Abstract
This chapter examines the transformation of the physical library into a digital-oriented library environment. Space is regarded as an important feature of the physical library because the quantity of materials that can exist in the physical library is usually determined with regards to space. However, the emergence of digital technologies in the 21st century brought about the notion of digital-oriented library environment, in which a number of materials such as books, articles, and other print-based material can be converted to digital formats such as e-books, PDFs, and multimedia files which could be further stored on digital devices or uploaded online for users to access conveniently. The creation of the digital-oriented library environment has the capability of enabling librarians with innovative skills in order to meet the immediate information needs of library users. Therefore, librarians are required to understand their new roles in the 21st century and work towards creating a digital-oriented library environment.
TopThe Physical Library Space
Over millennia, the physical library space has served as the repository of knowledge for societies based on a written culture. The physical library space has served a variety of purposes which includes the storage of reference materials, place of learning, meeting places and quiet study place (Akeriwa, Penzhorn and Holmner, 2015). Dempsey (2016) claims that “the physical library space enables the organization of information resources, thus adding value to them and making them readily available for users” (p. 58). Based on the fact that books, people and other physical information resources occupy the physical library space, libraries have evolved into complexes of buildings, rooms, and reading spaces in which people come together to access information materials. However, these spaces are manifestations of the library as place, which is more significant than a physical space.
Places are defined by functions, just as the library is recognized for the provision of information materials. Places stimulate and can represent states of mind, in the case of the library as a place, it matches the physical space with the intellectual space, thus linking people to ideas and to each other. Places both occur naturally and are deliberately designed, however, place-making is a deliberate process involving arrangement of objects and spaces to create an environment that supports desired activities. Based on this conception of place, Uzwyshyn (2016), posited that there are three key factors that justifies the library as a physical space;
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the physical-conceptual continuum,
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the people that work and operate in the physical space and,
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the functionalities that bring people to the physical space.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Digital-Oriented Library Environment: This refers to a special library environment which is made up of a collection of digital material that includes text, visual material, audio material, video material, which are stored as digital media formats (as opposed to print-based materials).
Physical Library Space: This refers to the physical space that the library occupies in terms of processing and accessing information resources.
Digital Technologies: This refers to electronic tools systems, devices and resources that generate, store and process data. Well known examples include PCs, smartphones, tablets, social media, online games and multimedia.
Library Users: This refers to individuals that constitute a significant percentage within the library. These individuals are people who make use of the services offered by the library, they include, researchers, academic staff, and the support services staff.
Librarians: They are referred to as are the keepers or managers of a library. They are in charge of caring for the publications, files etc. in a library. They are also known for processing and organizing information.