Category: libraries

There is a lot of talk around this topic and many schools are at various stages of the move. An article on the Education Week website puts forward some interesting thoughts on this issue. The material is US based but the concept of going digital is the same for us all.

Report: Schools Should Move from Print to Digital Content by 2017

“The textbook was the best technology we had… 50 plus years ago,” said Doug Levin, the executive director of SETDA, during a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington. Levin was joined by SETDA officials and representatives from states like Utah and Virginia, which are put forth as case studies for digital content policy in the report, titled “Out of Print.” Levin went on to list the trends changing how instructional materials are designed and delivered, like the Common Core State Standards, budget pressures and student demographic changes, among others.

We always have a look at Booko first to find the best price and usually find Book Depository is the cheapest, also AbeBooks & Fishpond. Amazon bought out Book Depository last year. With reduced budgets we have to make our money go further and look for online savings. Sad but necessary.

 

Interesting to read the article by author & editor Duncan Lay (“Death of the bookshop?” (Sunday Telegraph 5/8/12 – not available freely online anymore). He has seen many bookstores close down and recommends that we buy any eReader except the Kindle! Don’t give Amazon the monopoly on ebooks.

 

In the same article, Jon Page (great name – president of the Australian Bookseller Assoc and bookshop owner) stated that Amazon is the biggest threat to bookstores. They sell books at a loss to grab market share and to avoid paying sales tax; they also charge for including books on their recommended lists and “customers who bought this…” lists. If publishers don’t pay Amazon then their books are not easily discoverable. He said Australian authors are never on Amazon’s front page. Page believes ebooks are not the threat but Amazon & Kindle are.

 

To compete more with online sales, Australian publishers dropped the recommended retail price of books last year by around 7%.

 

Dymocks managing director Steven Cox said the company had benefited from the Borders/A & R collapse – they opened 8 new stores in 2011 with several more this year. He is less concerned with Amazon and believes bookstores offer service and expertise, but he believes that import laws must change in order to compete with online retailers. The lack of parallel imports inhibits the ability to deliver books on time and at a good price.

 

In June 2012, the Speed to Market Initiative was introduced (agreed to by Aust. Society of Authors, Printing Industries Assoc, Aust. Literary Agents Assoc, Aust. Publishers Assoc & Aust. Booksellers Assoc). Publishers, in exchange for the government’s  blocking of parallel imports, will ensure local versions of overseas titles are brought out within 14 days.

 

And self-published ebooks? Out of an average 400 new ebooks available on Amazon each month, more than half are free or less than $2. Authors have the chance to write and sell, but if the quality isn’t there then few people will buy.

 

It’s Book Week and the Children’s Book Council of Australia has announced the winners. Books in the Older Readers category are very suitable for colleges. We have the winner of this category – The dead I know (Scot Gardner) and 2 Honour Books – The dream of the thylacine (Margaret Wild) and The happiest refugee (Anh Do). The picture books are used by students in Children’s Literature classes; you might also be interested in the list if you have young children. Students are having fun with the Trivia Quiz this week with prizes for each correct answer to the 10 daily questions. We are also photographing students reading – books, magazines, computer screens, phones….! and we will display the photos in the library.
Children’s Book Council of Australia

Winners: http://cbca.org.au/winners_2012.htm   

Notable books: http://cbca.org.au/Notables12.htm

Looking for reading suggestions? So many books, so little time!

 Dymocks’ 101 best books 2012

Try a book from this list, as voted by 15 000 Aust. readers.

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/books/dymocks-annual-list-of-the-101-best-books-as-voted-by-the-australian-public-is-out/story-fn9412vp-1226347409706

 Goodreads

The largest site for readers and book recommendations in the world – a great place to find out about excellent books, popular books, genres, quizzes and quotations.   http://www.goodreads.com/

The best 100 opening lines from books

Click on the book covers to reveal the lines from excellent books, old and new.

http://www.stylist.co.uk/life/the-best-100-opening-lines-from-books/

100 best closing lines from books: http://www.stylist.co.uk/life/the-best-100-closing-lines-from-books

100 best films based on books: http://www.stylist.co.uk/life/top-100-films-based-on-books

Literary Awards Australia

Award-winning books – gateway to 300 Aust, US, British, Canadian, NZ & Irish awards. Currently being updated.

http://www.literaryawards.com.au/

Prime Minister’s Literary Awards

Winners and shortlist for 2012.

http://www.arts.gov.au/pmliteraryawards

 Australian Independent Bookseller

Weekly Top 10 bestsellers; book news, Indie Awards chosen annually. This year’s Indie Award: All that I am by Anna Funder (also won the Miles Franklin Award).

http://www.indies.com.au/

National Year of Reading

More links about reading:   http://www.love2read.org.au/index.cfm

 The Indigenous Literacy Foundation

This term the library is fundraising for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. The ILF helps to raise literacy levels in remote indigenous communities by donating books and supporting community literacy projects. Over 60 000 books have been donated to over 200 areas in the last few years and some stories have been translated into indigenous languages. Students who donate 50 cents choose a chocolate and help raise funds for this valuable program. The Indigenous EOC committee will also hold a small morning tea in Sept (on an alternate morning tea week).

http://www.indigenousliteracyfoundation.org.au/