Monday, August 23, 2010

Reattaching the Cord


Link to August 23 New York Times article, "In the Living Room, Hooked on Pay TV".

Excerpt: These are confusing times in the living room. The proliferation of Internet video has led to much talk of “cord-cutting” — a term that has come to mean canceling traditional pay TV and replacing it with programming from a grab bag of online sources.

But so far Americans are not doing this in any meaningful numbers. “Nor is there any evidence of it emerging in the near future,” said Bruce Leichtman, the president of Leichtman Research Group, which studies consumer media habits.

This is all the more remarkable, industry analysts say, because it seems to defy the way the Internet has disrupted and challenged virtually every other major form of media — from music to newspapers to books.

In part that is because the television business took action to avoid the same fate. Heavyweight distributors and producers have protected their business models by ensuring that some must-see shows and live sporting events cannot legally be seen online
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Felton Branch of Santa Cruz Public Libraries Open Just 8 Hours Per Week


What about the other branch locations? Retiring Guy wonders.
Santa Cruz Public Libraries has a geographically large service area.

The hours of operation grid.

Link to August 10 Santa Cruz News article, "Santa Cruz libraries not out of the red yet".

Excerpt: Cuts to public libraries are taking their toll on the system. Libraries across the Santa Cruz County system (which excludes Watsonville) are reporting a 26 percent decline in the number of people they are serving now that hours have been reduced. At the same time, they are also experiencing a 40 percent increase in the number of people who use the libraries when they are open.


In other words, the total number of library visits is down 26%, but library visits per hour are up 40%.  At least that's how Retiring Guy translates the above paragraph.

Oldham County Public Library in Lagrange is Kentucky's Greenest


Link to August 19 Louisville Courier-Journal article, "Oldham greenest library in state".

Excerpt: Kentucky is home to a number of “green” buildings, but the Oldham County Public Library is the only library in the state to get a top rating for energy efficiency.

Oldham library officials unveiled a circular glass plaque Thursday that they received for earning a “gold” certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for the La Grange library building.

Of Kentucky’s 28 LEED projects, only nine are in the “gold” category, said Len Peters, secretary of the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet. The Main Library on Yager Avenue is the first library in Kentucky that made that category, “which is really remarkable,” he said
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Link to Picasa photo album.