Trending Tech in Modern Academic Libraries

Every business, home and organization is, and will continue to be, influenced by advancements in technology. University libraries are no exception. University libraries are often the earliest entities to adopt cutting-edge technology. Libraries have brought technology like 3D printing, 3D scanning, virtual reality and gesture control to their respective universities. Libraries will continue to be at the front of university adoption of new technologies such as augmented reality, artificial intelligence and automation as they become a more viable.

Augmented reality has been a popular topic for a number of years now but is just now beginning to come into its full technical potential. Examples of this can be with the baseball parks, car models and Super Bowl stadium models to help people decide the seats they want. These are all great examples that show AR is becoming a widely used technology. Libraries could use AR in a few different ways.

One of the points that comes up in most talks about augmented reality is whether it is a real tool or just a short term fad. While many of the examples we have already looked at prove AR has a legitimate use, there is still some skepticism. This belief is not held by most people engaging with university libraries. A study at Purdue surveying students and faculty on whether it would be effective in a library found that about 94% of them believe AR resources are something the library should implement on a large scale.

Another hot item that is being thrown around a lot in the tech world is the use of artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are often considered to be the future of technology. Many libraries have begun taking note. A study conducted on libraries currently using these technologies found that five of the 27 university libraries they looked at have taken up some type of service utilizing AI. These are mostly through classes that introduce students to AI with tools like code and robotics. Some universities such as Stanford have begun to use AI to help students find books they’re looking for and to better use the information they have available.

Academic libraries have been considering the idea of implementing AI for a while. Some are still not convinced that it would even have a large effect on libraries, and others think it we still have 30 years until it is a real possibility anyway. This is likely an unrealistic way to look at things considering the advancements that have been made by often-mentioned companies such as Google, Amazon and Facebook. The way their AI is able to read and understand unbelievably large amounts of data is something every university library could use to help students and better understand what they are using the library for.

Another technology that has been developing for quite some time is automation, but it is now out of its infancy. One of the best examples of libraries using this is through bookBot. The bookBots are capable of getting books for students, faculty or patrons without anyone needing to interact with the stacks directly. It uses a system of cases and a moving retriever that grabs a bundle of books to take to the requester. The system also saves a lot of space for the library. NC State claims that their stacks would be nine times bigger if they weren’t using the bookBot. Temple University believes it has taken some stress off the students because they no longer have to navigate large stacks on their own to find the book they need. It also ensures the system is organized and quick.

Automation is affecting libraries in other ways. There are examples that seem common in many libraries at this point like self-checkout, automatic cataloging and immediate document delivery. In the future, library automation could expand to things like “Just Walk Out” book checkout and book return. Much in the way Amazon Go stores work, libraries could automatically detect what books you have with you while leaving the building and check them out to you. There are also thoughts of having a simple way of dropping off books where they are scanned to be returned and placed back in their spot in the automatic library system.

Libraries are evolving at speed we have never seen before. Even though many of these ideas may be far from being adopted by all libraries, they are still what most libraries will be looking to implement in the future. Undoubtedly, there are more trends in technology that libraries are working to make valuable resources for their patrons and staff to use. What are some of the trends you would like to see explored? Are there any other ways you think libraries can use the technology above?

Posted by Jacob Hinchey, Emerging Tech Intern