Academic Libraries and Technology: An Environmental Scan Towards Future Possibility

Abstract

This research conducts an environmental scan of current best practices in academic library technology to reflect on future landscapes. The work takes the premise that by projecting out from current leading-edge technology realities, it is possible to better plan for the future. Academic Library learning commons, 3D printing labs, makerspaces, online data research repositories and information literacy are overviewed to reflect on future academic library vistas. Academic needs and library areas are surveyed through themes of: collaborative, networked and emergent technologies, digital and information literacy, open source frameworks, online collections, the scholarly record and artificial intelligence. This research is meant to provoke and spark discussion, surveying present best practice thematic areas through various current sources and the author’s own pragmatic work and research in academic libraries and leading-edge information technologies.