Speaking of book covers, I just saw this essay this morning: http://craigmod.com/journal/hack_the_cover/. I couldn't help wondering while reading it what happens to websites like LibraryThing (or, in the case of this discussion, the library catalog) if book covers disappear in the digital world. I appreciate having a cover in LibraryThing to enable a virtual shelf display, or just enliven the work page. If book covers disappear, then something will be missing on those sites.
Irene Patrick
Information Technology Librarian
NC Department of Cultural Resources
State Library of North Carolina, Government & Heritage Library
4641 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-4641
Ph: (919) 807-7413 Fax: (919) 733-1843
irene dot patrick at ncdcr dot gov
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-----Original Message-----
From: Next generation catalogs for libraries [mailto:NGC4LIB_at_LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Karen Coyle
Sent: Friday, May 25, 2012 2:57 PM
To: NGC4LIB_at_LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: Re: [NGC4LIB] cover image and amazon with a Friday :)
I see a huge difference between showing people book covers and crass commercialism. And I'm surprised at Jim's reply because he lives in Italy where book covers are often as much an indication of the publishing house as the work itself, and are used to indicate the reputation and authority of that publishing house. (Although I've noticed they are beginning to move to the splashy "best seller" cover over there as well.)
I also think it is a big mistake to presume, or even worse to desire, that people only go to a library for information. I suppose that is almost the case in some university libraries, but the public library should be a source of joy, curiosity, and other human emotions that can be associated with the brain. I want libraries to be fun -- if they aren't, we might as well close them. I also want people to associate reading and thinking and wondering about things to be fun. If a book cover entices a person to read a book, so much the better. But giving only dry facts, like the number of pages, is hardly the way to promote reading. Blurbs, reviews, recommendations... all of these help people discover new things to read. If the covers didn't serve this function, believe me, publishing houses wouldn't bother with them.
And, BTW, in the typical public library today around 30% of circulation is non-print, mostly DVDs. I can guarantee you that they aren't all PBS documentaries.
kc
On 5/25/12 11:09 AM, john g marr wrote:
> On Fri, 25 May 2012, James Weinheimer wrote:
>
>> "The Use of Eye-Tracking to Evaluate the Effects of Format..." by
>> Michael Prasse
>
> Can't wait for that to come to my local TV ...
>
>> too difficult to purchase books online
>
> Compared to what? Crossing the street?
>
>> The world, and we ourselves, really are changing that fast.
>
> I'll make my Point again-- we pay far too much attention to the
> changes and far too little to the potential consequence and the
> changers themselves (and their motivations or compulsions). See this
> article:
> http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/york-senate-bill-seeks-end
> -anonymous-internet-posting-162549128.html
>
>
>> there is a certain commercial aspect that seems to be creeping in.
>
> Everywhere: education, policing, social media, the legal system, the
> "free" Internet itself, you name it-- make a list. And it's not
> because "privatization" is simply more efficient. Wealth is really
> just a symbol of power, and the corporate state a symbol of control.
> There's no mention of paranoia in this article:
> http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bsl.925/abstract
>
>> Do we just close our eyes to all of this?
>
> Pretend you are not Jewish and living in 1930s Germany, or not Black
> and living in 1960s Birmingham, or not Gay and living in 2012 North
> Carolina, or not college educated, or not a woman ...
>
>> Should the catalog be a part of such a commercially crass situation
>> when it never would have been before?
>
> Should anything (see your lists above)?
>>
>> I really do not know what I think about this.
>
> Think about the ca. 40% (and increasing) of the American population
> that suffers from low IQ or will not even be trained in how to think
> (partly thanks to prioritizing "job skills" and skills testing in
> education).
>
>> I don't want to be called a Luddite
>
> Aw, com'on-- it's just a word that vampire robots can use against
> you. Think about the vampire robots instead. And fear as a motivating
> factor.
>
>> I [don't] want to let searchers of the catalog be more exploited than
>> they are already.
>
> That's our job!-- when in-house...
>
> Cheers!
>
> jgm
>
> John G. Marr
> Cataloger
> CDS, UL
> Univ. of New Mexico
> Albuquerque, NM 87131
> jmarr_at_unm.edu
> jmarr_at_flash.net
>
>
> **There are only 2 kinds of thinking: "out of the box" and
> "outside the box."
>
> Opinions belong exclusively to the individuals expressing them, but
> sharing is permitted.
--
Karen Coyle
kcoyle@kcoyle.net http://kcoyle.net
ph: 1-510-540-7596
m: 1-510-435-8234
skype: kcoylenet
Received on Fri May 25 2012 - 16:32:03 EDT