The sheer number of metadata standards in the cultural heritage sector is overwhelming, and their inter-relationships further complicate the situation. A new resource, Seeing Standards: A Visualization of the Metadata Universe, is intended to assist planners with the selection and implementation of metadata standards.
Back to the Future
The other night I went to a panel discussion billed as the Future of the Bookstore and I have been trying to collect my thoughts about it ever since but not sure I have yet. Predicting the future is a tough business and maybe not a fruitful one unless you’re Ray Kurzweil or an investment banker.
New Sony Reader Offers Free Library Checkouts
Good for Sony for jumping out with a totally different use case for eReaders: library books. The new Reader Daily Edition is set to be released in December 2009, will retail for around $300 USD and will allow users to get a digital ‘library card’ and borrow books from such stalwart institutions as the New York Public Library.
University Press Says No More Paper (But Still Books)
The University of Michigan Press has announced they are now transitioning to an all eBook list within 24 months.”Within two years, press officials expect well over 50 of the 60-plus monographs that the press publishes each year…”
RFID, Libraries, and Second Life
When Stephen Abrams came to the BookNet Canada Technology Forum 2008, he spoke about the popularity of Second Life Library. (Stephen’s slides and podcast here). It turns out Second Life isn’t just for people wanting to visit a virtual library—it’s also for researchers who want to be able to simulate library interactions between books, patrons and RFID technology in 3D space.
Try Out the Espresso Book Machine
Give Us Your Poor, Your Weak, Your Non-Copyrighted Material...
Users of the New York Public Library’s Science, Industry and Business Library now have their very own Expresso Book Machine, for use through August.
