Celebrating technological advancement around the world
Today is Innovation Day, a celebration of the most ambitious technological advancements achieved through human imagination and invention…
History of Innovation Day
Innovation Day came about as a collaboration between the US-based Science History Institute and the UK-founded Society of Chemical History. The day is an opportunity to remember and praise those companies and individuals who have and are pushing technology forwards.
The history of innovation is turbulent and by no means linear, with surges of development like those seen in the 19th century Industrial Revolution now being counteracted by new innovations — such as the move towards sustainable energy.
Sustainability in publishing is being advanced with efforts including the increasing accessibility and quality of e-books and e-magazines, reducing paper waste and fuel usage for transportation.
Innovation Day in Publishing and Libraries
The publishing industry is by nature an Innovation Day muse, with history spanning Gutenberg’s 15th century printing press to 1990s CD-ROM encyclopaedias, the invention of the Kindle and the advent of publications on iPhones, and most recently the cresting of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) wave.
Libraries have moved with these changes by constantly adapting to retain technological literacy as products change, and employing critical thinking when it comes to unchartered territories like Generative AI.
Exact Editions and Innovation Day
Since its institutional library debut in 2007, the Exact Editions’ dedicated tech team has worked to persistently innovate the platform, making user experiences smooth and optimised for research:
‘The Exact Editions TLS interface is remarkably easy to use. It allows the user to infinitely adjust the various parameters, resulting in a bespoke reading experience. I cannot recommend it highly enough.’ — Dennis Patterson, Professor of Law and Philosophy at Rutgers University
Exact Editions has ensured that the archive of each periodical is searchable by decade, allowing readers to confidently explore titles without being overwhelmed with irrelevant search results.
Recently developed features include ‘Read Aloud’ technology, increasing accessibility by allowing users to hear publication pages read back to them.
The tech team has also developed an innovative tool for users whose curiosity extends beyond the pages in front of them. The visual mapper function reveals the relationships between concepts and people mentioned on the reader’s page of interest and related people and concepts mentioned elsewhere on the Exact Editions platform.
Innovation is defined by a perpetual drive forwards. We have so much to celebrate this Innovation Day, and we can’t wait to see what new developments will take place in the year to come!
If you would like to browse the institutional subscriptions available through Exact Editions, please click here.
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