkouts (by 1000% at one library), but leads to teens acting more civilized in the library. The library director makes an argument against the “public library as book warehouse” model and for the “public library as community center” model.

Library Tech in New York Times

Sunday’s NYT had an article on the use of eBooks, MP3 audiobooks, and other technology in East coast libraries.

Virtual Digital Libraries

As though digital libraries weren’t virtual enough already…

The Diligent Project has created a framework for grid-based virtual digital libraries. The infrastructure, called g-Cube, allows a digital library to be distributed across an array of computers.