Library of Congress Releases “Aesop For Children”, A Free Interactive eBook App For iOS

Although LC has releases two other iOS apps (see below) this is their first ebook app release.

Version 1.0 of the app is accessible here. It’s a free download.

From the iTunes App Store:

The Aesop for Children interactive book is designed to be enjoyed by readers of any age. The book contains over 140 classic fables, accompanied by beautiful illustrations and interactive animations.

“Aesop’s Fables”—also called “the Aesopica”—are a collection of stories designed to teach moral lessons credited to Aesop, a Greek slave and story-teller thought to have lived between 620 and 560 BCE.

Aesop’s fables are some of the most well known in the world and have been translated in multiple languages and become popular in dozens of cultures through the course of five centuries. They have been told and retold in a variety of media, from oral tradition to written storybooks to stage, film and animated cartoon versions—even in architecture.

The fables remain a popular choice for moral education of children today. Younger scholars will be able to trace the origin of aphorisms such as “sour grapes” and “a bird in the hand.”

This interactive ebook is presented by the Library of Congress, adapted from the book “The Aesop for Children: with Pictures by Milo Winter,” published by Rand, McNally & Co in 1919. This work is considered to be in the public domain in the United States.

Download the App (via iTunes App Store)

Other iOS Apps From LC include the Congressional Record and the Library of Congress Virtual Tour

Source: http://www.infodocket.com/2012/07/20/list-top-10-hot-articles-in-library-and-information-science-july-2012/

Library of Congress to receive entire Twitter archive

By Michael O'Connell

Web Editor

Federal News Radio

The Library of Congress and Twitter have signed an agreement that will see an archive of every public Tweet ever sent handed over to the library's repository of historical documents.

"We have an agreement with Twitter where they have a bunch of servers with their historic archive of tweets, everything that was sent out and declared to be public," said Bill Lefurgy, the digital initiatives program manager at the library's national digital information infrastructure and preservation program. The archives don't contain tweets that users have protected, but everything else — billions and billions of tweets — are there.

Lefurgy joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Amy Morris Tuesday morning to talk about the library's digital mission.

Using new technical processes it has developed, Twitter is moving a large quantity of electronic data from one electronic source to another. "They've had to do some pretty nifty experimentation and invention to develop the tools and a process to be able to move all of that data over to us," Lefurgy said.

The Library of Congress has long been the repository of important, historical documents and the Twitter library, as a whole, is something historic in itself.

"We were excited to be involved with acquiring the Twitter archives because it's a unique record of our time," Lefurgy said. "It's also a unique way of communication. It's not so much that people are going to be interested in what you or I had for lunch, which some people like to say on Twitter."

Researchers will be able to look at the Twitter archive as a complete set of data, which they could then data-mine for interesting information.

"There have been studies involved with what are the moods of the public at various times of the day in reaction to certain kinds of news events," Lefurgy said. "There's all these interesting kinds of mixing and matching that can be done using the tweets as a big set of data."

One benefit for the Library of Congress in receiving this large data set is that it's been forced to stretch itself technologically.

"It's been difficult at times," Lefurgy said. "But we firmly believe that we have to do this kind of thing because we anticipate that we'll be bringing in large data sets again into the future. We don't know specifically what, but certainly there's no sign of data getting smaller or less complicated or less interesting."

The library's Twitter partnership comes amid a renewed push by the administration and the National Archives and Records Administration for federal agencies to better archive their own social media postings and emails as potential government records.

"We're basically in the same situation as the National Archives, only on a much larger scale," Lefurgy said. "We tend to have a much larger perspective in terms of what we collect."

Courtesy: http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=239&sid=2658996

Library of Congress and Ad Council Team Up with Reading is Fundamental to Launch Public Service Advertising Campaign to Encourage Parents to Read to their Children

press releases

WASHINGTON, April 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Research shows that success in school and life starts with literacy. When children become good readers in the early grades, they are more likely to become better learners throughout their school years and beyond. In a nationwide effort to communicate to parents the importance of reading to their school-aged children, the Library of Congress and the Ad Council have teamed up with Reading is Fundamental (RIF) to launch a new national public service advertising (PSA) campaign, "Book People Unite."

