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  • “To break down the bars of ignorance and illiteracy.”

    The Legacy of Michael Hart (1947-2011)

    "And to wear cool hats!"

    Every Christmas we here at ibiblio see our traffic skyrocket. The man behind this spike is Michael Hart, the founder of Project Gutenberg, one of our favorite and most popular partners.

    In 1971, Hart began manually entering the text of books into a University of Illinois computer network. This was a solitary passion for 17 years until he was able to publicize his pursuit, convincing others to join. At that time he had uploaded “only” 313 books, including the Bible and the Declaration of Independence.

    Today, with thousands of volunteers following Hart’s lead, Project Gutenberg boasts over 17,000 titles, including classics from Kafka, Shakespeare, Plato, and Dickens. Almost any book you could think of from the early 20th century and before is available to download by anyone with an Internet connection, for free.

    So this Christmas, when you get your shiny (or matte) new Kindle or Nook, join thousands of others in accessing the world’s largest collection of free e-books. Curl up in a big chair, and before you start reading, shoot Mr. Hart a quick thank-you.

    Michael Hart, the inventor of e-books, the founder of Project Gutenberg, a man who was famously idiosyncratic, and loved by many, died on September 6, 2011 in his home in Urbana Illinois.

    The world owes Mr. Hart a debt of gratitude, and we here at ibiblio are sad to lose him. You can read his full obituary at the Project Gutenberg homepage.

  • 9/11 perspective: 70 years after Pearl Harbor, America hangs on…

    As America struggles to remember and make sense of the September 11 attacks on their upcoming 10th anniversary this week, ibiblio encourages users to look back at another distressing moment in American history.

    The Pearl Harbor History Associates (PHHA) is a non-profit corporation chartered by the Commonwealth of Virginia on July 2, 1985 for the purposes of education, research, and promulgation of historical data.

    “To honor the memory, to serve the truth, to protect the heritage, we are happy to host some of the best Pearl Harbor sites on the Web”

    This collection of sites is truly a unique, comprehensive, and valuable resource.

    Sponsored sites include:

    Pearl Harbor Attacked

    This site features:

    • An mp3 of Roosevelt’s famous “A date that will live infamy” speech, as well as the original copy, with his handwritten deletions and insertions
    • A message board through which users can pose Pearl Harbor-related questions to experts
    • An online shop, where users can purchase posters, movies, and other memorabilia
    • A quiz to test your knowledge, and more!

    Pearl Harbor Attack Hearings

    • A complete collection of the joint congressional hearings that took place between1941 and 1946, in which eyewitnesses give their testimony to provide a complete story of the attack

    Battleship Row

    • A photographic look at the United States Navy during the attack on Pearl Harbor

    ibiblio urges you to peruse these and other sites and remember those that lost their lives, but also reflect on the fact that the Pearl Harbor attack brought the people of this country together, and 70 years later we’re still going strong (in the grand scheme of things).

    60 years from now, we hope we can host a similar collection that will commemorate the lost, and shed light on the attacks that shook this country just a decade ago.

  • ibiblio celebrates 2011 World IPv6 day

    ibiblio is happy to participate in 2011 World IPv6 day. A small but diverse set of content is now accessible via IPv6. You can view the ibiblio homepage, listen to live radio streams, or sync your local Fedora Linux mirror with rsync over IPv6. The ibiblio IPv6 services page has details on how to connect.

    Adoption of IPv6 has been very slow. The Internet Society lists only 434 registered 2011 World IPv6 day participants. However, events such as this give us an opportunity to explore and learn. Read on if you’re interested in some of the hurdles we encountered setting up IPv6 services.
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