The Library in Your Pocket: Mobile Trends for Libraries

The Library in Your Pocket: Mobile Trends for Libraries Meredith Farkas Norwich University http://www.flickr.com/photos/williambrawley/4310319103/

What is a mobile device?
Handheld computing device.
http://userpages.umbc.edu/~nohe/Indicium/Ref/RUDI_KROLLOP.JPG

Types of mobile devices: PDA
Personal Digital Assistant
Originally designed for organizing one’s appointments and contacts
Next most became able to connect to the web
Now, most are phones as well
Examples: Palm, iPhone, Blackberry, iPod Touch.

Types of mobile devices: Smartphone
Mobile phone that also has computing functionality.
Many PDAs are also smartphones.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/frerieke/4103923606/

Types of mobile devices: Web-enabled cell phone
Smaller form factor, much smaller screen for browsing.
Most people who have
one don’t have a data plan
so don’t use web
functionality.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hendry/2270400837/

Ultra-mobile PCs, netbooks, smartbooks, etc.
Very small PCs with full keyboards
Examples: EEE PC, Cloudbook, Dell Inspiron Mini Note, Lenovo IdeaPad
http://www.flickr.com/photos/roland/1877130857/

RIM iPhone Android Windows Mobile Symbian

Why should you care about mobile devices?
4.1 billion SMS messages being sent daily
Over 276 million wireless users (source: CITA Wireless Industry Survey, 2009).
32% of Americans have used a cell phone or Smartphone to access the internet this year (source: Pew, April 2009).
The mobile device will be the primary connection tool to the internet for most people by 2020. (Source: Pew, Dec. 2008).

Why should you care about mobile devices?
2009 NMC/Educause Horizon Report named mobile devices one of the major trends in education with an adoption horizon of one year or less.
More than half of undergraduates own an internet-capable mobile device (source: ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and IT, 2009)
94% of students send & receive text messages (source: Ball State University, 2009).

Where educational institutions stand
Source: Educause. (2009). Spreading the Word: Messaging and Communications in Higher Education. http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/EKF/EKF0902.pdf

Mobile Trends

The app boom
Apps – programs for smartphones.
Games, productivity software, social networking clients, news clients, etc.
Some come pre-installed, most are downloaded from the Web.
Some free, many $$$
Apps built for individual mobile platforms (Android, iPhone, Windows Mobile, etc.).
Forecast: $1.6 billion in app sales for 2010 (Yankee Research Group, March 2010).

App bust on the way?
HTML5/CSS3/JavaScript – offers the ability to run web applications regardless of O/S and without plugins
Includes native support for video and other media.
Apple keeps a tight lid on what can and can’t be offered through the iTunes store. Some carriers have similar limits.
Google Voice app was rejected from the iTunes store, so Google bypassed them by making a web-based version using HTML5.

Mobile social software
Three types
Social software that can be used on mobile devices
Social software designed primarily for mobile devices
Social software specifically designed for mobile devices
Most are location-aware

Twitter
Microblogging – sharing information in 140 characters or less
People “follow” your Twitter feed and get updates of your news and that of their other friends chronologically
Hugely popular
Can use via web, cell phone, desktop apps, IM, etc.

2D Barcodes http://www.flickr.com/photos/clevercupcakes/3985603967/

2D Barcodes
QR (Quick Response) codes – most common.
Microsoft entering barcode realm with Tag
Scan to access information or take action
Pull up text content
Dial a phone number or send a txt
Pull up a web page
Pulls up images or video
Pulls up a poll or survey
Need a QR code reader.

QR Codes
View demo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOgyC8liCfg&NR=1

http://www.flickr.com/photos/markcph/4427533643/

QR Codes
Very big in Japan, growing in use in Europe. Not big in U.S. yet.
In U.S. mainly see on products,
sometimes museums.
Google is putting QR codes at
local businesses with link to the
business’ Google Place page.

