Thursday, August 10, 2017

How libraries went beyond books



How libraries went beyond books

Libraries are steadily adding AV systems such as virtual reality labs and enterprise-grade conference rooms to boost revenue and patronage. Tim Kridel explores what these and other trends mean for pro AV. 

When it opened sometime in the Third Century B.C., the Royal Library of Alexandria had not only books and scrolls, but also a dining room, meeting spaces and a lecture hall. More than 2,200 years later, libraries are rethinking that mix, a process that means opportunities for proAV.

One example is North Carolina State University’s James B. Hunt, Jr. Library in the US, named one of the world’s “25 coolest college libraries.” Hunt features bookBot, a robotic system that retrieves books from stacks that pack 2 million into one-ninth the space that traditional shelving uses.

bookBot is a cutting-edge example of how libraries are increasingly moving books into the background—literally and figuratively. At some libraries, that means storing rarely read books at an offsite facility. Sometimes the move includes digitisation so patrons can read the books on tablets and other devices. 

No matter how the move is accomplished, this trend benefits proAV because libraries often fill that space with technology. At Hunt, that includes a visualisation lab featuring 10 projectors and 280 degrees of immersive video.


Regards 

Pralhad Jadhav  

Senior Manager @ Knowledge Repository  
Khaitan & Co 

Upcoming Lecture | ACTREC - BOSLA Annual lecture series (125th birth anniversary of father of library science, Padmashree Dr. S. R. Ranganathan) on Saturday, 12th August 2017 at Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), Kharghar, Navi Mumbai.  (Theme | 'MakerSpace')



Twitter Handle | @Pralhad161978

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