Wednesday 30 October 2013

The Netflix-ication of all media

Is this the future of ebooks? All sorts of entertainment are quickly becoming available online through subscription services, including books, comics, radio, magazines and more.
 
Rogers customers get a first crack at on-demand magazine platform Next Issue Canada beginning this week.
Rogers
Rogers customers get a first crack at on-demand magazine platform Next Issue Canada beginning this week.
 
Entertainment is fast becoming an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Call it the Netflix effect, as a growing number of companies are borrowing that successful streaming provider’s model for movie and TV show content — offering hundreds or thousands of titles on demand for a monthly subscription fee — and adapting it to other forms of media, including music, radio, newspapers, magazines, books, comics and audiobooks.

For newspapers, there’s Newspaper Direct, which offers digital versions of thousands of papers and magazines. Last March, Marvel Comics launched its all-you-can-read Unlimited service. Two weeks ago, San Francisco-based Scribd launched a similar service featuring thousands of books from HarperCollins back catalogue. And this week, Rogers launches Next Issue Canada, a service that features all of its consumer publications along with more than 100 titles from the biggest U.S. publishers.
     

Most of these services are colloquially being dubbed a Netflix for that media, even if they don’t quite offer everything that company does as they enter the subscription-based on-demand world.
“It’s already worked quite well for video and music and magazines, and I don’t see this shouldn’t happen for books too,” said Trip Adler, Scribd’s CEO. “We’re surprised that it hasn’t already happened for books.”

Burlington-based Audiobooks.com has also dived in, billing itself as the only service in the world that lets you stream audiobooks to mobile devices.
“To my knowledge, there isn’t anyone else out there. We’re kind of paving the way here,” says Ian Small, Audiobooks.com president. “In the publishing industry, specifically the audiobook space, there isn’t necessary too much groundbreaking going on, so that’s where we think there is a competitive advantage.”
The site’s subscription plan costs $14.95 for one book a month, with each additional book costing $10 each. The company experimented with an unlimited model, but found that most consumers only listened to one or two audio books a month, since a typical audiobook is at least 10 hours long.

Here is a rundown of pros and cons of content streaming services.
 
