Koerber, Jennifer and Michael P. Sauers. Emerging
Technologies: A Primer for Librarians. Rowman & Littlefield, 2015. ISBN:
978-1-4422-38886.
From the publisher:
Here’s a one-stop
snapshot of emerging technologies every librarian should know about and
examples that illustrate how the technologies are being used in libraries
today! The e-book includes videos of interviews with librarians that are using
them. The videos are available on a web site for people who purchase the print
book.
The first four chapters—Audio & Video, Self- and
Micro-Publishing, Mobile Technology, and Crowdfunding—all look at older
technologies reinvented and reimagined through significant advances in quality,
scale, or hardware. Many libraries were already using these technologies in
some way, and are now able to change and adapt those uses to meet current needs
and take advantage of the latest improvements.
The two next chapters look at new technologies: wearable
technologies and the Internet of Things (simple but powerful computers that can
be embedded into everyday objects and connected to controllers or data
aggregation tools). The last two chapters—Privacy & Security and Keeping Up
With Technology—are all-purpose topics that will continue to be affected by new
developments in technology.
Each of these chapters offers a brief overview of background
information and current events, followed by a list of advantages and challenges
to using these technologies in a library setting. The authors highlight the
most useful or most well-known tools and devices, then specify how these
technologies might be used in a library setting. Finally, they look at a
variety of current examples from libraries in the United States and around the
globe.
