Lending and Borrowing Library Materials: Automation in the Changing Technology Landscape

Lending and Borrowing Library Materials: Automation in the Changing Technology Landscape

Regina H. Gong, Dao Rong Gong
Copyright: © 2013 |Pages: 15
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-3938-6.ch011
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Abstract

The first application of robotic technologies in libraries is in the area of storage and retrieval of library materials. This chapter discusses past, present, and future developments in robotic technologies in the area of library circulation. Issues and challenges libraries face in light of rapid developments in the electronic realm are discussed in relation to circulation. This chapter also highlights future trends and technologies for library lending, as well as possibilities for advancement with the increasing shift towards electronic content in libraries.
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Overview Of Library Automation

Much of the literature in circulation focuses on technology developments in storage and retrieval of printed materials. To understand how this came about, it is useful to examine advances in library automation and library information technology side by side. Efficiency and productivity were the impetus for automation in libraries. As computer systems became more widely available, libraries began a slow and gradual shift from focusing on collections to focusing on information access (Borgman, 1997).

Lynch (2000) provides a framework for understanding the changes in the library automation industry and its effect on organizations based on the three-phase process introduced by Richard West and Peter Lyman:

Modernization (doing what you are already doing, though more efficiently); innovation (experimenting with new capabilities that the technology makes possible); and transformation (fundamentally altering the nature of the organization through these capabilities) (Lynch, 2000, p. 60).

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