Netflix
What it is: The best-known streaming service, featuring thousands of movies and TV shows. It used to primarily offer older shows and movies, but has embarked on making its own series, recently winning its first Emmy for House of Cards.
Cost: $7.99 a month, with the first month free as a trial period.
Pros: There are thousands of movies, and the service is improving by bringing its instant queue feature to Canada and more HD offerings. There is also a hub for children’s content. Its original content strategy has been working and so far has been of high quality, including House of Cards and Orange is the New Black. Entire seasons are put up at once, encouraging binge viewing. No commercials ever.
Cons: Many have criticized the selection, often finding the Canadian version lacking compared to the U.S., which has a more comprehensive library. As well, some series or movies disappear without notice.
Competitors: There are many players in the field, and rumours of more coming. Two of the biggest are Hulu and Amazon Prime, but they are U.S. only. There’s Vidéotron in Quebec, and Cineplex.com has its own service. Sony has Crackle, which is free, and is also creating its own shows, like the recently launched Cleaners. Fandor.com features independent films.
Rdio
What it is: A music streaming service with more than 20 millions songs.
Cost: $4.99 for unlimited web streaming. $9.99 for unlimited web and mobile streaming. It has a free trial period, and recently gave unlimited access to its genre-based music stations.
Pros: Very easy to use with an excellent library of music, and is particularly good with new releases and lesser known bands. Very slick interface, which a New York Times reporter compared favourably to Spotify.
Cons: Not as well known as Spotify, which is one of those services that Canadians tend to lament isn’t available here.
Competitors: Also a very crowded market, including players like Deezer, Slacker, rara.com, Xbox Music and HMV’s the Vault. Songza features curated playlists, as opposed to albums, but is free. iTunes Radio has launched in the U.S. and is rumoured to arrive here in 2014.
Audiobooks.com
What it is: Over 40,000 audio books available to stream or download to your device.
Cost: $14.95 for one book a month, with each additional book costing $10.
Pros: Most books have a have a short preview and then there’s a save function if you would like to continue, so you get a taste before committing.
Cons: It is a good-sized library, but you still may not be able to find something you really want. It’s not an unlimited subscription model. The iOS app is pretty good, but could be more intuitive. I didn’t realize I had to listen to the preview, and then save the book to my smartphone.
Competitors: iTunes sells audiobooks, but the big one is Audible.com. Owned by Amazon, it offers a $14.99 membership for a single audio book a month or a la carte purchases. Neither Audible nor iTunes offer streaming yet.
Scribd
What it is: An all-you-can-read digital book service with thousands of titles from the HarperCollins back catalogue.
Cost: $8.99 per month, with the first month free to try.
Pros: It has a short survey at sign-up that tries to recommend books for you. Thousands of books available. It saves your place in the book as you move between devices. Easy-to-use app could be very good for power readers.
Cons: Only books released before July 2012 are available, with more recent bestsellers available on a purchase basis. HarperCollins’ back catalogue is 8 to 10 per cent of the American book market, but there are four other major publishers, so the selection could be better. It also does not support “e-ink” e-readers like the basic Kindle and Kobo models, which is a large part of the e-book market.
Competitors: It’s the first player to bring streaming to the market, but its competitors are all other e-book sellers that sell on a per-book basis.
Next Issue
What it is: Available in the U.S. since 2009, Rogers Media has bought a stake in the company, finally bringing it to Canada. Rogers’ publications including Chatelaine and Maclean’s will be joining the more than 100 U.S. magazines that are available on tablets and computers. It launches Oct. 15 for Rogers customers, who can try it free for 60 days, then Dec. 15 for everyone else.
Cost: $10 for all the monthly magazines. $14.99 if you want to include weeklies.
Pros: Very much a print-based model, what you see on your tablet is everything in the print magazine, including ads. It has an amazing selection of some of the top magazines including The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Sports Illustrated and many more. Provides good access to a title’s back issues, and you can set it to automatically download the latest issue. Seems like a good value proposition, especially if you’re used to paying for individual subscriptions to three or four magazines.
Cons: Open only to huge publishers who are all part owners in the company, which is fine, but if you subscribe to Toronto Life or anything from smaller Canadian publishers, be aware it won’t be there. While magazines download onto the device, some pages also take up to five seconds to load, which is never a problem with paper.
Competitors: Most magazines have stand-alone apps for subscribers that often feature extra content, and of course, print subscriptions.

Tuesday 22 October 2013

Need a pricey kitchen gadget? There’s a library for that

Is this the future of public libraries? Where lending and makerspace come together? By: Graham Slaughter Toronto Star News reporter, Published on Fri Oct 18 2013 The library is a stocked with high-end kitchen accessories — food dehydrators, pasta rollers, a frozen yogurt maker — usually only found in a chef’s arsenal. Members pay $50 a year to access the library items, which are loaned for five-day periods. “A lot of the items I try to find are really inaccessible to people, price-wise or space-wise,” explained founder Dayna Boyer, 29. “They are things that are expensive that people don’t use too often.” Boyer, a self-professed amateur chef, was inspired by the Tool Library, a similar non-profit that loans hardware such as hammers and saws. “When the Tool Library started taking off, I started hearing more and more about how the sharing economy can help people and how it’s really great for community building,” she said. When Boyer approached the Tool Library with her idea, they gave her space inside their storefront at 1803 Danforth Ave. She then posted ads around town for donated appliances. In the end, she received 30 pieces of culinary hardware, from juicers to punch bowls. She stockpiled them in her living room until the library’s official opening Tuesday. It’s a one-of-a-kind concept for Canada. The only other kitchen library that Boyer knows of exists in Portland, Ore., “probably because they’re cool over there,” she joked. The Kitchen Library is a non-profit organization that Boyer, a communications officer for George Brown College, started as a passion project. “I’m passionate about food. Talking about food, cooking food — this just gives me more of a chance to talk about it,” she said. “It was something that I saw was missing from Toronto.” And the library has already garnered some local fans. Adrienne Van Halem, 27, lives in the Danforth neighbourhood and took out a waffle maker the day the library opened. “I’m excited for the ice cream maker, the pasta roller machine. We’re hoping that they’ll get a deep fryer,” she said. As a corporate librarian for a gold mining company, Van Halem naturally likes the idea. “People are much less inclined to rent a waffle maker than to borrow it from a library. It makes a mental difference that I think makes it seem more accessible,” she said.

