23 Dec

Isaak’s Links - Bookplus and Others - 23 December 2006

Posted by Isaak Kwok in Libraries.

  • Biographies Have Never Been Easier
    Well, this is highlighted more for the use of a comic-looking image to explain how to use the correct resource.
    (via Tame The Web)
  • Which Game Console to Buy for Your Library
    A library’s dilemna in deciding which next generation game console to get for their library. Maybe you can help them make a decision. Personally, I would choose the Nintendo Wii, but just have to make sure you have a plexiglass in front of the TV to prevent broken TV sets.
  • Bookplus
    Interesting advertisement about books. You have to see the advertisement to admire it.
  • An ATM for Books
    In the very near future, you might able to buy a book as easily as you go draw money from an ATM. A company, On Demand Books, has developed a US$50,000 vending machine called the Espresso that can print, align, mill, glue and bind the book you have ordered in about 7 minutes though the book can have at most 550 pages. At the moment, 2.5 million books, that are no longer under copyright, are available on the machine. And the expected cost of a book is about 5 US cents per page. The vending machine is expected available in 2007 in about 10-25 libraries and bookstores, including the famed New York Public Library.
    (via Engadget)
  • Library takes novel approach to romance
    The state library of Victoria in Melbourne has introduced speed dating with a literary twist, i.e. with books. Maybe we can try something similar at next year’s Romancing Singapore event.
    (via LISNews)
  • Hot Books
    Interesting but simple game that can be played in the library. Think we might be able to make use of the game for our library workshops.
    (via The Shifted Librarian)

Technorati Tags: , , ,

Related Posts:

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

3 Responses to this post.

  1. <? comment_author() ?>'s Gravatar

    Posted by jmnlman on 23.12.06 at 12:00 am

    I suppose the machine makes sense for anything shorter than 200 pages since that would cost $10 for anything longer it doesn’t make much sense. But then again neither did photocopying an entire book from the university library at $0.03/page but a lot of people did that.

  2. <? comment_author() ?>'s Gravatar

    Posted by Isaak Kwok on 23.12.06 at 12:00 am

    Hi Jeremy, I guess you are right. But then again, these books might be already out-of-print since they are copyright-free. Though they may be easily available online, there are some people who would rather hold on to a physical book.

    Well, it’s already being used in two locations: World Bank InfoShop in Washington DC and the Library of Alexandria in Egypt.

    The website of On Demand Books also contains a Quicktime video of how a book is produced on the Espresso Book Machine.

  3. <? comment_author() ?>'s Gravatar

    Posted by Espresso Book Machine at New York Public Library on 23.12.06 at 12:00 am

    [...] previously blogged about On Demand Books‘ Espresso Book Machine. And I think the first non-beta machine [...]

Respond to this post