1. Mobile technology and
information literacy instruction:
The McGill Library experience
Robin Canuel, McGill University Library
Maria Savova, Claremont Colleges Library
LILAC 2012
Chad Crichton, University of Toronto Libraries

2. By the end of this presentation
1) Have a greater appreciation of the value of
mobile technology in a library context
2) Learn how mobile technology can impact the
ways librarians and library clients interact with
library resources and services
3) Be familiar with some of the challenges
libraries and library clients face when using
electronic content on mobile devices
4) Learn ways to integrate mobile technology
into your information literacy instruction
workshops
5) Be familiar with some new ways of searching
for information using mobile devices

3. Pew Research Center:
•Tablet and e-book reader ownership
nearly doubled from 10% to 19%
between mid-December 2011 and early
January 2012
•The number of Americans owning at
least one of these digital reading devices
jumped from 18% to 29% in the same
period
(Rainie, 2012)
E-reader and Tablet Ownership
in USA

4. Dahlstrom, Eden, Tom de Boor, Peter Grunwald, and Martha Vockley, with a foreword by Diana Oblinger. The ECAR National Study of Undergraduate Students and Information
Technology, 2011 (Research Report). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, October 2011, available from: http://www.educause.edu/ecar.
iPod 62%
Smartphone 55%
iPad 8%

5. ECAR Recommendations
ECAR National Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERS1103/ERS1103W.pdf
Integrate technology into courses
Professional development for instructors
Nail the basics
Leverage technologies that students value
http://office.microsoft.com/en-ca/images/results.aspx?qu=college%20phone&ctt=1#ai:MP90044224

6. Mobile Technology for Loan
• E-reader loan
• iPad loan pilot project

7. Mobile Learning
“...meeting learning objectives in ways that transcend geographical
limitations and pursuing the use of technologies that best facilitate this
aim.”
Savova & Garsia (2012)
“Any sort of learning that happens when the learner is not at a fixed,
predetermined location, or learning that happens when the learner takes
advantage of the learning opportunities offered by mobile technologies.”
O’Malley, C., Vavoula, G., Glew, J. P., Taylor, J., Sharples, M., & Lefrere, P. (2003)
http://office.microsoft.com/en-ca/images/results.aspx?qu=cell%20phones#ai:MP900422734|mt:2|

8. • Connectivity
• Accessing e-Content
• E-Formats
• Digital Rights Management (DRM)
• Managing Content
• New Ways of Searching for Information
Developing a Mobile Technology
Workshop

9. McGill Library from the palm of your hand
•Students (part of library orientation program)
•Librarians
•Faculty
•Library Science masters students
•Information and Library Technologies students
•Health care professionals
The McGill Library Workshop

10. Connectivity
• Internet capable
2G/3G/4G data plans vs. Wi-Fi only
Smartphones Kindle DX Tablets iPod Touch Some e-readers
• Not Internet capable
Sony Reader Kobo B&N Nook Cybook iLiad Libre

11. Connectivity
• Institutional Wireless Network
• Virtual Private Network (VPN)
• EZ Proxy

12. McGill e-Library
• 831,708 eBooks
• 1,000,000 eTheses
• 752 eAudiobooks
• 76,008 eJournals
• 873 databases
• 2,119 eNewspapers
• 11,014 eRecorded music
• 1,969 eScores
• 1,006 eVideos

13. • Downloadable or online only?
• Compatible with which operating systems?
• Compatible with mobile devices? Which ones?
• What electronic format?
• What is the quality of the reading experience on
a small screen?
• What are the DRM limitations?
E-Content Questions

14. Accessing Content
Direct download – view offline Download and transfer – view offline
View online

15. Challenges:
• Shortcomings of current catalogues
 Can it be downloaded?
 Availability of e-content
• Electronic formats
• DRM
Using Library Electronic Content
Offline

16. • SCREENSHOT

17. Electronic Formats – Online Only
vs. Downloadable
VS.

18. PDF on a Small Screen

19. What Does “Reflowable” Text Mean?

20. Reflowable e-Book Formats
EPUB – format standard for
digital publishing
Compatible with almost every device
but the Amazon Kindle
AZW Kindle Format
Compatible with the Amazon Kindle
(device and reading apps)
MobiPocket Reader Format -
universal eBook Reader for
PDAs
Compatible with most smartphones and
some e-readers

21. Converting PDFs into e-Reader
Friendly Formats
Application on Science Direct Free ebook management
software

22. http://office.microsoft.com/en-ca/images/results.aspx?qu=lock&origin=FX010132103#ai:MP900433153|
DRM - Digital Rights Management

23. DRM is Controversial
Protection against copyright
infringement and digital piracy
Restricts the owner rights of a buyer
of legally purchased e-book
Creates additional technological
challenges to borrowing of e-books
Time-limited license makes e-book
lending possible

24. Ways in Which DRM Restricts
User Access
• Number of simultaneous users
• Duration of access
• Printing and copying capabilities
• Number of views
• Extent of content
• Type and number of devices allowed to
display the work

25. DRM-free vs. Free

26. Accessing Library Electronic
Content Directly on a Mobile Device
• Through the
mobile or full
library web sites
• Using library
apps: EBSCO,
ScienceDirect,
Springer, etc.

27. • SCREENSHOT

28. • E-book reading apps
(BlueFire Reader,
iBooks, Stanza)
• PDF apps (PDF-notes,
PDFReader,
PerfectReader,
BlueFire Reader)
• Vendor-specific apps
(OverDrive Media
Console, iBooks,
Kindle, Kobo)
Managing Electronic Content

30. Android Tablet File Structure

31. • Voice Search
• Visual Search
• Context-specific search results
• Barcode & QR Codes Scanning
• Augmented Reality
New Ways of Searching for
Information

33. Other Audio Apps

34. Google Goggles

36. Image Search
Photo credit: Klaus Fiedler

37. Location Aware Search Results

39. • Links to electronic resources
• Instructional videos
• Useful websites for further
information
• Contact details
• Storing information for future
reference
QR Codes

40. Augmented Reality
Video

41. Augmented Reality
Video

42. • In the future, we’ll all simply be moving from screen to
screen to screen in our ever more constant digital
interactions
• Technological advances are fundamentally changing the
way that library users interact with digital information
• Librarians must leverage their role as teachers in order to
help ensure their continued relevance given these
advancements
• Workshops such as those held at McGill will soon no
longer be seen as covering a specialized topic, but will
simply be a typical component of traditional information
literacy instruction
Conclusions