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The purpose of this paper is to identify a light and scalable augmented reality (AR) solution to enhance library collections.

The author first did research to identify the major obstacle in creating a scalable AR solution. Next, she explored possible workaround methods and successfully developed two prototypes that make the current Web-based AR work with ISBN barcode.

Libraries have adopted AR technology in recent years mainly by developing mobile applications for specific education or navigation programs. Yet a straight-forward AR solution to enhance a library's collection has not been seen. One of the obstacles lies in finding a scalable and painless solution to associate special AR objects with physical books. At title level, books already have their unique identifier – the ISBN number. Unfortunately, marker-based AR technology only accept two-dimensional (2-D) objects, not the one-dimensional (1-D) EAN barcode (or ISBN barcode) used by books, as markers for technical reasons. In this paper, the author shares her development of two prototypes to make the Web-based AR work with the ISBN barcode. With the prototypes, a user can simply scan the ISBN barcode on a book to retrieve related AR content.

This paper mainly researched and experimented with Web-based AR technologies in the attempt to identify a solution that is as platform-neutral as possible, and as user-friendly as possible.

The light and platform-neutral AR prototypes discussed in this paper have the benefits of minimum cost on both the development side and the experience side. A library does not need to put any additional marker on any book to implement the AR. A user does not need to install any additional applications in his/her smartphone to experience the AR. The prototypes show a promising future where physical collections inside libraries can become more interactive and attractive by blurring the line of reality and virtuality.

The paper can help initiate the discussion on applying Web-based AR technologies to library collections.

This paper describes an ongoing mobile library project for the National Library of Norway. The purpose is to develop a visual web service prototype providing mobile access to the library's growing repository of digital data.

The author has set up several test databases and developed a number of Android applications (apps) for testing purposes: image presentation; library's digital exhibition “in the pocket”; traditional free text search; location based search; barcode scan for ISBN search / QR encapsulation; and voice/spoken search.

These six approaches were found to be promising using mobile technology. Cloud technology has changed the mobile phone from a voice transmitter to a multi-purpose device connected to the network. Library resources may now be distributed in the cloud, with global mobile access, to really achieve a global library network.

The applications developed here are innovative and unique, and will add to the general body of use cases.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the accuracy and functionality of a selection of basic Android and iOS apps for mobile devices designed to generate bibliographic citations.

A number of inexpensive or free apps were installed on several different tablets and phones. Book citations in MLA and APA format were generated and evaluated for accuracy.

Results show that the majority of the apps tested produced unacceptably inaccurate citations, and many had limited functionality. The best of the apps tested was EasyBib.

There are infinite combinations of operating systems, apps, citation styles, material types and devices. Testing for this study was limited to uncomplicated apps likely to appeal to undergraduate students. It did not include more sophisticated apps for managing reference libraries. The study investigated how well several Android and iOS apps installed on mobile devices functioned to generate MLA and APA citations for print books.

As the role of mobile technology in education continues to grow, librarians need to remain aware of solutions that can help students manage their research. Librarians have an opportunity to provide feedback to developers by reviewing and rating apps.

Undergraduate students face challenges in learning to appropriately acknowledge materials they have consulted in their research and writing. Librarians can play an important role in helping students select the most appropriate tools to make citing sources easier and more accurate.

This paper sets out to explore the potential benefits of using digital photography in the evaluation of prospective donations of book collections.

The paper describes a methodology for creating a collection of images to preserve bibliographic information from large book donations where time and distance restrictions limit the ability to carry out a thorough investigation on‐site. This image collection will assist in the initial assessment of the collection's suitability for acceptance, documentation and creation of a gift list.

Using digital photography allows for relatively quick and comprehensive documentation to aid in the evaluation of large potential gift‐in‐kind donations. Additional benefits realized from acquiring digital images may include automation of gift list creation, publicity for the newly acquired collection, and enhancing exhibitions. This methodology utilizes readily available and affordable equipment that will likely be well within the resources of most libraries.

This paper offers practical advice on employing current and emerging digital technologies to assess and enhance gift‐in‐kind donations.

