This month Talis is proud to announce its accreditation on the e4libraries scheme, recognising our ongoing commitment to electronic trading. We also bring you a couple of reports from across the sector on Web 2.0 and social software, as well as a round-up of public library news.

We welcome your feedback on any of the topics covered, email marketing@talis.com.

Alison Kershaw

Head of Products, Talis

News

Facebook as a library tool

Libraries, in the past few years, have begun to examine the possibilities that social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook provide as a tool for library awareness and marketing. This report examines reported versus actual use of Facebook in libraries to identify discrepancies between intended goals and actual use.

A guide to using Web 2.0 in libraries

SLIC and CILIPS have recently released a guide on using Web 2.0 in libraries. These guidelines have been provided to highlight the potential of social media within library services and to encourage organisations to reassess restrictive practices regarding access.

British Library to offer 65,000 ebooks for free

The British Library will make over 65,000 works of fiction from the 19th century available to download for free as ebooks. The project, funded by Microsoft, will only initially make the ebooks available for owners of the Amazon Kindle, although these will include the original typeface and illustrations.  Paperback versions will also be available to purchase from Amazon and will also look like the original 19th century first editions.

How the library world reacted to the iPad announcement

It is only a couple of weeks since the announcement of the iPad, but the library world has already had its say on the matter. The Digital Librarian comments on the potential of the iPad, whereas Talis’ own Tom Heath isn’t getting excited by it at all. The Bookseller reports on UK publishers hailing the iBook moment, but Scott Douglas doesn’t think the ‘Kindle Killer’ is particularly killer at all.

Talis gains e4libraries accreditation

Talis is now an accredited e4libraries supplier, under a scheme introduced by BIC. The accreditation acknowledges the strengths of Talis’ supply chain management suite, comprising Talis Gateway (which supports the full EDI procurement cycle) and Talis Keystone’s finance and CRM integration.

New Talis Prism catalogues

Two more public libraries have gone live with their Talis Prism 3 implementations. Leicestershire Libraries are now live with their new catalogue, parallel running both Prism 2 and Prism 3. Most recently, Highlands Libraries launched Prism 3, also running it alongside Prism 2. Read more about these implementations on the Prism blog. In our latest blog we have a report on January Prism 3 usage and a latest list of Talis customers who have launched versions of Prism3.

Events

Talis Decisions Open Day, Birmingham

The Talis Decisions Open Day is a free event taking place on Tuesday 20 April at the Talis office in Birmingham. Come and learn how to get the most out of your management reporting.

Talis Integration Open Days – Solving the integration conundrum

Taking place on 18 February and 6 May 2010 at the Talis offices, the day will explore ways in which our integration solution can deliver savings and service enhancements by linking with finance, CRM and identity management systems.

For further details and to register your free place visit our Integration events page.

Talis Open Day – Your library on the Web

The next in our successful series of Talis Open Days on 4 March 2010 focuses on how to optimise your library’s presence on the web. Join us at the Talis offices for this free event to discover how Talis products can promote your library among your users, and across the wider authority.

Improving efficiency within public libraries – an event with Bridgeall Libraries

The pressures facing public libraries to offer best value are putting even the most efficient library services in the UK under severe scrutiny. Innovative solutions that bring further efficiencies into the library service therefore are crucial at this time. Join us at this ½ day session on 26 February 2010 to discover how smartsm, the unique and powerful stock lifecycle management solution can help libraries to get more from their current stock holdings. To register or for more information, please email: brendan.pearce@smartsm.com.

Across the sector

A library with a difference

Lying on a beach reading a book is possibly one of life’s greatest pleasures. In Australia this was made easier than ever when Ikea set up a library on Bondi Beach giving sunbathers and surfers alike the chance to read whilst getting a tan. Read more…