Ubiquitous Library
Keun-Hae Youk
CEO of Korean Braille Library
The "Ubiquitous" has recently been an issue, which means that we can access the internet service at any place, at any time. There may be almost no one who hear that word nowadays. Thus we can say that it is definitely the best technology which contributes to our whole life. Ubiquitous technology as well as digital library and e-book has been introduced to the library system so that we can search, read and return books in the library at any place, at any time through that technology. Under this circumstance, we opened "A Ubiquitous Library, so called a Digital Talking Book Library" for blind (include visually impaired people) and print disabled people.
LG Digital Talking Book Library is constructed by LG Sangnam Library. LG Sangnam Library is well known as a typical model of digital library which has led the development of Korean digital library. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary for opening the library, they would conduct a large-scaled project for blind and print disabled people the alienated class on the information access. LG Sangnam Library made LG affiliates such as LG CNS and LG Electronics participate in the project and had them develop the software and hardware for library. Korean Braille Library has contributed to facilitate reading of many blind and print disabled people by cooperating and providing the contents which are produced.
The technical part of today's presentation was quoted from a paper "Building an Ubiquitous Library for Print Disabled people". The service manager of LG Sangnam library is going to demonstrate "A Digital Talking Book Library" after the presentation.
Need and Background
The current library systems for blind in Korea is categorized into the offline, internet online and telephone service. The offline service is a conventional way which loans braille books or audio books by free post, visiting, or home-delivery. The internet online service is providing the files that people read by using a braille note taker or a screen reader on the internet. This service is the same concept as digital library and we can search bibliography, apply for a loan, read and download the books through this service although the services are little bit different from libraries. The downloaded files can be used regardless of time. The telephone service is using the reading service by calling with the local call rate at any place in Korea.
The traditional way of loaning books took long times to loan/return books and loaned books were often missed and even damaged a lot. In the online service is possible when people can handle and have the computer and there is the place where people can use the computer for long hours. According to the survey on the information gap of disabled people in 2005(Korea Agency for Digital Opportunity and Promotion, 2005), blind who use the computer accounts for 48.3% and main users are from teens to 30s.
The telephone service can provide various information but it has not yet a good circumstance for reading books because it has limited kinds of books.
As any countries might be similar, blind is increasing and the information access is recognized as the most important in studying or working in a knowledge-based society. The desire for reading of blind is getting higher. Thus the library service which process information and provide a variety of good books is emerging as a pivotal matter in their life. The intersection of social environment of blind and IT development would be the ubiquitous library.
Development Process
The construction apply NFC(Near Field Communication) technology and Bluetooth, the users can easily access and use the library.
NFC is a kind of RFID(Radio Frequency Identification), namely a short-distance wireless communication tool, using the frequency band as 13.56?. It is operating within 10cm and transmitting data using low electronic power. It makes us send/receive the data between information devices so we can send and receive MP3 files and others from PCs to cell phones. We can read and write and the security certification is possible under NFC technology. The bluetooth is the technology that makes it possible to send contents with maximum speed of 1Mbps within 10m or less.
With combining these two technologies, user certification could be automatically managed when users connect to wireless and wire network. Also, contents transmission from PC without complicated and contrived PC operation(manipulation) could be possible through this bluetooth communication.
The devices for using developed library are PCs, cell phones, and telephones. Among them, cell phone is definitely the one which makes users access to network at any place and any time. Only cell phone can make us possible to connect to network on the street or subway, not in front of PC at home, the workplace, or library. The cell phone is one of necessities for not only modern but for blind. LG electronics developed cell phones with the NFC chip to make users use ubiquitous library easily and effectively.
Providing contents were made with DAISY(Digital Accessible Information SYstem) format. DAISY is an international standard used by more than 40 countries in the world including the US and European countries. Contents has DRM(Digital Right Management) developed by a library to prevent non-print disabled people from using those contents (for blind and print disabled people). The menu consists of 6 options in total like audio library, my library, bulletin board, information, library introduction, and using tips. The audio library menu provides new/recommended books, bibliography by category and search function. Personalized service like bookmark is provided in the menu of MY LIBRARY. The BULLETIN BOARD menu leads active communication between users by registering a description of reader's impressions and like. INFORMATION provides usable information and materials which blind can refer to.
Service providing method
The service providing method is web service. If the cell phones with NFC chip or a membership card only touch to a Dongle on PC and certificate members and automatically log-in. The mutual communications between PCs and cell phones can be possible with the use of bluetooth
Then a person go to the library web site, non-members automatically move to sign in page and members move to the bookmark book page where the user have read before. Automatic user certification helped to eliminate or simplify the various barriers when disabled people use the computer. The books can be read and downloaded in real time.
The next is to use wireless network. The specific cell phones has an embedded special library service program on the basis of WIPI(Wireless Internet Platform for Interoperability) so this library program starts to operate when the user put OK button on the center of the cell phone keypad. The users can search books and download books on his/her cell phone. The forms of books downloaded are the DAISY text file format and the voice is played by using TTS(Text to Speech) engine embed in the cell phones. The specific cell phones are produced by Product Guide for Wireless Customers who are blind or Visually Impaired of CITA(Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Associations) to improve convenience of use. The functions like voice recognition, voice composite, and voice guide are embedded in it.
This ubiquitous library also provides telephone service. People can use the audio books by using telephone when there's no PCs or cell phones. Like existing phone library, it was designed to offer the service like people can listen to chosen books after the user certification with ARS by calling.
Future Vision
The "Digital Talking Book Library" has opened in last April. Currently provided books are about 400 kinds and about 30 kinds of new books are updated monthly. It does not provide a lot of books yet it is going to update books continuously. LG Sangnam library is going to provide teaching materials for blind schools as the main contents.
Digital libraries and university libraries nationally are paying attention to the opening of Digital Talking Book Library and they want to introduce the new method to producing DAISY books for blind and print disabled people and providing the service. Users and library authorities are also waiting for release of cell phones. Many university libraries is now paying attention to DAISY book and ubiquitous library service for supports for disabled people.
I hope that the development of ubiquitous library will improve the information access of blind and print disabled people and activate reading so that it will contribute to develop their knowledge based lifestyle.