Libraries have been part of the human civilization for centuries by
playing an important role in the development of people and societies and
being instrumental in storing and retrieving information for scholars
and other users. Many changes have been introduced in libraries from
time to time in order to meet the needs of the changing world. During
ancient times, information was written and stored on clay tablets and
handwritten materials, which then changed to the printing materials
employed during the medieval period. Then came microforms, CD-ROMS, and
the online storage method, including databases on the World Wide Web.
Technology is still very new to the libraries and their user; the
western world having been just introduced to it during the second half
of the twentieth century. Editor R.N. Sharma's travels to Asia, Africa,
and the Middle East on library assignments have shown him that libraries
in those regions are still far behind technologically as compared to the
United States and other developed countries. In the Impact of Technology
on Asian, African and Middle Eastern Library Collections, sixteen
well-known scholars, library educators, and librarians from Asia,
Africa, and the Middle East write about the impact of technology on
library collections and services in their countries. Three authors from
the United States contribute articles about Asian, African, and Middle
Eastern Collections in the United States and the impact of technology on
these collections and services. This collection of well written essays
gives a clear picture of these countries' libraries as compared to the
United States and the ways to bridge the gap between developed and
developing countries of these regions.
