News

Over the past year, the world we live in has been restructured by technology’s response to global events, which by necessity has accelerated the rate of digital transformation. 

There are several new transformative technologies — the most important being the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, and blockchain — with the potential to change our lives significantly. In this context, and as part of Naseej Academy’s ongoing program, a webinar entitled “Emerging Technologies and Their Impact on Libraries (2): Towards Digital Transformation” has been organized with King Abdulaziz University (KAU)–represented by the Deanship of Library Affairs on Wednesday 12th Rajab 1442A.H., correspondent to 24th February 24, 2021 from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. Makkah local time (GMT+3). 

Moderated by Dr. Ghassan Rashed Alnwaimi, Vice-Dean of Library Affairs and assistant professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz University, the webinar focused on a set of key technologies used by academic institutions in digital transformation projects. These technologies, which are renowned for their user-friendliness, integrate the Internet of things, machine learning, and Artificial Intelligence. 

The webinar also elaborated on a number of special considerations that support digital transformation, as well as the key challenges facing change management and their impact on libraries’ workflows and services.

Several demonstrations included in the webinar assisted the audience to gain a broad understanding of the technologies involved in implementing cutting-edge digital transformation projects, and of the framework for implementing such projects in academic institutions and libraries. Dr. Alnwaimi showed that these technologies will continue to play an important role in the period of ongoing global transformation that lies ahead. He also elaborated on the history of wireless networks and their impact on supporting digital transformation, and highlighted some relevant special considerations, including privacy and security.

The webinar was attended by specialists, professionals and stakeholders interested in libraries and information. The audience showed great interest in the discussion of new digital platforms, which raised several questions and led to an extensive interchange with the moderator at the end of the webinar. Participants indicated they were motivated by the content of the webinar to seek more information on topics such as cyber security and the impact of emerging technologies on work and careers.