Last week, an interactive touch screen has successfully been launched in the New Library in Almere. The screen presents constant new and updated information to the visitors of the library. The system’s special feature is that people can add information to the screen themselves.
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The information displayed on the interactive screen is not only about the library itself, but also about the city of Almere in general, and culture in Almere in particular. The interactive display shows a constant flow of information, such as activities, new additions to the library collection, local news, pictures and videos of Almere, and tweets from famous and lesser known inhabitants of Almere.
Information Items, "cards", are flowing in an easy pace from bottom to top across the display. If a visitor touches a card, more detailed information is displayed. As research has shown that many people often do not recognize touch screens as such, the visitor is invited to touch and explore the items via a screensaver with the words "Touch me". Inhabitants from Almere can add information to the screen themselves, for example, by using the tag @SchermAlmere when twittering, or by using the tag or keyword SchermAlmere when posting a photo on Flickr.
One important goal of the project is to improve the information services within the library. Via the screen, which has a prominent place in the library, the library and its visitors can inform each other. A second goal is to strengthen the social function of the library. The screen offers opportunities to connect visitors with similar interests. Also, the display itself could be seen as a social icebreaker, encouraging people to socially engage and interact with each other. The next months will be used to explore whether the screen actually contributes in achieving these goals. Furthermore, iterations and improvements to the system will be made based on (observational) studies and further research in the next phase of the project.
The launch, development and research studies surrounding the screen in the library fall under the project name "BiebBeep", which is a collaborative project between the New Library in Almere, the University of Applied Sciences of Amsterdam (HVA) and Novay. The project is part of the "Smart Services for Smart Systems" Research program of HvA’s knowledge centre CREATE-IT. This research has been supported by the Foundation Innovation Alliance (SIA) and Centre for Creation, Content and Technology (CCCT).
See this video for a demo.
