Chapter 5: Resources

Abstract

Few would argue, given the rise and exponential expansion of the Internet and personal computing, with the statement that we are in the midst of an ongoing information revolution. Personal electronics, or as we'll refer to them in the pages of this report, gadgets, are a key component of this revolution and one that has tremendous potential to transform library services. This issue of Library Technology Reports , “Gadgets and Gizmos: Personal Electronics and the Library,” provides analysis of a variety of relatively low-cost gadgets, looking at features, costs, and possible applications for libraries. The report will focus heavily, but not exclusively on e-readers, a device whose popularity is increasing rapidly and has tremendous potential implications for the library world. The report will also cover a variety of multimedia capture devices, scanners, note-taking devices, and several unusual gadgets that are difficult to categorize. All gadgets will be analyzed with an eye toward the future, cost-effectiveness, performance, and functionality.