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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Recurso educativo Open Access |
| Language: | en |
| Published: |
2005
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ720407 |
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Table of Contents:
- The New Visual Displays That Are "Floating" Your Way. Building Digital Libraries Huwe, Terence K. Visual Aids Computers Information Technology Technological Advancement Teleconferencing Interaction Electronic Libraries Library Services In this column, the author describes three very experimental visual display technologies that will affect library collections and services in the near future. While each of these new display strategies is unique in its technological approach, there is a common denominator to all three: better freedom of mobility that will allow people to interact more closely with online knowledge resources. The first visual display technology described is FogScreen, which utilizes a water vapor technology to project a display field that floats in the air. The vapor is microscopic, but it refracts light very effectively. You can walk through it without getting wet; you only feel a cool sensation. The airborne interface enables you to operate a computer by touching the display zone, and you can write or draw by touching the suspended water vapor. Two related polymer-based technologies that could revolutionize library instructional strategies are also described. The first is organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). This material can be bent or folded, rolled up, or even woven into clothes. The second flexible display technology is light-emitting polymers (LEPs) that can conduct electricity, enabling them to carry light signals and to be programmed like a pixel field. Possible applications of LEPs include roll-up screens, spray-on screens, and hang-on-the-wall screens that will deliver good resolution. The author discusses ways in which these types of new visual display technologies may be used in libraries, particularly digital libraries. He envisions two trends emerging from these new flexible and mobile displays that will affect both instructional and collection work: connecting patrons more creatively with the information they need, and reaching out to the patrons with much more interactivity.