What happens to serendipity when robots take over book retrieval?
Most library users have experienced “accidentally” finding just the right resource shelved next to the book they were originally looking for. The Hunt Library will take this to the next level. We are currently developing a virtual browsing application that will offer a visual interface and allow users to “virtually” see the books that would normally surround the book they are looking for on the shelf—and then click around to browse online through both the table of contents and the books themselves. Virtual browsing will reflect the modern nature of our catalog, which consist of both physical and electronic objects—and will provide an improved browsing experience, one worthy of a great university with its roots deep in providing technological solutions to the world’s greatest problems.
