Purpose

The major objectives of this study are to explore the perceptions of library practitioners towards IoT and to suggest directions for its proper application in university libraries of Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach

The study conducted an online questionnaire-based survey of library practitioners working at university libraries in Bangladesh in addition to an email interview with ten librarians. A sample size of 310 library practitioners was obtained using the convenience sampling technique for the survey. Non-parametric tests were performed to examine the differences in demographics and perspectives on IoT, as well as the potential benefits and challenges of IoT deployment in libraries.

Findings

A total of 178 valid surveys were completed, and the results indicate that 147 (82.6%) library practitioners have varied degrees of IoT understanding and positive attitudes about IoT applications in libraries. The study identified RFID, wireless technologies, cloud computing, mobile apps, artificial intelligence and semantic search as major IoT enablers. Tracking, book reservation, circulation, user identification, service marketing, selection of resources, information networking and resource sharing, etc. are the main areas of a library where IoT may be applied. The integration of IoT has the potential to transform conventional libraries into smart libraries. However, there are some challenges that Bangladeshi university libraries must overcome to take use of the prospects emerged from IoT.

Research limitations/implications

The study would encourage Bangladeshi librarians adopting IoT-based library and information services and provide guidelines for its successful implementation.

Originality/value

The study is a pioneering effort from Bangladesh’s perspective which portrays the original opinions and perceptions of library practitioners regarding IoT applications in university libraries of Bangladesh.

中文翻译：

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图书馆从业者对孟加拉国大学图书馆物联网应用的看法

目的

本研究的主要目的是探讨图书馆从业者对物联网的看法，并为物联网在孟加拉国大学图书馆的正确应用提出方向。

设计/方法论/途径

该研究对孟加拉国大学图书馆的图书馆从业人员进行了在线问卷调查，并对十名图书馆员进行了电子邮件采访。本次调查使用便利抽样技术获得了 310 名图书馆从业人员的样本量。我们进行了非参数测试，以检查人口统计数据和物联网观点的差异，以及图书馆部署物联网的潜在好处和挑战。

发现

共完成178份有效调查，结果表明，147名（82.6%）图书馆从业人员对物联网在图书馆的应用有不同程度的了解和积极态度。该研究将 RFID、无线技术、云计算、移动应用、人工智能和语义搜索确定为物联网的主要推动因素。跟踪、图书预约、流通、用户识别、服务营销、资源选择、信息联网和资源共享等是图书馆物联网应用的主要领域。物联网的集成有可能将传统图书馆转变为智能图书馆。然而，孟加拉国大学图书馆必须克服一些挑战才能利用物联网带来的前景。

研究局限性/影响

该研究将鼓励孟加拉国图书馆员采用基于物联网的图书馆和信息服务，并为其成功实施提供指导。

原创性/价值

这项研究是从孟加拉国的角度出发的一项开创性工作，描绘了图书馆从业者对孟加拉国大学图书馆物联网应用的原始意见和看法。