Smart Library NSK: Prototype of IoT Technology in Libraries

Abstract

Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the revolutionary technologies brought by the 4th Industrial Revolution that will enable a shift from a virtual object network to a virtual network of physical things. That means that physical things will become “smart” by being connected to the internet which will result in a new generation of mobile and web services. Smart things, devices, and infrastructure will, at one point, become Smart Cities, Smart Institutions and Smart Industries. Thus, the library which is implementing these technologies will become a Smart Library. In librarianship, the concept of is being mentioned in literature since the 2000s. The term is increasingly used to define new models for effective technology integration for evolving the library services, and in the minor part of the literature it is associated with the use of Smart technologies in the construction and equipping of the library building. Project Smart Library NSK - Prototype of IoT Technology in Libraries is the first such project in Croatian libraries. The aim of the project is to explore the possibilities of using IoT technology in the library environment by creating a mobile application prototype that will serve as a Smart Guide based on beacons in the physical space of the National and University Library in Zagreb. Its main aim is to virtually connect users and the Library, both in terms of space and services. Some of the IoT possibilities for the library environment include user profiling, micro-location targeting and indoor navigation,...