From the OCLC announcement:

NetLibrary, OCLC’s platform for eContent and the leading provider of eBooks for the institutional library market, has announced agreements with 19 publishers that will add thousands of new eBooks and eAudiobooks to NetLibrary’s growing catalog of more than 170,000 titles.

Note: Many libraries (including public libraries) offer free REMOTE access (available from any computer with an Internet connection) to NetLibrary. In most cases, all you need is a library card for the specific library. Cool!!!

From the news release/summary:

ebrary, a leading provider of e-content services and technology, today announced that the results of its first 2008 Global Student E-book Survey completed by nearly 6,500 students throughout the world, representing approximately 400 individual institutions, are now publicly available at no cost. Anyone interested in receiving a digital copy may register at:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=MQw_2bsqqPdvfhhTWvN31Fwg_3d_3d. Printed copies will also be available at ebrary’s booth (#1792) at ALA Annual, June 28 to July 1, 2008 in Anaheim, CA, USA.

Source: ebrary

Direct to Full Text

Bezo’s talks about A9, e-books/Kindle, and Amazon.com history in this interview. From the interview:

One of your big initiatives, a search engine called A9, fell flat. What happened? If you decide that you’re going to do only the things you know are going to work, you’re going to leave a lot of opportunity on the table. Companies are rarely criticized for the things that they failed to try. But they are, many times, criticized for things they tried and failed at.

+ NYSE offers plan for instant market data (via AP)

+ The Biggest Searchable Jewish Library Online (via Charles Knight’s Alt Search Engines)
+++ Direct to Hebrew Books Online (Free Access) to Search, Read, Download (PDF)
Over 15,000 items. This site has been online for several months and continues to grow.

+ The Yahoo Family Tree (via Portfolio)

After Microsoft’s hostile bid, a look back at David Filo and Jerry Yang’s shopping spree.

+ Adobe to Launch Acrobat Online (via Red Herring)

by Lonsdale, Ray and Armstrong, Chris (2008)

Abstract: The market for e-books has taken off, particularly in the world of education. Aggregators provide easy access to large collections of titles from many publishers through a single interface. The article is a comparative review of ten aggregators with collections available in the UK,
and points to emerging trends.

Source: Library & Information Update 7(4):pp. 28-33.

The Primary Research Group just released a new report on the use of E-books in libraries. The full text report is fee-based but several highlights/stats are available at no charge.
(more…)

+ Dow Jones Buys Generate (via Info Today)

+ eBooks: ProQuest Introduces Safari Select for Public Libraries

+ Yahoo Allows Users To Expand/Narrow Results On Map With New Visual Tool (via SEL)

Schools, publishers experiment to cut textbook prices
From the article:

Ohio is already experimenting with creative ways to cut textbook costs while making them more accessible to new learning styles.

“The governor and the legislature have placed a high priority on high quality, affordable education. We see lowering the cost of textbooks as an important part of this,” said Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Eric Fingerhut.

Two institutions, the University of Dayton and Miami University in Oxford, have spent the last two semesters using e-textbooks as an alternative to traditional textbooks. The students buy passcodes from their campus bookstores and connect to the textbooks through OhioLINK, the statewide network of 86 college and university libraries.

Source: Dayton Daily News

Hat Tip: David Dillard and Net-Gold

Report Advises Against New National Database Of Ballistic Images
From the news release:

A national database containing images of ballistic markings from all new and imported guns sold in the U.S. should not be created at this time, says a new report from the National Research Council. Such a database has been proposed to help investigators link ballistics evidence — cartridge cases or bullets found at crime scenes — to a firearm and the location where it was originally sold. But given the practical limitations of current technology for generating and comparing images of ballistic markings, searches of such an extensive database would likely produce too many candidate “matches” to be helpful, the report says.
The report notes that the fundamental assumption underlying forensic firearms identification – that every gun leaves microscopic marks on bullets and cartridge cases that are unique to that weapon and remain the same over repeated firings – has not yet been fully demonstrated scientifically. More research would be needed to prove that firearms identification rests on firmer scientific footing, said the committee that wrote the report.

Direct to Full Text of 300 Page Report (Pre-Print, Free), “Ballistic Imaging”

Source: National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council

See Also: Study recommends against creating national firearms database (via AP)

+ Free Animated Download of Horton Hears a Who! (via SLJ)
From the article:

An animated digital version of Horton Hears a Who! is available for free to teachers throughout March, thanks to the National Education Association’s (NEA) Read Across America celebration of Theodor Seuss Geisel’s (Dr. Seuss) 104th birthday.

The download, now available on Kidthing, brings the classic book to life with animation, narration, and sound effects. Librarians, teachers, and care givers can turn the sound off and read the book aloud—just like their parents did.

+ Commission launches European Radio Network (via EuraActiv)

+ New Database: Qatar: Database of private doctors launched

+ Will Digital Texts Succeed? (via CampusTechnology.com)

+ From Static to Dynamic — Choosing and Implementing a Web-Based CMS (via Computers in Libraries)

From the article:

Loriene Roy, president of the American Library Association, was flying home to Austin, Texas, from a conference in Philadelphia in January. During the flight she heard that familiar ping, and an announcer said, “Turn off your electronic equipment.�

Then she heard another sound: a loud rustle as people pulled out their paper books to read.

“Nothing replaces books,� she said.

Even in the age of the Internet, libraries still remain a vital place, Roy said. According to an annual study by Florida State University, “Public Libraries and the Internet 2007� (GCN.com, Quickfind 956), library use continues to increase.

Source: GCN

+ Mobifusion inks deal with Penguin Books (via FierceMobile)

Mobile media solutions provider Mobifusion announced it will partner with Penguin Books India, Asia’s largest English-language publisher, to make a range of Penguin content available via mobile handsets.

eBooks on Demand (EOD)
From the web site:

This is the vision of the eBooks on Demand (EOD) project.

European libraries are hosting millions of books published from 1500 to 1900. Due to their age and value, they are often only accessible to users actually present at these libraries.

With the EOD service these hidden treasures will now become available to everybody - just a few mouse clicks away. Users will be able to order eBooks via the common library catalogues; the libraries will then digitise the requested item and send it to the user via the EOD service network. The books digitised in this way will simultaneously be incorporated into the digital libraries of the participating libraries and thus be accessible on the Internet. This project, co-funded by the EU, comprises 13 European libraries from 8 countries!

Source: EOD

More eBooks on the Way as NetLibrary announces distribution agreements with 21 key international publishers

NetLibrary, OCLC’s platform for eContent and the leading provider of eBooks for the institutional library market, has announced agreements with 21 leading publishers that will add thousands of new eBooks and eAudiobooks to NetLibrary’s growing catalog of more than 160,000 titles.

Source: OCLC