British Library researches future of digital technologies

New exhibition to explore how users interact with technology

British Library's Evolution of Research exhibition points way forward for digital research tools

The British Library is running a new exhibition to showcase the latest digital research tools and content in a fully interactive environment.

Called Growing Knowledge – the Evolution of Research, the event runs from 12 October 2010 to 16 July 2011 with the aim of learning how people interact with interactive technologies.

Digital media commentator and the British Library’s first ever researcher in residence Dr Aleks Krotoski officially unveiled the exhibition.

Krotoski, who earlier in the year presented the BBC’s series Virtual Revolution, said, "I didn't want this to be just a beauty pageant of digital technologies."

"How visitors interact with the technologies on display will be evaluated by the specialists in this field – The Ciber Research Group, part of University College London," said Krotoski.

"The research community also needs to understand and embrace these tools of the future for the greater good. I’m looking forward to debating these important issues with them over the coming months.”

The future of the British Library with respect to digital research was a big driver for putting on the exhibition, said Richard Boulderstone, British Library director of e-strategy and information systems.

"Perceptions and expectations [with respect to digital services] are changing all the time, and we need to change as well to keep ourselves relevant," said Boulderstone.

Boulderstone said the exhibition would try to address significant challenges, like how the increasing and complex amounts of data would be managed and visualised.

"What does this mean for libraries, archivists and librarians, and are researchers taking full advantage of the technologies now available for research?" questioned Boulderstone.

Visitors to the exhibition will experience immersive digital environments in specially designed areas – called pods – containing large touchscreens.

Interactive demonstrations will give researchers hands-on access to cutting-edge digital research tools enabling them to manipulate assets such as digital maps and digitised art.

There will also be an animated video wall with leading digital research experts commenting on the field.

The only part of the exhibition to be previewed at the launch event, which took place at the British Library, was a Microsoft Surface Table containing a digital version of the world’s longest painting, the nineteenth century Garibaldi Panorama.