100 Million Text Messages Sent on New Year's Day

"More than 100 million text messages were sent in the UK on New Year's Day as people greeted friends and relatives.

It is the first time the number of text messages in one day has topped the 100 million mark, according to Mobile Data Association research.

The total number of chargeable person-to-person text messages sent across the four UK network operators between midnight on December 31 and midnight on January 1 was 102 million.

It marked a 59% increase on the same period in 2002 and more than twice the 2002 daily average, MDA added." [Ananova, via Lockergnome's Bits and Bytes]

Do you really doubt this is going to eventually hit big in the U.S.? Libraries need to start preparing for an instant messaging future.

Imbalance of Payments

"One of the delights of life here in the Maryland suburbs is our local public library. It is a small outlying branch of the Montgomery County system. But it is in a bright modern building with a good stock and an excellent interloan system, plus knowledgeable and helpful staff who are even known (and this is unusual among American officials), when faced with a conflict between the rules and common sense, to opt for common sense....

This wonder of the world is in jeopardy, along with a great deal else that was a product of the 1990s, when the United States achieved once unimaginable prosperity and did (to some extent) manage to harness its private affluence to relieve public squalor. As a country, the US may not yet have gone broke, but the states themselves are on the brink. The latest figures suggest the 50 states are facing a collective budget deficit for the next financial year of at least $60bn, which, by an amazing coincidence, is precisely the same as the latest, very conservative, estimate of the cost of an Iraq war, as projected by White House officials....

The first consequences were seen in the November mid-term elections.... The winners, however, now have to drink from poisoned chalices. Many of them won by promising not to raise taxes. The alternative is going to affect far more than libraries. The biggest items of state expenditure are health and education, which are what politicians call 'third-rail' options: touch them and you are instantly electrocuted. But there are no other options, not serious ones....

Normally around now, several Democratic governors would be contemplating challenging Bush. This time there is only one: Howard Dean of Vermont, which, coincidentally or not, is the one state that does not demand a balanced budget. All the other announced and probable challengers, unusually, are Washington insiders. One of them might have the courage to mention that the US cannot actually have it all: a stagnant economy, tax cuts, wars of imperial conquest - and certainly not great public libraries. But we can guess which is going to get the heave-ho first." [The Guardian, thanks to Lance for the pointer!]

You can help - contact your legislators, let them know libraries are important, and vote yes for library referendums. There is no better bargain than your local library.

Call for Participants: eBooks on Demand Pilot Project

"netLibrary is looking for libraries to participate in a pilot project to test alternative eBook models. Together with Taylor & Francis and Digital Publishing Solutions, netLibrary has developed 'eBooks on Demand,' an experimental site that offers quality Taylor & Francis content under alternative scenarios for a period of six months. Patrons may browse this content free of charge for a short period of time. If a patron wishes to continue accessing an eBook, they may choose to purchase, rent, print or copy portions of the content for a fee.

Traditionally, libraries purchase individual titles from netLibrary. The library then provides their patrons access to their eBook collection, free of charge. This model will continue, but, in addition, and at libraries’ request, netLibrary is interested in exploring alternative eBook models, including allowing patrons to purchase individual access to content, through their library site, or to have access for extended periods of time, such as a school semester.

This pilot affords netLibrary and the library community with an opportunity to explore the potential for addressing different patrons' needs. For example, patrons may desire to access titles their library has not purchased and to use them in different ways. They may want to access a title for longer than their library check out period allows or have access to a particular title for several months. netLibrary is looking to the future and possible methods for libraries to provide patrons access to eBooks in new and different ways. The eBooks on Demand Pilot Project was developed to begin the process of exploring those options, and to be able to do so with high quality content and a collection of more than 1200 titles from one of the world’s leading publishers.

Taylor & Francis is best known for scientific and reference titles. They specialize in the areas of ergonomics, geographical information systems, biotechnology, and engineering. Other members of the Taylor & Francis group include Routledge, known for academic humanities and social sciences content; and Psychology Press, a leading psychology and behavioral sciences publisher. The pilot project collection includes titles in these subject areas as well as Economics, Business, Language and Literature.

When a patron accesses a Taylor & Francis title through this pilot project they may browse the eBook for a short period of time. At the end of the browsing period, the patron will be presented with several options to continue accessing the title. The patron may purchase the title, rent the title for a pre-determined period, or print/copy portions of the eBook for individual use. The patron pays for access using their personal credit card.

netLibrary is looking for 10 – 12 libraries, of varying types and sizes to participate in the eBooks on Demand pilot project. For a contribution of only $1000, a library can provide their patrons access to 1200 Taylor & Francis titles for six months starting in January 2003. After the pilot project ends, the library will receive a $1000 credit towards their next eBook purchase. Promotional materials, including link logos, a pilot program fact sheet, and FAQs will be provided by netLibrary to pilot project libraries. In return, libraries will provide links to the pilot project from their website and will complete surveys to assist in evaluating the project. If your library is interested in participating, please complete the short survey. netLibrary will contact all inquirers regarding their involvement in the pilot project in early January. This pilot project is fully separate and distinct from your existing netLibrary collection. Patrons will continue to access your existing collection as they do today" [via The ResourceShelf]

I'm going to ask if we can sign up SWAN!