The Geac 8000 Library System from Canada, installed at two sites of the Polytechnic, is based on a minicomputer offering 64K Bytes of memory for each site and 96K shared memory. The description of this fully online system using Informer Keyboard/VDUs for cataloguing and for online circulation control using attached lightpens, includes file handling, issue procedures, catalogue interrogation and the keys available for searching — class number, author, title, ISBN, ISSN, barcode, subject headings. Ways of browsing through the files starting with uncertainly spelt authors is also described in relation to the way library readers use the public terminals provided in the library. These offer limited access and do not allow unauthorised alterations to records. Lost badges and books, reservations provision, access to user data, generation of notices to readers are all described in varying detail. Reliability and precautions against failure are outlined. The procedures for restart without data loss after power failure, and the provision of portable barcode to allow continued operation of the loans system, give the necessary back up to cover most eventualities. The system will most likely be extended to include further Geac modules after a suitable period of consolidation.

Book sorting system is one of specific application in smart library scenarios, and it now has been widely used in most libraries based on RFID (radio-frequency identification devices) technology. Book identification processing is one of the core parts of a book sorting system, and the efficiency and accuracy of book identification are extremely critical to all libraries. In this paper, the authors propose a new image recognition method to identify books in libraries based on barcode decoding together with deep learning optical character recognition (OCR) and describe its application in library book identification processing.

The identification process relies on recognition of the images or videos of the book cover moving on a conveyor belt. Barcode is printed on or attached to the surface of each book. Deep learning OCR program is applied to improve the accuracy of recognition, especially when the barcode is blurred or faded. The approach the authors proposed is robust with high accuracy and good performance, even though input pictures are not in high resolution and the book covers are not always vertical.

The proposed method with deep learning OCR achieves best accuracy in different vertical, skewed and blurred image conditions.

Methods that the authors proposed need to cooperate and practice in different book sorting machine.

The authors collected more than 500 books from a library. These photos display the cover of more than 100 randomly picked books with backgrounds in different colors, each of which has about five different pictures captured from variety angles. The proposed method combines traditional barcode identification algorithm with the authors’ modification to locate and deskew the image. And deep learning OCR is involved to enhance the accuracy when the barcode is blurred or partly faded. Book sorting system design based on this method will also be introduced.

Experiment demonstrates that the accuracy of the proposed method is high in real-time test and achieves good accuracy even when the barcode is blurred. Deep learning is very effective in analyzing image content, and a corresponding series of methods have been formed in video content understanding, which can be a greater advantage and play a role in the application scene of intelligent library.

Computers have been used at Brunel University Library for acquisitions and circulation since the early 1970s. Over the years there has been a move away from locally written systems running at the university's computer centre to stand‐alone turnkey systems in the library. This has involved the transfer of the ALS card‐based system to BLCMP's CIRCO system. The implementation of BLCMP's Integrated Library System (BLS) is also described with special reference to the replacement of a card catalogue by an Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) developed from the short title file of an early circulation system.

This paper aims to discuss the possibilities of using a mobile application in the process of conducting an inventory of library collection and present an application for the same. The application scans barcode labels on books and retrieves data about those books. Data regarding the status and call number of each book can be changed using this application.

This paper is based on a case study of developing an application for the Android platform, and this application is part of the BISIS library management system.

By analysing the procedure of conducting an inventory in the library of the Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad, it is concluded that this procedure is tedious and can be simplified. To make this procedure more efficient, a mobile application enabling search and update of bibliographic records has been developed. That application communicates with the BISIS library management system using a specially designed service.

By introducing this application at the libraries, the process of inventory of a library collection can be simplified, the time needed for the inventory will be shorter and the inventory will require less physical effort.

The application is designed to help librarians during the process of inventory of library collections. During this process, librarians have to check status of every item on the shelves and to update catalogue with new information. This application enables mobility of librarians and updates information about items during checking the shelves.

This paper provides an overview of automation at Glasgow College Library since the 1970s when a subject index was prepared using punched cards. The Dynix library system was purchased in 1988. Details are given of how retrospective cataloguing was carried out using OCLC's RETROCON service and how OCLC MARC records are downloaded into the catalogue database in the Dynix system. An example is included of a search using the OPAC subject index.

The Dynix Automated Library System was purchased by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea's Libraries and Arts Service in 1987 to replace its existing Plessey circulation system. This paper briefly describes the implementation and the aspects of Dynix which made it particularly attractive to Kensington, as well as reviewing the project one year after circulation went live at the first branch. The system is now in use at all service points in the Borough, that is six fixed sites and one mobile library.