In this month's news, I talk about Google's new tablet, ereaders that watch you, an introduction to maker spaces, and the latest on DRM and ebooks. Tune in!

1. july 2012

2. Google’s Nexus 7 Tablet
$200 for 8GB version
Higher resolution display than Kindle Fire
Integrated with the Google Play store
http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/28/nexus-7-review/
http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/29/3125396/google-nexus-7-review

3. Google Play vs. Amazon Ebookstores
New books, books on sale, book picks.
No Lending Library
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/retailing/article/
52854-google-play-vs-amazon-how-the-two-bookstores-compare.html

4. Next Issue: iPad Magazine Reader
$10/month for monthly & bi-weekly mags
$15/month for tabloids & weeklies, plus above
http://www.nextissue.com/storefront/

5. “Your E-Book Is Reading You”
“It takes the average reader just seven
hours to read the final book in Suzanne
Collins's Hunger Games trilogy on the
Kobo e-reader.”
“Barnes & Noble . . . has recently started
studying customers' digital reading
behavior. . . . [T]he company is starting to
share their insights with publishers to
help them create books that better hold
William Duke people's attention.”
Wall Street Journal article:
http://on.wsj.com/NSYkmC

6. “The Ebook Cargo Cult”
Building ebook systems, but publishers don’t come
http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2012/the-ebook-cargo-cult/

7. Douglas County Library: DIY Ebook Hosting
Can you do it yourself?
http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2012/03/douglas-county-libraries-diy-e-book-hosting.html
http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/06/ebooks/all-hat-no-cattle-a-call-for-libraries-to-transform-before-its-too-late/

8. Bibliotheca Adopts DCL’s Ebook Model
Also hires IT lead from Douglas County
http://www.bibliotheca.com/1/index.php/newsit/comunicati-stampa/455-bibliotheca-to-support-open-source-ebook-model
http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/06/ebooks/bibliotheca-debuts-ebook-division-on-douglas-county-model/

9. Califa Lands $325,000 in Funding
Working to create “an ebook ownership model
along the same lines as the Douglas County
Libraries in Colorado.”
Also “on the verge of striking a deal with
Smashwords for outright ownership of its top-
selling titles, which will also include a self-
publishing option for patrons.”
~10,000 top titles for ~$3/each
http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/06/ebooks/califa-lands-325000-in-
funding-for-ebook-ownership-project-deal-close-with-smashwords/

10. Expectations, Overdrive & Customer Service
When library ebook services don’t meet
customer expectations, start with an apology
http://swontech.wordpress.com/2012/07/03/expectations-overdrive-customer-service/
http://www.pewinternet.org/Media-Mentions/2012/Ebook-lending-Your-public-librarys-best-kept-secret.aspx

11. Public Library Funding and Technology
Access Study, 2010-11
Text
http://www.ala.org/research/sites/ala.org.research/files/content/
initiatives/plftas/2010_2011/plftas11-statetables.pdf

12. Public Library Funding and Technology
Access Study, 2010-11
http://www.ala.org/research/sites/ala.org.research/files/content/
initiatives/plftas/2010_2011/plftas11-statetables.pdf

13. ALA Conference: Library iPad App Picks
Text
http://www.slideshare.net/gcaserotti/theres-an-app-for-that-13482268

14. “Lightweight” EPUB DRM Proposed
1. DRM does discourage “oversharing” (e.g. putting files
on a website for anyone to download). Although
DRMs will be and are cracked, breaking DRM acts as a
“speed bump” that less determined users may judge
not to be worth the trouble.
2. Cracking DRM is illegal in many countries... which
puts a damper on the ease of use and availability of
cracks to the general public.
http://idpf.org/epub-content-protection
http://radar.oreilly.com/2012/06/lightweight-drm-no-drm.html

15. Makerspace: An Introduction
Makerspaces Defined,
Described
Participatory Learning
“Affinity Spaces”
http://theunquietlibrarian.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/makerspaces-
participatory-learning-and-libraries/

16. Library Parking Lot: Make Edition
Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana
http://boingboing.net/2012/07/11/maker-station-in-library-parki.html

17. Maker: Arduino Introduction
Inexpensive microprocessor (like the one that
drives your microwave) that you can program.
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/08/opinion/banzi-ted-open-source/index.html
http://www.instructables.com/id/RFID-pet-feeder/

18. Maker Camp on Google+
30 Days of Free Projects, starting July 16:
Rockets, Animated GIFs, Polymer Clay & more
http://makezine.com/maker-camp/schedule/index.html

19. Windows 8 Upgrades: $40?
Download-only, XP and up
http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/02/microsoft-announces-39-99-
windows-8-pro-upgrade-offer-for-most/

20. Klagenfurt’s Virtual Library (Austria)
QR codes on stickers placed around town
Lead to ebook downloads (Project Gutenburg)
Ebooks related to sticker locations
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/07/10/
project_ingeborg_turns_austrian_town_klagenfurt_into_library_with_nfc_qr_codes.html
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fpingeb.org%2F

21. Netflix’s Movie Indexing
“Does it end tragically or have a
happy one? Was there a high
squirm factor? What about the
use of curse words?”
“Each Netflix entry in the massive
Netflix library is tagged with
north of 100 data points. Some
are simple, like the gender and
jobs of the main characters.
Others are ratings, like how
violent is the title on a scale of
one to five?”
http://o.canada.com/2012/07/06/how-to-get-paid-for-watching-netflix/

22. Recent PLAPPN Meeting Highlights, June 20
Adult Programming
• Yoga Class, 2x a week. Free to patrons, full
room (~50 people) every class. Instructor =
$80/hr
• Microbusiness class for teens. Can’t find a job?
Here how to make a plan for your own biz.
75 teens & Carol Topp, CPA, who wrote a book
series on the topic
• Plant exchange. Leave one, take one. Runs for
1 month so word of mouth can build. Chance
for other plant-related classes?
• Travel agent program to plan your Disney
vacation: 40 people came (all about timing)
http://www.swonlibraries.org/plappn

23. AASL Top 25 Websites for Teaching & Learning
Text
http://www.ala.org/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/bestlist/bestwebsitestop25
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/894866-312/aasl_unveils_top_25_websites.html.csp

24. Storify: Compile Online Conversations
From Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Flickr, the Web
http://storify.com/fishpatrol/it-s-just-a-test-case
http://storify.com/tour