More than 10 million visitors per hour

A new European project offering digital books, artwork, maps, objects and more has proved so popular on its release that it's crashed the servers.
You might think Google offers it all through its Book Search and more. But it might prove to be paltry next to Europeana, a new site that brings together artwork, books, manuscripts, objects, maps and films from libraries, museums and galleries across the continent.

Certainly a lot of people would agree. When the EU launched the prototype of the site yesterday it achieved 10 million hits in an hour, enough to crash the servers, which couldn’t cope with the demand, the Guardian reports.

The site is multimedia, also offering films and audio pieces (one contribution from the British Library is a recording of every British dialect). Around 1,000 European institutions have contributed. [...]

http://news.digitaltrends.com/news-article/18478/europeana-gets-10m-hits-in-an-hour

Retired librarian gives $1 million

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — A retired Virginia school teacher and librarian who died two years ago left more than $2 million to split between the universities she attended.

Jane Iris Crutchfield's estate will donate $1.1 million each to the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. [...]
Crutchfield's gift in North Carolina will go to a scholarship fund that benefits students admitted to one of the school's master's degree programs.

In Virginia, the bulk of the donation will be used to complete Bavaro Hall, the school's new multi-purpose centre, and for student financial aid and faculty support.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5ipI8rI8OeU2rWoRvBEmTr7Z133yQ

10.000 Visitors

We are celebrating 10.000 visitors!
Today, November 16th 2008 at 8:27 p.m. the 10.000th visitor-IP-adress has been registrated at our Homepage Libraries-Link.net.

Thank you very much for your promotion - we're looking forward to your next visit!

Sincerely yours,
Libraries Link

Meryl Streep to star in 'Library Cat'

[...] Streep is attached to star in the adaptation of the Vicki Myron book "Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World." Pamela Gray will pen the script.

Streep intends to play the author, who works at the library and observed the impact that a kitten had on the townsfolk once it became the library mascot after wandering in through the after-hours book return slot on a cold night.Temple Hill Entertainment partners Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey are setting the film at New Line, where the duo have a first-look deal. Several other studios were bidding. [...]

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117995748.html?categoryid=13&cs=1

Fraser library forgives late fees for food

Project aims to help families in need

The Fraser Public Library is accepting food instead of late fees as it tries to solve two problems: overdue books and local hunger.

The Food for Fines project allows patrons with library late fees to donate a can of food in exchange for having 50 cents waived from their library fees. Up to $5 in late fees can be waived.

The donated food goes to the Fraser Goodfellows, which accepts food requests from families year-round and launches some of its largest collection efforts during the holidays.

"They're helping themselves by paying their fines, but they're also helping their community," librarian Mary DeSantis said. [...]

http://www.freep.com/article/20081109/NEWS04/811090381/1006/NEWS

Libraries Link: Happy Birthday

Today, on October 17th, two years ago the project Libraries Link was founded.

We thank you for your benefit and we will give you our innovative services also in future, too.

We looking forward to see you again at our Website, also on our Blog or Xing-Forum.

sincerely yours,

Libraries Link

Open Access Day

October 14, 2008 will be the world’s first Open Access Day.

The founding partners are SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition), Students for FreeCulture, and the Public Library of Science.

Open Access Day will help to broaden awareness and understanding of Open Access, including recent mandates and emerging policies, within the international higher education community and the general public. [...]

http://openaccessday.org/

The Long Beach public library

A few days ago [impre.com] published an article highlighting the importance of public libraries and their growing popularity, especially during these difficult economic times. This institution is a key piece of public education that today opens the doors of knowledge to all and offers access to an immeasurable wealth of information and culture at a minimum cost.

In this particular case, the economic crisis has hit the public library in downtown Long Beach, the second largest library in Los Angeles County. It was on the verge of closing in an effort to help reduce the city’s $17 million deficit.

The closing of its doors would reduce expenses by $4 million; it also would leave approximately 27,000 low-income children who depend on the library for their education without access to its resources and programs, as well as thousands of retirees, students of all ages, and adults in general. As well, the library provides an important function as a community center in addition to being a pillar of public education. Long Beach must not lose it.

Community pressure against the intended closure bore fruit. Last Friday a city committee rejected the proposal to shut it down and instead moved to keepthe library open five days a week. We hope that Tuesday morning the full City Council will ratify this and the library’s doors will remain open.

Relatedly, there is an interesting local proposal to move the library to a new site, but this is a long-term project that remains to be decided. Meanwhile, the Long Beach Public Library must continue fulfilling its mission to bring education and culture to the whole community.

http://www.impre.com/laopinion/opinion/2008/9/8/the-long-beach-public-library-79597-1.html

Reading for All in Egypt

[...] Last week, along with the inauguration of the "cultural tent" in Mansoura Mrs Mubarak also inaugurated the recently renovated cultural centre in the city and inspected the upgrading of the Mansoura Mubarak Library.

In a brief statement at the end of her tour, Mrs Mubarak promised a continued commitment to widening the availability and increasing the size of public libraries across Egypt. She said that making as many books available, for free or for very little, to as many Egyptians as possible was part of the ongoing national campaign.

At present, the offerings to be found in Egypt's public libraries can be anything from generous -- sometimes even extremely generous -- to disappointingly limited. The Luxor Mubarak Library, for example, offers visitors an impressive Egyptology department that, in the account of one visiting tour-guide, is "a true treasure." [...]

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/912/fe1.htm

National Library building turns 40

The National Library of Australia is celebrating 40 years since the opening of its iconic building in Canberra

The concept for the National Library emerged from federation and in the 1920s the collection was moved from Melbourne to Canberra.
But by the mid-1950s the collection was being stored in 15 different buildings across Canberra.
It was not until 1961 that Sydney firm Bunning and Madden was appointed to design a new home for the hundreds of books, photographs and documents.
In March 1966, Sir Robert Menzies laid the foundation stone for the building on the southern shore of Lake Burley Griffin.
Two-and-a-half years later Prime Minister John Gorton officially opened the library and the entire collection was finally brought together under one roof.
National Library director-general Jan Fullerton says the building, with its Parthenon-like columns, is considered one of Canberra's landmarks. [...]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/25/2345648.htm