The Library of Congress opened its catalogs to the world. Here’s why it matters
Catalog data are a library's most important map to knowledge. What does it mean that
the Library of Congress just released 25 million records to the public?
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on Libraries
Displaying 1 - 20 of 36 articles
Unstacked: revealing the hidden gems of the State Library of NSW
A new website allows you to see what other people search for in the State Library of NSW's vast collection of artefacts -- and discover things you'd never think to look up in the first place.
The challenge facing libraries in an era of fake news
Since the 19th century academic librarians have helped students navigate the complex world of information. In today's unpredictable information environment, how might they rethink their role?
Should writers be paid for their e-books lent by libraries?
When you borrow a paper book from a library, authors get a small royalty, which is their second most important source of income. Yet if you borrowed an e-book tomorrow, the author would get nothing.
How ‘cutting up’ Shakespeare’s plays can be an act of creative destruction
For over four centuries, Shakespeare’s plays have been picked apart and reimagined.
Has the library outlived its usefulness in the age of Internet? You’d be surprised
The popularity of libraries has not diminished. Numbers show more people are going to libraries than ever before. Here's why.
Libraries aren’t ‘dead in the water’ – even if some have given up
Many libraries are now being transferred to be run by community groups. These volunteers play an important role but libraries should not be sacrificed for economic or political expediency.
Hard Evidence: how many people actually use libraries?
It's a common assumption that library use is plummeting – but that depends on which libraries you look at.
Whether stored electronically or written on calf skin, knowledge has never been more threatened
Libraries and archives have dealt with threats for centuries, but the growth of digital networks has created new hazards.
Treasure Trove: why defunding Trove leaves Australia poorer
Australia has one of the world's best reference libraries, available freely to anyone with an internet connection. Severe funding cuts will cripple Trove's capacity – and that should worry everyone.
Academic print books are dying. What’s the future?
Sales of scholarly books are dropping, even as their prices are rising. Will academia give up its resistance to an open-access digital model?
How do libraries get away with banning books?
While legal precedent makes banning books difficult, it still happens.
I’m a librarian who banned a book. Here’s why.
When only six people showed up for a panel designed to raise awareness of banned books, the pot needed to be stirred a bit.
How good librarians have made themselves obsolete to some users
Libraries are warm, dry and safe spaces with free Internet, which many people need. But academics and researchers in the 21st century can get along very well without them.
The 12 most important reads for inmates now books are back in prisons
Books to watch the time by.
African libraries that adapt can take the continent’s knowledge to the world
African libraries have more of an opportunity than ever before to bring the continent's knowledge to the world. They just need to adapt their traditional roles and functions.
Turning a page: downsizing the campus book collections
Keeping a printed book in a campus library comes with steep costs. How are campus libraries evolving?
Who says libraries are dying? They are evolving into spaces for innovation
Traditionally, libraries provided a quiet space to read. Today's libraries are taking on new roles and helping young people gain 21st-century skills.
Libraries on the front lines of the homelessness crisis in the United States
It is no surprise that libraries are coping with a large number of patrons who are homeless or have mental illnesses. Public libraries are, after all, designed to be welcoming spaces for all.
Can’t seem to stop those ads following you around? Why not become ‘metaliterate’?
To understand the wide array of information in today’s world, we need a different kind of literacy. Some researchers call that 'metaliteracy.'
Top contributors
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Deputy University Librarian, University of California, Merced
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Director of the Centre for Organisational and Social Informatics, Monash University
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Professor of Print and Digital Cultures, Cardiff University
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Research fellow in English Literature, Deakin University
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Lecturer in the Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University
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Digital Archivist
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Lecturer, School of Design, University of Technology Sydney
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Professor of Sociology, Goldsmiths, University of London
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Senior Lecturer in Sustainability and Media Communications, Aston University
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Lecturer, Strathclyde University
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Associate Professor, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne
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Professor and Chair of Media and Communication, Deakin University
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Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University
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Director, Digital Productivity Flagship, CSIRO
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Professor, University of Hawaii
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