To view the multimedia assets, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/55363-ad-council-library-of-congress-book-people-unite-psa-to-encourage-reading

Created by advertising agency, Mother New York, the new television, print, outdoor and digital PSAs feature a medley of notable book characters, including Pinocchio, Madeline, Humpty Dumpty, Curious George and Raggedy Ann and Andy coming together to encourage parents to "Read to a child today and spark a lifetime of ambition."  The original song in the television PSA was produced by Grammy award-winning band The Roots. Celebrity vocalists Jack Black, Chris Martin (Coldplay), John Legend, Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Jason Schwartzman, Consequence, Regina Spektor, Nate Ruess (fun.), Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia) and Melanie Fiona lend their voices to the song.

"The Library of Congress is so pleased to continue its longstanding collaboration with the Ad Council and to join this effort with RIF," said Gayle Osterberg, director of communications at the Library of Congress. "As America's oldest cultural institution, the Library encourages the use and enjoyment of our nation's creativity and knowledge. We hope this entertaining campaign – combining beloved children's book characters and world-renowned musical talent - inspires families to establish a lifelong love of reading."

All of the PSAs direct audiences to a new campaign micro-site, BookPeopleUnite.org, where they can join the Book People Unite movement by taking the pledge to love reading and declare themselves a "book person." Each person who pledges will receive a free download of the song featured in the PSA. The site also features access toLibrary of Congress and RIF's respective web sites where people can find great tips and advice for reading with their children.  

"For more than twelve years we have partnered with the Library of Congress to promote literacy in all types of learning," said Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of the Ad Council. "Our new campaign with RIF, featuring many of the notable book characters we all grew up with, will encourage parents to establish positive reading practices with their children. We hope that families will understand that reading is fun. All it takes is a few minutes a day to inspire your children to become lifelong readers."

The characters in the television PSA were brought to life through specially-crafted puppets by Jim Henson's Creature shop and Curious Pictures created the animated characters. Additionally Emmy award-winning actorLeVar Burton makes a special cameo in the television PSA and talks about why he is a Book Person in one of the radio PSAs.

"One book can spark a lifetime of ambition and we are asking the nation to join us in igniting a culture of reading where all kids can explore, dream and achieve," said Carol Rasco, president and CEO of RIF. "This PSA is part of our campaign to unite a community of people who believe in the transformative power of books and are committed to this critical cause. Together, we can realize our vision of a literate America."

"We can all point to one or many books that fueled our childhood adventures. Without RIF these windows of adventure that books open every day may close to those most in need.  We were astonished when we heard from RIF that in some of the lowest-income neighborhoods in the US there is only one book available for every 300 children," said Phil Graham, Co-Head of Strategy of Mother New York. "We hope that this campaign will spark a reading revolution in America and a greater recognition on the vital role books play in kick-starting children to a lifetime of literacy."

Since 2000, the Ad Council has partnered with the Library of Congress on a national Reading campaign. The campaign targets children aged eight to twelve in an effort to inspire fun and promote literacy in all types of learning, including reading books, magazines and cartoons, online and interactive tools, visiting museums, creating music and using one's imagination. To date, the campaign has received over $388 million in donated media support.

Per the Ad Council model, the PSAs will be distributed to media outlets nationwide this week and will run and air in advertising time that is donated by the media.

About the Library of Congress

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions. The largest library in the world, the Library serves the U.S. Congress and the nation both on-site, in its reading rooms on Capitol Hill, and through its award-winning website at www.loc.gov. The Library of Congress is the home of the Center for the Book, a major national force for reading and literacy promotion and sponsor of the award-winning Read.gov website and National Book Festival each September in Washington, D.C.

About The Advertising Council

The Ad Council is a private, non-profit organization with a rich history of marshalling volunteer talent from the advertising and media industries to deliver critical messages to the American public. Having produced literally thousands of PSA campaigns addressing the most pressing social issues of the day, the Ad Council has effected, and continues to effect, tremendous positive change by raising awareness, inspiring action and saving lives. To learn more about the Ad Council and its campaigns, visit www.adcouncil.org.

About Reading Is Fundamental

Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) delivers free books and literacy resources to children and families in underserved communities in the United States. By giving children the opportunity to own a book, RIF inspires them to become lifelong readers and achieve their full potential.  As the nation's largest children's literacy nonprofit, RIF has placed 400 million books in the hands of more than 35 million children since it was established in 1966. Learn more and help RIF provide books to kids who need them most, visit RIF.org.

SOURCE The Ad Council