Tag Archives: Media

Arts & Humanities, Books & Reading, Libraries, Politics, Times They Are A-Changing

Libraries Across The United States Are Ending Fines For Overdue Books

August 5, 2021 DrWeb

By Rachel Kramer Bussel, Senior Contributor Media, Jul 30, 2021,07:49am EDT

Numerous libraries across the United States are eliminating fines for overdue books.
Getty Images

Libraries across the United States are eliminating late fees for overdue books.

In Burbank, California, the Burbank Public Library became fine free on July 1, eliminating fees for overdue books and cancelling historical overdue fees.

Of the switch, the library wrote on its website, “This move is part of our efforts to improve equity of access. While fines for overdue items may seem like a small burden, they can create a major barrier to service for those who are struggling financially. Too many people have made the choice to stop using the Library because of inability to pay or fear of accruing fines.”

The library also stated, “Research has shown that fines are not effective in getting materials returned on time, and libraries that have eliminated fines have found that long overdue items come back and patrons who avoided the library for years start visiting again.” Fines won’t be charged for lost library cards, or holds that aren’t picked up, but will still be charged for lost or damaged checked out items.

Source: Libraries Across The United States Are Ending Fines For Overdue Books

Books & Reading, Science & Health, Television, Web & Technology

The End of Legacy Media (Newspapers, Magazines, Books, TV Networks)

May 3, 2021 DrWeb

By Jakob Nielsen on August 22, 1998

Most current media formats will die and be replaced with an integrated Web medium in five to ten years.
–from article..

Legacy media cannot survive because the current media landscape is an artifact of the underlying hardware technology.

Whenever the user experience is dictated by hardware limitations, it is a sure bet that something better will come along once these limitations are lifted.

Source: The End of Legacy Media (Newspapers, Magazines, Books, TV Networks)

Editor’s Note: Predictions and article from 1998.. how did he do?

See Also:

https://open.lib.umn.edu/mediaandculture/chapter/9-1-the-evolution-of-television/ – The Evolution of Television
https://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/chapter/15-1-technological-advances-from-the-printing-press-to-the-iphone/ – Technological Advances: From the Printing Press to the iPhone

Arts & Humanities, Books & Reading, Film & Movies, Games, Libraries, Science & Health, Television, Web & Technology

Is there a scientific case for literature? A neuroscientist novelist argues yes | Salon.com

April 19, 2021 DrWeb

Illogical as it might seem, there may be an evolutionary reason that humans love consuming fiction

By Erik Hoel, April 18, 2021 11:30PM (UTC)

***A parent and child tell each other stories inside a cosy tent lit up in a dark room of their home (Getty Images)***

You do something strange every day. You consume fictions. It’s such an omnipresent habit, shared by all, that we rarely consider the oddity of it.

I’m a fiction writer myself, but I’m also a neuroscientist, so this activity fascinates me. What’s the cognitive utility of learning things that aren’t true? We’re evolved biological beings who need to understand the world to survive, and yet all facts we learn about Hogwarts are literally false. How can any of this information be useful?

Still, fictions surround us. I grew up in my mother’s independent bookstore and I’ve been a writer since I can remember. A significant change in my lifetime is that media, like TV channels, books, magazines, and films, have been condensed into a single one-stop shop: the screen. I call this the supersensorium. Screens are now supermarkets for entertaining experiences. Such easy access to fictions means we often binge watch, we stuff our faces.