This week’s 4cast:
1. Already Sick of Sharing?
Social networking is still huge, but as more and more people (and libraries) join in, is the coolness factor wearing off?
- Social sites becoming too much of a good thing: Many young folks burning out on online sharing (San Francisco Chronicle)
- In Teens’ Web World, MySpace Is So Last Year (Washington Post)
- Just How Connected Are They? (ACRLog)
- Can Social Software Really Save The Library? (Life as I Know It)
2. Extra! Extra! Young People Are Not Reading All About It!
Meanwhile, as the newspaper industry watches its readership (especially young readers) dwindle, some observers see a parallel downward spiral in library circulation.
- Young people don’t like us. Who can blame them? (The Observer)
- The (Young) User Is Not Broken (It’s all good)
- More Bad News For The Newspaper Industry (ACRLog)
3. Library Patrons Fight for Their Right to Women & Guns
A Washington regional library system is getting hit from both the left (American Civil Liberties Union) and right (Second Amendment Foundation) by a lawsuit challenging its refusal to disable Internet filters on public-access computers.
- ACLU Suit Seeks Access to Lawful Information on Internet (ACLU of Washington)
- is this the CIPA lawsuit we have been waiting for? (librarian.net)
- ACLU, SAF Sue Library Over Internet Filter (Josh’s Weblog)
- SAF Sues Library System Over Internet Censorship of Gun Websites (ResourceShelf)
4. The Perfect Stocking Stuffer? Lots & Lots of Spam
Researchers have confirmed that in recent weeks, the world is getting slammed with spam. Why? Some say it’s the holidays – others blame the Russians.
- What’s with all this spam? (Network World)
- ‘Tis the season to send spam (CNET)
- ‘Pump-and-Dump’ Spam Surge Linked to Russian Bot Herders (eWeek)
- 200 people create 80 per cent of spam (The Inquirer)
