This third chapter discusses the effect of the digital revolution on academic communication and publishing and traces the main emerging trends and technologies shaping the road map of the future of this industry. The digital revolution has been shaping information exchange in many different arenas including e-commerce, publishing, scientific publishing and communication. The impact has been far reaching, but is still limited to specific sectors or aspects. This chapter focuses on the impact it has had on scholarly communications and publishing. As a result, it suggests measures that can be taken to minimize its influence.
In the second chapter we explore the effect of the digital revolution in institutions of higher learning. We identify four main sources of change: the spread of mobile technologies, the expansion of networks and the penetration of online content. We also trace the emergence of new academic libraries and discuss how these have changed the way that scholars do their research. We look at how these changes are likely to impact the way that scholars conduct their work.
In the third chapter we focus on the impact of the digital humanities on universities. This chapter identifies three main forces behind this movement. The first is the increased availability of information across the disciplines. Access has brought new approaches and methods to scholarship. The second is the increasing demand for digital humanities research and the availability of appropriate technology for this purpose. Finally, the creation of new forms of collaboration have contributed to the success of the digital humanities movement.
The focus here is on the impact that the digital revolution has had on academic communications and publishing. We note the major advances made in fiveg technology, particularly the rise of mobile technology and the spread of digital information across disciplines. We also discuss the impact of industry-wide developments on this front, particularly telecommunications technology and industrial change. Finally we briefly look at the impact of industrial convergence, particularly in the financial sector.
In the second chapter we consider the ways in which scholars have coped with the digital humanities and its impact on digital technologies. scholars have adapted to changes in scholarship by creating digital humanities resource centers and databases. Academic communication has also played a key role, with journals, websites and online repositories having grown in popularity. In addition, scholars have made major strides toward virtual environments, particularly those rich in technological culture, social science and technology studies.
In the third chapter we consider the impact of the digital revolution has had on the field of administration. Administration has been especially affected by the low-cost, high-value digital technologies of the digital age. These include digitized medical records, electronic patient records and electronic prescribing systems. Digital dashboards and other software tools have been instrumental in the process of medical information exchange.
Scholars have also looked at the impact the 5g digital revolution has had on wireless technology. Wireless technology was considered one of the great strengths of the digital age, offering wireless access to the web at a lower cost than ever before. However, the lowering of pricing by manufacturers has led to a situation where consumers can now get access to very poor quality wireless technology. As a result, researchers are looking at new approaches to wireless technology, such as a hybrid wireless and Bluetooth technology. The fifth chapter looks at new directions that scholars might take as the fifth generation of computing continues to evolve.
Chapter six considers emerging digital libraries and archives. The digital revolution has resulted in the creation and proliferation of new digital libraries and archives. These include digital libraries of images, databases, and audio and video. Many of these are available for free and others require a fee. The seventh chapter looks at the use of open source software in the digital libraries, with a particular emphasis on the internet and wireless networks.
