NCompass Live - 2/13/19 http://nlc.nebraska.gov/NCompassLive/ We all know that technology trends are moving at light speed. The truth is that many of these trends are here one day and gone the next. Most of this technology also isn’t particularly relevant to the library world. This presentation will dive into how to identify emerging technology that might make an impact on libraries, now or in the future. Tune in if you want to learn more about the following topics: •What is Emerging Technology? •What are some examples of emerging tech? •How is this tech applicable to libraries? •What might library patrons want to know about emerging tech? •What can we tell interested patrons about these tech trends? We will dive deeper into this topic on March 13 during a presentation about the Ethics Behind Emerging Technology. Presenter: Amanda Sweet, Technology Innovation Librarian, Nebraska Library Commission.

1. Amanda Sweet Nebraska Library Commission NCompassLive Handout
What is Emerging Technology?
In thiscase,“emerging”meansthattechnologyisbecomingprominentormaybecome prominent or
industrychanging.Butjustbecause a type of technologyisbecomingprominentinone industrydoes
not meanitwill become prominentineveryindustry,oreveninthe same way.
These commoncharacteristicsof ‘emergingtechnology’ were paraphrased from“EmergingTechnology:
What isit?” inthe Journalof Technology Managementand Innovation by(Halaweh,
https://scielo.conicyt.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0718-27242013000400010)
 Uncertaintythese isno technologystandardandnoway of knowingif the technologywill make
or breaka business.Riskandexperimentationcanbe quite high.
 Network Effects:technologyisonlyeffective if individualsandbusinesses adoptthe technology.
There ispowerinnumbers.
 UnseenSocial and Ethical Implications: Most technologyhasmultiple applicationtypes.
Dependingonthe application,the shortandlong-termethical implicationsof the technologyare
up fordebate.
 Costs are High: Newtechnologycanbe expensivetoresearchandbuild,soearlyadoptionhasa
highprice.Usersmay alsohave to update outdatedequipmenttoadoptthisnew technology.
 Limitedto Particular Countries:There isunequal accesstoemergingtechnology.Low-income
communitiesandcountriescannotaccessthistechnologyuntil itbecomesmainstream.
 Not fullyInvestigatedor Researched:There are few reliable authoritysourcesproviding
practical reviewsonthistechnology.Muchof the researchisbeingprovidedbythe people
developingthe technology,whoalsohave avestedinterestingatheringusers.
Uses of Emerging Technology in the Library
Technology isdesignedtomake ourliveseasier.Here are examplesof how technologyiscurrentlybeing
usedinthe library:
 Technologyto Improve Exposure to the Library: provide virtual tourstobe accessedthrough
multiple portalswiththe purpose of funnelingphysical traffictothe library(ex.postingavirtual
tour withinterviews/photosona school website toraise awarenessof new programs)
 Expose Library Patrons to Emerging Technology: provide accesstohands-onlearningtools for
patronsto learnmore about technology.Setupanemergingtechnologypettingzoo,orprovide
informationabout howtechnologyismade sotheymaylearnthemselves.
 Improve Library BuildingFunctionality: learnaboutSmart CitiesandSmart Libraries.These
citiesuse devicesconnectedthroughthe internettocontrol lighting,heat,securitycameras,
waterusage, and more.Thiscan improve energyefficiencyandreduce buildingcostsovertime.
 EmergingTechnology as a LearningTool: make learningmore novel andengagingbyletting
learnersexplore the libraryandthe worldatthe same time.Use augmentedreality tolabel your
librarywithnovel ideasandfascinatingfacts,locallyandglobally.
 Provide Information AboutEmerging Tech Around the World: show how technologycanbridge
the gap betweensubjectareasandhelppeople all aroundthe world.
 EmergingTech as a Training Tool: Use VR/AR as a trainingtool forpositionswithhighrotation.
Program an appfor a librarytrainingtourto free uptrainertime and increase learnerretention.

