Emerging Technologies in Smart Libraries for Visually Impaired People: Challenges and Design Considerations

Emerging technologies are transforming cultural spaces in a variety of ways, presenting opportunities and challenges. Autonomous robots, eXtended Reality, AI, Digital Twins, and Internet of Things are only a few examples of such technologies, with accessibility and inclusivity of people to these technologies to be considered key challenges. In general, the use of emerging technologies in cultural spaces presents exciting opportunities for enhancing visitors’ experience and engaging new participants. However, it is important to also consider the inclusion ability of people with special needs and to ensure that these emerging technologies are used in an accessible-to-all and inclusive way. The aim of this article is to review the state-of-the-art and current trends in approaches that use emerging technologies in the domain of smart libraries designed to include visually impaired people in a common innovative way for the whole community of visitors, discuss open issues and challenges identified in such a cultural environment/case, and propose a novel approach based on specific design considerations of the specific domain.