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Introduction: Why Read This Book? “Emerging technology” is a term that can inspire excitement or dread in equal measure among library staff. While new technologies offer tremen- dous opportunities for the development of programs and services, they also present multiple challenges to your organization. This book examines four technologies—3D printing, drones, virtual reality, and augmented reality—and their place in the public library. In doing so, it addresses sev- eral critical issues. STAFF TRAINING When introducing a new technology to the library, it is only natural that a large percentage of your staff will be unfamiliar with it. Unless this unfamiliarity is addressed, it can quickly lead to staff anxiety. Training is, of course, essential. Any training you offer, however, should never be one- size-fits-all! Rather, it should be developed around specific staff roles. Consider the use of computers within your organization. You don’t simply require that every library employee be a computer expert capable of trou- bleshooting and repair! Using the example of computers, a more reasonable approach to train- ing is to ensure that all staff members are aware that the library has com- puters available for public use. You require that a sizeable portion of library staff understand the basics of using a computer. Continuing on, a somewhat smaller percentage of staff will have been shown how to utilize specific software. Finally, the smallest group of users are trained in the