libraries

The author of The Mathematicians' Library is offering a free Japanese language edition of the book to whoever gives the best reason for wanting it, with postage covered within the UK. The Polish edition of the same book previously went to a teacher, and the giveaway is drawing friendly engagement from maths enthusiasts online.

Four Swiss libraries, led by the University of Basel, have launched a platform called Books as Data, making roughly 140 million pages of digitised historical texts freely accessible online. The database, available in English at books-as-data.ch, opens centuries of printed knowledge to researchers and the public as machine-readable data.

Veilamp, an open source music player, is drawing attention for a feature that lets users stream their personal music libraries to friends. The project combines local playback with social sharing, appealing to people looking for alternatives to commercial streaming services. Early reactions online are positive, with interest focused on the self-hosted, community-driven approach to music listening.

A theatre in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, is holding a screening of the classic comedy '9 to 5' to raise support for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, the book-gifting programme that provides free books to young children. Local audiences are being invited to enjoy the film while backing a childhood literacy cause tied to Parton's signature charity effort.

Veilamp, a cross-platform open source music player, is drawing attention for doing more than playback. Beyond detailed listening and audio tweaks, it can run as a headless music server on a home network and stream a user's music library to friends. Early reactions online highlight how much functionality is packed into the free player.

The California Writing Project has received a literacy award from the Library of Congress, an honor recognizing organizations that make outstanding contributions to promoting literacy and reading. The announcement, shared through UC Santa Barbara, highlights the project's long-running work supporting writing instruction for students and teachers across California.

Game developer Alfred Baudisch shared a project connected to Pardall Games, a website offering a library aimed at retro and retrogaming fans. Other users on Mastodon praised it as a cool tool and said they were adding its feed to their RSS readers to follow new content.

The creator of a petition is proposing that Nashville International Airport include a dedicated space for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, the book gifting program founded by the singer that mails free books to children. The proposal would tie the program's mission to a public space inside BNA, and the petition is drawing local attention to the idea.

The Friends of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library are holding their semiannual book sale, with tens of thousands of books available for purchase. The event raises funds to support library programs and services in the Charlottesville, Virginia area, and draws bargain hunters and book lovers twice a year.

Food lovers are highlighting putu mayam, the Singapore and Malaysian Ceylonese take on idiyappam, or string hoppers, sold in local hawker centres. The dish, brought by South Indian and Ceylonese communities, is typically served with grated coconut and orange sugar. Posts link to National Library Board material documenting its history, and the conversation is part of a broader appreciation of Singapore's multicultural street food heritage.

Simon Fraser University has released an open-access catalog compiling decades of killer whale recordings into a searchable online library. Listeners can identify populations, clans and pods by their calls alone. The collection highlights how the three Pacific ecotypes carry distinct dialects, and how clans within a single population differ vocally, giving researchers and the public a new tool for studying orca communication.

Tunkhannock Public Library in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, is holding its book sale, offering used books to the community. Local coverage from the Wyoming County Examiner announced the event. Book sales like this typically raise funds for library programs while giving residents a chance to pick up inexpensive reading material. Details on dates and prices are not included in the available coverage.

A music listener has shared a five-star rating system for organising a local music collection, describing it as a method that makes sense and helps keep things tidy. Five stars mark absolute favourites that get listened to regardless of context, whether as part of an album or as singles. The post is drawing small but positive engagement as people consider how they rate and organise their own libraries.

Farmington Public Library in Maine has started a Garden Seed Lending Program, letting patrons borrow seeds for home gardening and return saved seeds after harvest. Seed libraries have grown in popularity as a way to promote local food growing, biodiversity and community self-sufficiency, and the Farmington initiative follows that model.

The Parsippany Library is set to be converted into an 18-hole mini-golf course as part of a fundraiser event. The unusual transformation aims to draw community members to the library while raising money. The details of the event, including the date, beneficiaries and ticket arrangements, were not specified in available coverage.

The Jackson-Madison County Library has been awarded a $19,762 grant to support technology improvements. The funding, announced by local outlet WBBJ-TV, is expected to help the Tennessee library expand or upgrade its technology services for patrons. Further details on how the money will be spent have not yet been released.

The 2009 BBC documentary The Lost Libraries of Timbuktu, narrated by Scottish-Sierra Leonean writer Aminatta Forna, is being shared again by viewers celebrating its account of Mali's manuscript heritage. The film follows African storytellers and scholars, guardians of a history long dismissed by outsiders as mere oral tradition, and explores Timbuktu's ancient libraries and their role in preserving African intellectual history.

The Mountain View Regional Library is hosting a Halloween-themed event that blends spooky fun with hands-on science activities. The program, covered by the Cobb Courier, offers families seasonal entertainment with an educational twist at the Cobb County library.

A children's book sale is being held to raise money in support of a local library. The event draws community attention as libraries continue to seek funding for programs and materials. Shoppers get discounted books while proceeds go back to the library, making the fundraiser a popular seasonal tradition in many communities.

The McCracken County Public Library in Kentucky is using proceeds from book sales plus grant funding to add new programs and resources for patrons. The Paducah Sun reports the money is bringing 'new adventures' to the library, though details of the specific purchases or services funded have not been laid out in the available reporting.

A new roundup highlights five of the best games available on the Nintendo Switch 2 so far, offering players a guide to the console's strongest early library. Coverage of the Switch 2 continues as gamers weigh which titles are worth picking up on the new hardware, with early releases drawing comparisons to the original Switch's lineup.

Microsoft's Disc-To-Digital feature, which lets Xbox players convert eligible physical game discs into digital copies stored in their library, is now rolling out to all users. Gamers welcome the convenience of ditching discs, though some are asking about which titles qualify and whether pricing is fair.