4 July 2018 – Smart Libraries Issue
Happenings and Opinions in Higher Education Leicester to roll out ‘Smart Libraries’ Network In the UK, a group of 14 public libraries in Leicester County will be implementing a ‘Smart Library’ network, where users will be able to visit libraries and utilize library resources without staff supervision, extending the hours during which library resources are made available. Libraries and the Internet of Things The American Library Association’s page keeps track of some of the trends affecting the development of smart libraries in the US, of which, the implementation of IoT technology is being taken up by public libraries and academic libraries. Blockchain in the Library – Researchers Explore Possible Applications The Institute of Museum and Library Services has awarded a $100,000 grant to San José State University’s School of
Smart Library: Identifying Books on Library Shelves Using Supervised Deep Learning for Scene Text Reading Source: Yang, Xiao et al. (2017). Smart Library: Identifying Books on Library Shelves Using Supervised Deep Learning for Scene Text Reading. 2017 ACM/IEEE Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (JCDL).
Image: Yang, Xiao et al. (2017). Smart Library: Identifying Books on Library Shelves Using Supervised Deep Learning for Scene Text Reading. 2017 ACM/IEEE Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (JCDL).
This article describes new research exploring how various technologies can be leveraged and combined to assist library inventory management via “a deep neural network-based system” using images. While the idea itself is not new, the implementation described in this article shows impressive accuracy in retrieval performance and text recognition.
Information to conduct research into blockchain technology and its application in libraries. 8 New Technologies for Smart Libraries This article lists some technologies that have yet to be implemented in libraries, examining whether they can be useful for application in libraries. Some examples touched upon in the article include a conceptual augmented reality app, digital interfaces for books, and print on-demand machines. DTU Smart Library Implementation – What Has Been Done? The Technical University of Denmark’s Smart Campus push has led to their Library implementing a couple of simple yet effective technologies to become a Smart Library. This page documents the work done in this regard.
Summary of Possible IoT Applications in Academic Libraries Source: Nag, A. & Nikam, K. (2016). Internet Of Things Applications In Academic Libraries. International Journal of Information Technology and Library Science, 5(1), 1-7.
This article examines how academic libraries can make use of the Internet of Things to automate simple tasks and transform themselves into Smart Libraries. It provides a helpful summary of some applicable Internet of Things technologies as well as explains the design and implementation ideas and suggestions to make them applicable specifically to academic libraries.
How to Leverage Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Technology to Facilitate Collaborative Study Groups in a Library Source: Antevski, K., Redondi, A. E. C., & Pitic, R. (2016). A hybrid BLE and Wi-Fi localization system for the creation of study groups in smart libraries. 2016 9th IFIP Wireless and Mobile Networking Conference (WMNC), 41-48.
This article proposes transforming collaborative spaces in libraries via technology to become areas where students and researchers can organically come together to share ideas and facilitate research. Specifically, this will be done by making use of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth hybrid technology to facilitate quick and effective localization, as well as allowing users to advertise and call for collaborators or fellow study partners.
Latest Applications in Beacon Technology in Libraries Source: iBeacon Trends.
The development of beacon technology has continued apace, and this website tracks the case studies of beacon usage and implementation in various environments. This includes libraries, and the site allows for easy searching of the latest implementations of beacon technology in libraries around the world. The latest examples come from Port Clinton’s Library and Bavarian Library.
Using Big Data to Enable a Smart Library for Educational Institutions Source: Simović, A. (2018). A Big Data smart library recommender system for an educational institution. Library Hi Tech, 36(3), 498-552.
This article has identified that traditional information provided by academic libraries are no longer able to meet all the information needs of their users, and is proposing the libraries leverage on big data and data from outside of the libraries to provide better services. Integral to that is the adoption of Big Data technologies to resolve problems such as “how large amounts of data from different sources can be collected and connected, integrated and stored, and analyzed and visualized”. The paper focuses on proposing a “Recommender System”, using data gathered from a “Big Data ecosystem” of external sources such as bookstores, social media networks, the educational institute’s IS and LMS, and a network of Internet of Things devices.
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