4. Game Changers 7 Trends
1. Nanotechnology
Physicist Richard Feynman, the father of nanotechnology.
Nanotechnology is science, engineering, and technology conducted
at the nanoscale, which is about 1 to 100 nanometers.
2. HD video camera (computer “eyeware”)
3. 3-D scanning and printing
4. Visual learning robotics
Visual intelligence allows a robot to “sense” and “recognize”
the surrounding environment
5. Internet data expansion
6. Voice recognition
7. Eye recognition
Courtesy to: Marie L. Radford
5. Makerspaces Trend
A makerspace is essentially a collaborative
workspace where people gather to make, learn,
tinker and explore. Makerspaces can be as simple or
as advanced as your budget and comfort level allow.
For example, you can provide recycled materials,
such as cardboard or old electronics, for patrons to
build and create new objects, or go as far as offering
tools and technologies like 3D printers, sewing
machines, robotics, or laser cutters.
6. Digital Creation Labs
Another trend is the creation of media labs that allow patrons to engage in
active learning, experience new media and information formats, and
collaborate in technology-rich spaces. Digital media labs also play an important
role in educating citizens about software and hardware, which could help them
build skills to find jobs in our increasingly technology-driven world.
7. Flexible Design and Seating
New trends in library design focus on modular
furniture, mobile shelving and bright color
palettes.
Modular seating and mobile shelves can be
easily rearranged, allowing for greater
flexibility in setting up new spaces, creating
divisions between areas, and regularly
refreshing the look and feel of the library.
Seating options have also evolved from
upright, wooden chairs to more comfortable
options, like cushions, couches and bean bag
chairs.
Brighter colors are used to be more appealing
to patrons, and to give off a fun, playful vibe.
8. Digital scholarship
To advance the educational and research processes, libraries are developing
digital scholarship centers, often in partnership with other campus units.
These centers extend traditional methods of research by applying new
technologies, such as GIS data, visualization, and big data across the
curriculum.
Digital asset management, digital preservation, training, consultations, and
tools for digital scholarship are among the suite of services and resources
provided.
The role of librarians as collaborators/service providers, program planning
for diverse constituencies, and continuous skill development.(Alix Keener identifies)
ACRL’s Digital Scholarship Center Interest Group provides a forum for
engaging on this topic.
9. Collection assessment trends
There has been a remarkable shift to the incorporation and integration
of more continuous, ongoing, flexible, and sustainable review of
collections rather than ad-hoc project-based models
“Rightsizing” the collection has become a norm.
There is an increasing need to establish more holistic and agile
approaches (both qualitative and quantitative) to manage budgetary
constraints while ensuring that collections are “responsive” and
committed to institutional research and curricular requirements and
needs.
In doing so, libraries have established new collection analyst positions,
employed new tools (e.g., visualization, predictive analysis).
10. Open Educational Resources (OER)
OER are experiencing a watershed in higher education in the United States,
as articles in major news media drive public awareness of the high cost of
college-level textbooks.
This growing public awareness may drive a broader range of infrastructures
to address not only the development of OER on campuses but solutions to
address hosting and discoverability of OER.
In February 2016, Amazon announced the development of an OER platform
aimed at the K-12 market, and higher education seems a likely next
development.
11. Cloud Computing
Personal Cloud
Accessing personal
data, applications and
communities from
anywhere, on multiple
devices, in real-time
Personal Cloud
“In this world no one
platform, form factor,
technology or vendor will
dominate…”
“…shifts focus from the
client device to cloud-
based services delivered
across devices.”
Gartner Top 10 Tech Trends, 2013
Personal Cloud
Lessons for Libraries:
–Ensure library services are
available in mobile-friendly,
cross-browser compatible
versions wherever possible
e.g. Discovery Layers and
on-line collections
Personal Cloud
•Lessons for Libraries:
–The library needs to
integrate its services and
collections into the
personal cloud of all of
its customers to ensure
our future relevance
Personal Cloud
Apps-based access to
library materials and
programs: 35% of
Americans ages 16 and
older would “very likely”
use that service and
another 28% say they
would be “somewhat
likely” to do so.
“Library Services in the Digital Age”,
Pew Research, 2013
12. Strategic Big Data
“Big Data is moving from a focus on individual projects to an influence on enterprises’ strategic
information architecture. Dealing with data volume, variety, velocity and complexity is forcing changes
to many traditional approaches.” Gartner Top 10 Tech Trends, 2013
“Big Data isn’t a solution; it’s the name for the problem. Ninety percent of the world's data has been
created in the last two years. The very nature of the data that’s being created is different. It’s now a
river, a flowing stream, and not single, isolated numbers.” Dane Atkinson, CEO, SumAll
Library of Congress
•Largest library in the world
•155,300,000 items
•11,000 new items every day
•838 miles (1349 km) of bookshelves
“Every day, three times per second, we produce the equivalent of the amount of data that the Library
of Congress has in its entire print collection, right? But most of it is like cat videos on YouTube or
13-year-olds exchanging text messages about the next Twilight movie.” Nate Silver