Libraries : More access to congressional documents. Daniel writes "In GPO's continuing effort to increase the accessibility of the resources available on GPO Access, users can now browse the catalog of House, Senate and Treaty documents, by Congress, beginning with the 104th Congress (1995-1996).The Browse Documents page is available at:http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/cdocuments/brow se.htmlHouse and Senate documents include communications and reports from the President and other executive branch officials. Browsing the 108th Congress contents turned up progress reports on Kossovo peacekeeping and the War on Terror, among many other issues.GovDoc trivia - The "catalog of House, Senate, and Treaty documents, by Congress" contains most of the same materials as the Serial Set." [LISNews.com]  8:45:02 AM   [Feedback ]  

Libraries : Are Ebook Publishers Finally Getting it Right?. Here's an excellent, lengthy story from CNET surveying the state of ebooks. The article addresses why ebooks have not yet taken off, indicting heavy-handed and non-compatible Digital Rights Management (DRM) schemes. Security is another issue that keeps many publishers from offering ebooks, with John Grisham and JK Rowling being two authors who refuse to allow e-versions of their titles. The biggest roadblock however, might be due to slow reader adaptation. Current book reading habits are the result of centuries of accumulation, notes Gary Frost, conservator of the libraries art the University of Iowa in Iowa City.Reading text on a screen and in search-equipped formats represents a profound behavioral shift, equivalent to the transition millennia ago from scrolls to multipage codexes, Frost said. Even digital enthusiasts will need time to adjust, he said. The article also talks about improvements in ebooks and what many publishers and distributors are doing right. [LISNews.com]  8:38:36 AM   [Feedback ]