Voice Recognition Technology: Has It Come of Age?

Abstract

Voice recognition software allows computer users to bypass their keyboards and use their voices to enter text. While the library literature is somewhat silent about voice recognition technology, the medical and legal communities have reported some success using it. Voice recognition software was tested for dictation accuracy and usability within an agriculture library at the University of Illinois. Dragon NaturallySpeaking 8.0 was found to be more accurate than speech recognition within Microsoft Office 2003. Helpful Web sites and a short history regarding this breakthrough technology are included.