Four Technologies Important for Libraries

As librarians in the 21^st century, we all know that there will always be new trends, new technologies, and new tools to help us perform our jobs and daily tasks more efficiently, and with higher quality results as well.  We are bombarded by these tips, tools, and trends on an almost daily basis - so how do we know what is important and what may soon be swept under the rug?  Some folks with the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals were asked to look into “The Top Technologies Every Librarian Needs to Know,” and lucky for us, they came up with just four of them.  Here they are: 1) Augmented Reality (AR), according to Merriam- Webster Dictionary is “an enhanced version of reality created by the use of technology to overlay digital information on an image of something being viewed through a device (such as a smartphone camera); also :  the technology used to create augmented reality.”  It would seem to me that Google Glass would be a prime example of AR.  QR codes placed around the library can act, at the simplest level, as AR, in that they could help to inform patrons about the collections.  Layar, a smartphone application, takes a photo and returns layers of information relating to that object, also known as interactive print. 2) Discovery, an important tool that libraries offer to researchers and patrons, makes library content and holdings more easily “discoverable” to users.  It makes library searching simple for researchers.  Instead of searching different resources or search tools separately, more institutions are offering the single search box to locate all types of materials or content relating to a specific topic. 3) Large-Scale Text, or the mass digitization of books. The HathiTrust was the first and largest of its kind.  The HathiTrust now holds about 12.5 million volumes, and 4.5 million of those are in the public domain.  Libraries are realizing that in most cases a digital copy can serve their users’ needs just as a print book can.  For libraries with little shelf space this is a great alternative. 4) Open Hardware, similar to open-source software, is mechanical tangible technology or “physical artifacts of technology” that are free to distribute, modify, or use.  This could be a big money saver for libraries in the future.  For example, rather than purchasing from a vendor, a library could build their own traffic sensor, or adapt one from another library’s creation.