Public library books for Kindle

Library patrons will soon be able to borrow Kindle books from more than 11,000 libraries in the United States to read on any generation Kindle device, free Kindle app, or in their browser with Kindle Cloud Reader. Public library books for Kindle provide the same unique features as Kindle and Kindle books, including Whispersync technology that synchronizes notes, highlights and last page read, real page numbers, and more. Books are downloaded over Wi-Fi or USB, but 3G will not be supported.

From Amazon’s new “Public Library Books for Kindle” instructional page the service is described as follows:
-Visit the website of a U.S. library that offers digital services from OverDrive.
-Check out a Kindle book (library card required).
-Click on “Get for Kindle.” You will then be directed to Amazon.com to redeem your public library loan.
-You may be required to login to your Amazon.com account — or create a new account — if you’re not already logged in.
-Choose to read the book on your Kindle device, free reading app, or Kindle Cloud Reader

WorldCat Quality: An OCLC Report [OCLC - Reports]

This OCLC paper on WorldCat quality describes OCLC's steps to make it easier to find items in WorldCat and get them from OCLC member libraries. It begins with a review of WorldCat's unprecedented growth since 2008, largely from metadata contributed from national libraries and union catalogs from outside North America. This rapid growth has challenged OCLC's programs for managing duplicate entries and library location (holdings) information.

OCLC's 2010 implementation of new duplication detection and resolution (DDR) software helped to resolve the issue of true duplicates in WorldCat; however, WorldCat quality needs to be further strengthened.
The paper goes on to describe a special project—GLIMIR—and other WorldCat quality improvement projects scheduled for FY2012. GLIMIR's principal benefits will be to improve the clustering of WorldCat records and holdings for the same work, thus reducing the complexity of search result displays and supporting more reliable linking to local library catalogs.

The paper concludes that it is necessary to reinvent OCLC's long-standing and successful, but English-language-centric approaches to metadata creation and data quality management for the realities of the increasingly multilingual, multinational OCLC cooperative.

Click on the link to download the report which is freely avaialble online: WorldCat Quality: An OCLC Report [OCLC - Reports]

New Book - The Cybrarian's Web: An A—Z Guide to 101 Free Web 2.0 Tools and Other Resources

• 
  
  The Cybrarian's Web : An A—Z Guide to 101 Free Web 2.0 Tools and Other Resources
  By Cheryl Ann Peltier-Davis
  Foreword by Stephen Abram
  
  "A great starting point for learning about Web 2.0 tools that can be used to innovate and improve library services. The 101 evaluations presented in The Cybrarian's Web will help librarians gain a better understanding of social software and the many ways to use it in a library setting. A must-read for any information professional who cares about online collaboration and sharing among users."
  
  —Prof. Purísima Centeno Alayón, Centro de
  Información y Tecnologías (CITec),
  University of Puerto Rico
  Here is a remarkable field guide to the best of free Web 2.0 tools and their practical applications in libraries and information centers. Designed for info pros who want to use the latest tech tools to connect, collaborate, and create, you''ll find resources to help you:
  



• Launch a local news & events blog
  



• Build a customized social network
  



• Create a virtual reference desk
  



• Start an ebook lending program
  



• Host virtual art & photo exhibits
  



• Publicize events & innovations
  



• Survey the library community
  



• Help aspiring authors get published
  



• Produce & stream live video
  



• More!
  
  From Aardvark to Zotero, you'll discover dozens of lesser-known resources and learn exciting new ways to use many of the most popular sites and tools. With all this and a supporting webpage, The Cybrarian's Web is a winner!
  
  "This book belongs on every library innovator's bookshelf. This isn't just for the techies and, indeed, it would be a shame to limit its use to techies. Web 2.0 is first and foremost about the end-user experience and, so, for every reference librarian, trainer, director, web content writer, blogger and library leader, review the opportunities in this guide as part of your strategic planning process. You'll be glad you did!"
  
  —Stephen Abram, vice president,
  Cengage Learning, from the Foreword
  November 2011/456 pp/softbound ISBN 978-1-57387-427-4 Regular Price: $49.50 Preorder Sale Price: $37.13
  Order Now: Print Edition