Category: News

Artificial intelligence is not only changing the world as we know it, but it’s destroying parts of our world along the way. The latest casualty? Books.

Anthropic, to train its Claude AI model, has been buying physical books in order to scan them and ingest their contents. To do this as efficiently – and legally – as possible, special machinery cuts the pages from their bindings and scans them. The books’ remnants are then discarded. According to reports citing court documents, Anthropic has purchased – and destroyed – millions of physical books in the process.

By acquiring physical books, the company owns them – and thus does not have to worry about copyright infringement the way it would by downloading pirated libraries, also known as shadow libraries.

Continue reading “AI companies are destroying books. What will they come for next?” →

Nova Scotia author Rachel Reid has donated $300,000 to the Annapolis Valley Regional Library after hearing five branches were set to permanently shutter.

“I had to do it because I don’t know what the point is of being a successful author in Nova Scotia if you’re not going to use it for good,” Reid told CBC News in an interview Monday.

Continue reading “Nova Scotia: Heated Rivalry author donates $300K to 5 rural libraries facing closure” →

Members of the Lawrencetown village commission realize it’s an ambitious project, but the community has the volunteers and talent needed to operate an independent library.

Vice-chairperson Jane Baskwill said that when commissioners first saw a report from the Annapolis Valley Regional Library (AVRL) board in January requesting increased funding from municipalities to avoid potential closures, they noted the Dr. Frank W. Morse Memorial Library in Lawrencetown had the lowest circulation rate of the 11 regional library branches.

Baskwill said they realized if this metric were to be used to determine which branches would remain open, they would have a difficult time increasing circulation given their hours of operation as a regional library branch and a general lack of programming being offered.

Continue reading “Nova Scotia: Lawrencetown prepares to build collection, operate independent library” →

An organization that supports the library in Charlottetown’s downtown is working on a new goal.

The Charlottetown Library Learning Centre Foundation recently completed its first major project, buying a set of 20 portable Wi-Fi hotspots for the library system.

Now, the volunteers are fundraising for another big tech purchase. The plan is a kiosk that users can operate with their library card to take out laptops, iPads or other tablets to use in the library.

Continue reading “PEI: Portable tech kiosk next fundraising project for Charlottetown library foundation” →

A quest to find a new home for a west end St. John’s library has hit a snag but one advocate hopes a spot will be found soon.

Two months ago the Michael Donovan Public Library closed its doors at the Waterford Valley Mall on Topsail Road after its rental agreement ended.

Continue reading “NL: ‘Back to the drawing board’ after no bids for new St. John’s library home, says advocate” →

The Provincial Archives of New Brunswick has announced a new statistics search platform to help residents quickly and easily find historical records on their own.

The Finance and Treasury Board’s Office of the Chief Information Officer is responsible for the archives.

Finance and Treasury Board Minister René Legacy says the platform launch is a step to modernizing public services through digital solutions to improve how people access government records.

Continue reading “New Brunswick: New search platform at NB archives to help with historical records requests” →

It appears bees love the library — or at least they want to live there.

Hundreds of bees blocked the entrance to the A.C. Hunter Library, located inside the Arts and Culture Centre in St. John’s, as they swarmed the outside steps. Yellow caution tape blocked the stairs Friday morning.

Continue reading “NL: Buzz off readers! Bees blocking entrance to St. John’s library” →

As conversations around AI use continue to grow, it can be challenging to stay informed about the impact AI is having on society and our role as consumers.

CBC Books has compiled a list of books from experts in the tech industry to help demystify the digital age we’re living in. AI-generated content, disinformation and fake news are everywhere — these books examine how we got here, and what it might mean for the future.

Continue reading “10 essential reads to understand the impact of AI” →

These days, everyone needs the internet, even if it is not affordable. The foundation that supports Charlottetown’s library is hoping to help with that for Charlottetown residents and Islanders across P.E.I.

The Charlottetown Library Learning Centre Foundation fundraised tens of thousands to purchase a set of 20 Wi-Fi hotspots that can pick up internet anywhere they connect to a cell tower.

Continue reading “PEI: Wi-Fi hotspots now available at public libraries thanks to foundation fundraising” →