2. Amanda Sweet Nebraska Library Commission NCompassLive Handout
Virtual Reality (VR)
VR immersesusersintoacarefullytailoredvirtual world.The designof aVR experience fromscratchis
rather involvedandcanbe cost andtime prohibitivetomostlibraries.ButVRhasbeenaroundfora
while,sothere are several toolsandappsavailabletomake the designprocesseasier. The Virtual
RealitySocietyputtogetherahistoryif you’dlike toreadit: https://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-
reality/history.html.Recently,multipleindustrieshave beentestingoutVRfor vocational training,
entertainment,education,andmore.
Here’showVRcan be applied tolibraries:
 Technologyto Improve Exposure to the Library: pairGoogle’sfree TourCreatorwitha 3D
camera andyou can create fun toursof yourlibraryand surroundingarea.
https://vr.google.com/tourcreator/
 Expose Library Patrons to Emerging Technology: getan OculusRiftor anotherVRheadsetto
give patronsthe full VRexperience.Askpatronstolookaroundthe virtual environmentand
discoverwhatmade themturntheirhead,and whatinterestedtheminparticulargames.
 EmergingTechnology as a LearningTool: provide patrons withaccessto VRworldtours
(https://www.gearbrain.com/vr-travel-samsung-gear-vr-google-cardboard-1735875065.html).If
youGoogle a subjectarea + Virtual Realityapp,youcanfindsome cool VR learningtoolstoo.
 Provide Information AboutEmerging Tech Around the World: show how VR hasbeenused
across industries.Newinformationmayhelppatronsimprove theirownfieldof study,oritmay
helpstudentsnarrowdownwhattheywantto dofor a living.
 EmergingTech as a Training Tool: rather than buildingatour gearedtowardslibrarypatrons,
youcan buildatour for newemployeestoexplore the libraryandlearnrelevantinformation.
Augmented Reality (AR)
AR isa versionof mixedreality.A cameraandsensorsare usedto collectinformationaboutthe user’s
geographical locationandsurroundingenvironment.Thenanappcan be programmedto overlay a
sound, image,orothermediawhenthe camerarecognizesaspecificobjectorgeographical location
throughthe camera or sensors.Forexample,the game Pokemon GousesARto track where the useris,
thenpopPokemonupon the user’sscreenwhenacertaingeographical markerisreached.
Here’showVRcan be appliedtolibraries:
 Technologyto Improve Exposure to the Library: similartohow VR tourswork,an AR tour can
be created.Thistour can triggerinformationblurbstopopupor play whencertaingeographical
locationsinthe libraryare reached.The triggerpointcan alsobe a physical objectinthe library.
Followalongthe tutorialsinMetaverse tobuild yourown:https://gometa.io/
 Expose Library Patrons to Emerging Technology: helplibrarypatronstell theirownstorywith
GeoStoryteller:http://www.geostoryteller.org/
 EmergingTech as a Learning Tool: letlibrarypatronsbuildtheirownappsandteach othersin
the library.Metaverse issuitable forkidstoo.The bestwaytolearnis to teach!
 EmergingTech as a Training Tool: rather than buildingatour gearedtowardslibrarypatrons,
youcan buildatour for newemployeestoexplore the libraryandlearnrelevantinformation.

3. Amanda Sweet Nebraska Library Commission NCompassLive Handout
Future Emerging Technologies in the Library
Several academicandlargerlibrariesare divingintoresearchanddevelopmentforapplyinglesstried
and true methodsof emergingtechnologytolibraries.Tostay alive andwell inatechnology-centered
world,itisimportantfor librariestoleveragetechnologytotheiradvantage earlyon,ratherthanbe
takenfor surprise asotherindustriesrace ahead.
Here are some examplesof emergingtechnologylibrarieswithwhichlibrariesare experimenting:
Blockchain
Blockchainisa secure wayto collectandstore data.San Jose State Universityrecentlyconcludeda
yearlonginvestigationintoblockchain.A more thoroughdefinitionof blockchaincanbe foundontheir
website here: https://ischoolblogs.sjsu.edu/blockchains/basics/,alongwithsome otherapplications.
Here is whatmakesblockchain“emergingtechnology”:
 Not fullyinvestigatedor researched: blockchainsystemsare tailoreddifferentlyfordifferent
purposes.Will librariesasusershave accesstothe designprocessanddevelopmentprocess?
 UnseenSocial/Ethical Implications: If blockchaineliminatesthe needforacentral authorityto
approve transactions,whatwill happentodataregulatoryauthorities long-term?
 Uncertainty: librarianswouldbe the general publichere,andmanyare still a bitfuzzyon what
blockchain isandhowit can impact the world.Sohow can the general publichave aninformed
opiniontoknowwhatto adopt?
 Costs are High: researchand developmentwilltake time andwill likelyhappenthrough
academiclibraries.Howwill professional development andtraininghappeninotherlibraries?
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence iswhatisbehindthe scenesinGoogle searchengines.Itusesalgorithmstoanalyze
website,images,andotherdatato generate the mostapplicableresults.These resultsare basedon
whatthe developertrainedthe AItolookforinthe data through trainingsets(specifiedblocksof data).
The AI isthentaught to generate itsowncode to improve itself overtime. Youcan learnmore here:
https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/ai-lab-library/.
Here'sis whatmakesAI“emergingtechnology”:
 Not fullyinvestigatedor researched: whenAIstartswritingitsowncode,the userdoesn’t
necessarilyknow the reasona‘bestresult’waschosenandpresentedatthe topof the list.
 UnseenSocial/Ethical Implications: the enduserdoesn’tknow whichfactorswentintothe
initial algorithmorthe typesof trainingsetsthatwere usedtocreate the AI.So the user doesn’t
knowif the resultsgeneratedalignwiththeirownbeliefsorare biasedforanother’sgain.
 Uncertainty:AI has notbeenfullydevelopedbutisgrowingfasterthanpolicy-makersand
governmentregulationscannotkeepupwiththe new developmentsandapplications.
 Network Effects:the creators of AI are currentlywritingtheirownpolicyandinformation
packetsaboutemergingtech.Thispolicyisthenusedtoencourage trustand make the public
adoptthe newtechnology.Canpolicywrittenbyabiasedentitybe trusted?