Library Service Innovation Based on New Information Technology: Taking the Interactive Experience Space “Tsinghua Impression” as an Example

Introduction

Library services combine the professional knowledge of the library by information technology. It not only needs the professional knowledge of Information organization and information retrieval, but also a combination of experience with user services and traditional library services. The innovation of library services not only need the innovation of thought, but also the innovation of technology.

The rapid development of information technology has broken the time and space restrictions of library services, lead great changes in the methods of services used in traditional libraries. The application of information technology in libraries not only expands the range and improves the quality of service, but also changes the mode of service in libraries. The rapid evolution of information technology brings opportunities and challenges to libraries. New technologies could improve the mode and quality of service, and meets the requirements of patrons better. Modern libraries cannot neglect the application of information technology. The quality of the service offered by a modern library directly depends on how it applies information technology. How to exploit the characteristics of various new technologies and make innovations in library service is a question that librarians face to.

In recent years, libraries in-house and outside have incorporated the use and design of space into service innovation of the libraries, and new information technologies apply to these spaces. For example, in 2011 an innovative space was set up in the Fayetteville Free Library in northern New York USA, and advanced software and 3D printing equipment were used to attract people to come to the library. In May 2013, the Shanghai Library built a new creative reading room that is open to the outside world. There is professional drawing equipment and design software including multimedia touchscreens, 3D printing and other devices, that make it easier for readers to communicate with each other and show their innovative results.

Library service innovation aims to integrate new ideas into traditional library services and to apply new information technology to library services, so as to transform the concept of service and improve the mode of service. In April 2016, the interactive experience space “Tsinghua impression” came into use in Tsinghua University Library. Figure 1 illustrates a Panorama of the interactive experience space “Tsinghua impression”. This space combines new technology with the reading habits of readers, and establishes a new service model.

Figure 1.

The Panorama of the interactive experience space “Tsinghua impression”