Ubicomp and Libraries

Chris Peters and Michael Porter

Internet Librarian, Oct. 2008

Terminology

• Ubiquitous Computing (Ubicomp)

• Pervasive Computing

• Ambient Intelligence

• The Internet of Things

What Trends and Technologies Will Power Ubicomp?

– Cheap information processing– Cheap memory and storage– Wireless networking – Interoperability and open standards– Universal addressability (i.e. IPv6)– Sensors – Position awareness– Power

Visions of Ubiquitous Computing

• Low cost, low power embedded in everyday objects

• The Post-P.C. Environment

• Computers should be invisible and unobtrusive

• Technology should create calm

Visions of Ubiquitous Computing

• Embedded

• Context aware

• Personalized

• Adaptive

• Anticipatory

Ubiquitous Computing

Happens at the scale of:

The Body

The Room

The Building

• Everyday objects have– Location awareness– Social awareness – Time awareness (History)

Spimes

Calm Technology

Location Based Services

Fabbing

• Digital Fabricators

• Rapid Prototypers

• 3-D Printers

• Desktop Manufacturing

Fabbing Projects

• Fab @ Home

• Rep Rap Project

• Fab Lab

Biotelemetry

RFID for tracking patients, wheelchairs

Biofeedback

Identification

Library Applications

• Location-based reference

• Anticipatory reference

• Information therapy

• Emotion mapping of the library

• Community manufacturing center

Sources

• Everyware by Adam Greenfield

• Shaping Things by Bruce Sterling

• Ambient Findability by Peter Morville

• When Things Can Think by Gershenfeld

• Fab Lab by Gershenfeld

Contact Info

• http://del.icio.us/cpetersc72/ubicomp

OR

• http://tinyurl.com/5lw9es

• cpeters@techsoup.org