A weekly round up of library and information centre news and opinions from around the world.

Library and Information Centre News – Edition 19/2018

In this week’s edition:

Losing “deep reading” skills

Maryanne Wolfe’s article ‘Skim reading is the new normal. The effect on society is profound’, The Guardian, 25th August 2018 discusses how continuing research indicates the current environment, in which digital modes of reading are increasingly the norm, seems to be changing the brain and its “deep read” processing. Digital modes of reading results in rapid, and multi-tasking processing and a lack of patience by younger generations to read, for example, classics. “Deep reading” which gave humans the ability to gain perspective, empathy and apply critical analysis amongst other skills, is under threat.

The neglect of public libraries

Writing in the New York Times Sunday Review, Sept. 8 2018, sociologist Eric Kleinberg argues that at a time when public libraries are most needed they are viewed as increasingly obsolete and starved of funds. The attitude is due, Kleinberg argues, to the fact that the fundamental principle of libraries’ existence is at odds with the “market logic” and that influential people do not understand the crucial role libraries play in contributing to a better society. Libraries are a common good, accessible to all irrespective of cultural or social background and more heavily used than ever due to an ever-widening range of services that libraries are striving to provide. It is overwhelming them and the staff that work in them.

A podcast on Legal Innovation, Emotions, and Emojis

The topic Emojis and legal use was in The Scoop 10/2018 posted to the Softlink blog earlier this year. It included a brief overview and link to an article on the increased interest in “pictorial contracts” as a means, to more accurately, communicate clear meaning to parties involved in legal matters. If that was of interest then Podcast 11 – Jae Um on legal Innovation, Emotions, and Emojis recently posted on the 3 Geeks and a Law Blog will also be of interest.

Softlink Information Centres Liberty Training and User Group Meetings in the UK

After receiving the feedback last year, that travelling down to London placed too big a cost and time impost for those located in the north of England and in Scotland, we are holding two free Liberty Training and User Group Meeting events this year. The first event will be held in London on the 9th of October with the second event to be held in Edinburgh on the 11th of October. Thank you to our Liberty users for registering already. For those who have not registration remains open until the 24th of September. We look forward to seeing our Liberty users at both events.