Tuesday 15 October 2013

Construction Update

A new library build is very exciting and very stressful. You are excited that you are finally getting a new building (after 162 years, I think we are due!).  However, you don't want to misjudge furnishings, the electrical placement or shelving which could cause a costly mistake.

This summer has been busy getting the floor plan just right.  The staff are finally happy with the way things have worked out, although there were some issues that required a lot of give and take, especially when you are in a joint facility with an arena.

I am looking forward to a bit of a break while the tenders are prepared for the furnishings.

In the meantime, take a look at the webcam to see how the building is progressing.

http://earthcam.net/projects/townoflincoln/

Tuesday 8 October 2013

What do your bookshelves say about your personality?

Canada Writes - CBC
What can we tell about you just by looking at how you arrange your books? Here are some personality types we have discovered by peering into our friends' and families' bookshelves. Hover over the question mark in each photo to see if any of them are you.



Which one are you? Let us know! Send a photo of your bookshelves and which personality type they correspond to to canadawrites[at]cbc.ca. Or come up with your own! Did we forget an important personality type reflected by your bookshelf (or someone you know)?

We've posted some of your photos on our Facebook page, check them out! One of our readers sent us a photo along with the story of her mother's address book. Read Auralia Brooke's letter to see how an address book turned into a bookshelf!
 
The last two photos are courtesy of Eccentric Scholar and Nikita Kashner respectively. Thanks!


Which one are you? Let us know! Send a photo of your bookshelves and which personality type they correspond to to canadawrites[at]cbc.ca. Or come up with your own! Did we forget an important personality type reflected by your bookshelf (or someone you know)?

We've posted some of your photos on our Facebook page, check them out! One of our readers sent us a photo along with the story of her mother's address book. Read Auralia Brooke's letter to see how an address book turned into a bookshelf!

Tuesday 1 October 2013

Bookless Public Library Opens In Texas

by  NPR



An artist's rendering shows computer stations at the new BiblioTech bookless public library in Bexar County, Texas. The library is holding its grand opening Saturday.
Courtesy of Bexar County
 

An artist's rendering shows computer stations at the new BiblioTech bookless public library in Bexar County, Texas. The library is holding its grand opening Saturday.
Courtesy of Bexar County
An all-digital public library is opening today, as officials in Bexar County, Texas, celebrate the opening of the BiblioTech library. The facility offers about 10,000 free e-books for the 1.7 million residents of the county, which includes San Antonio.
On its website, the Bexar County BiblioTech library explains how its patrons can access free eBooks and audio books. To read an eBook on their own device, users must have the 3M Cloud Library app, which they can link to their library card.
The app includes a countdown of days a reader has to finish a book — starting with 14 days, according to My San Antonio.
The library has a physical presence, as well, with 600 e-readers and 48 computer stations, in addition to laptops and tablets. People can also come for things like kids' story time and computer classes, according to the library's website.
A county official compared the concept to an Apple store, in a report on the library's plans by NPR's Reema Khrais in January.
And Reema reported that the idea of a bookless library has been tried before — perhaps a bit too early. That was in 2002, when Arizona's Santa Rosa Branch Library went digital-only.
"Years later, however, residents — fatigued by the electronics — requested that actual books be added to the collection, and today, enjoy a full-access library with computers," Reema said.
Sarah Houghton, a.k.a. the tech-savvy blogger Librarian in Black, who directs the San Rafael Public Library in California, told Reema that it will take more than 100 years before all libraries are paperless. But she added that 10 to 20 percent of libraries could go bookless in the next decade.
Some libraries have struggled to adapt to an era of digital options and budget cuts. In the Washington, D.C., region, the Fairfax County (Va.) library system's decision to destroy a reported 250,000 books drew the ire of residents — and an editorial from The Washington Post.