QR code generators and readers
Generators
Kaywa http://qrcode.kaywa.com/
QR Stuff http://www.qrstuff.com/
i-nigma http://www.i-nigma.com/personal/Create.asp

Readers (multiplatform)
Kaywa http://reader.kaywa.com/getit
Quickmark http://www.quickmark.com.tw/En/basic/download.asp
i-nigma http://www.i-nigma.com/GetReader.asp
Beetagg http://www.beetagg.com/

Location-aware mobile technologies
Uses GPS, compass, RFID, etc. to determine where a user’s orientation to other people, places, things, etc.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/psd/21055837/

RFID and mobile phones
Allows devices to interact over short distances
iPhone 4G may be RFID-enabled
Use your phone as your library card, credit card, etc.
Interact with RFID-enabled objects http://vimeo.com/4147129

Location-aware apps - Zillow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJfrdcbfXsc

Location-aware apps – Around Me

Location-aware apps – AAA Discounts

Location-aware apps - Loopt

Location-aware mobile games

Foursquare

Other location-aware mobile games
Gowalla http://gowalla.com/
Whrrl http://whrrl.com/
MyTown http://www.booyah.com

Augmented Reality
Blending data with what you see in the real world.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/turkletom/4325703868/

Augmented reality: The future is here!
http://commoncraft.com/augmented-reality-video
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fotologic/3862190141/

Acrossair
Lots of different apps built on top of this augmented reality browser (nearby tweets, New York Subway, nearby bars, etc.)
http://www.youtube.com/acrossair

Layar
Allows developers to build layers of data on top of the live video on your phone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b64_16K2e08

TwittAround
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vbh7nHalCc&feature=player_embedded

Google Goggles

Other augmented reality tools
Tat Augmented ID http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb0pMeg1UN0&feature=player_embedded
Lego store http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91fXp1P5aoY&feature=player_embedded

Library Services for Mobile Users

First, assess
What mobile technologies do your patrons use?
How many access the web via a mobile device? Which one(s) are most prevalent?
What social technologies do your patrons use?
What library services would users actually want to use via a mobile device?
What library services can you make accessible via a mobile device?

Mobile Library Content

Library Website
Questions to ask:
Do you create a separate mobile version of your site or just serve up a different style sheet based on the device?
Do you design for the most commonly-used smartphones or also design for web-enabled mobile devices (small screens)?
Do you use a detection algorithm to redirect mobile users to the mobile site or make them go to a separate URL?

Design tips
Break information into tasks and let users drill down to what they need (not too many clicks!).
Put most-used content at the top.
Minimize scrolling.
Icons and text links are better than either alone.
Shorten text to minimal amount needed.
Minimize the need to type whenever possible.

What to include on mobile website
Depends on library and what users actually use.
Catalog search
Databases/federated search if they have mobile interfaces
Circ info (due dates, holds)
Room/computer reservations
Reference info/widgets/forms
Hours
Links to useful mobile content

Great mobile library websites

University of Minnesota

Orange County Library System

Oregon State

Services to mobify your site
Auto-generate device-specific versions of your existing website.
Mobile Site Generator
MobileMicro (Mosio)
Mobilizer from dotMobi
MyMobileWeb
HAWHAW
Unity Mobile
Google Mobile adapter
Usablenet Assistive

Emulators/Simulators
Allow you to view your page in various mobile browsers.
Opera mobile browser emulator , another Opera browser emulator
iPhone - iPhone developer kit
Nokia
Android
Palm
Windows Mobile
Blackberry
Mobi Emulator (multiplatform)

Library apps
Users can install and easily access specific library functions/info.
For smartphones.
A few examples
Search IU (Indiana University)
Stanford iApps
Harper County Public Library
Adelphi University
Rice University

DC Public Library

University of Houston Libraries

Minuteman Library Network

Cornell University

Mobile catalog search
WorldCat Local (Boopsie)
SirsiDynix (BookMyne) – for iPhone
III (AirPac)
Polaris (Mobile PAC)
LibraryThing (Library Anywhere)
Serials Solutions (Summon) – web-scale discovery
Build it yourself
Create plain-text translation

Content
Here are some of the major vendors offering mobile interfaces:
American Institute of Physics iResearch iPhone application
EBSCOhost Mobile
Hoover's Mobile company information
IEEE XPlore
Lexis/Nexis Get Cases and Shepardize
PubMed for Handhelds medical database
Questia iPhone application (iTunes link)
Refworks Mobile
Westlaw legal research database
EBL Ebook Library
Google Books
OverDrive
Safari Books Online
Amazon Kindle for the iPhone (US Only)
Zotero

Content: Special collections
WolfWalk http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/wolfwalk/
Duke Mobile Digital Collections http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHK3E4N7w6o

Content: Special Collections
Use Flickr to show off historic photos

Content: Devices

Location-aware tools
SmartLibrary (Oulu University, Finland)
Map-based tool that helps users locate a specific bookshelf in the library.
Mobile Oxford Portal (UK)
“ Combines information from library catalogues with the location sensing incorporated into many mobile devices allowing users to find the nearest copy of a particular book.”
Durham (UK) Technology-Enhanced Campus
“ Using wireless technology to provide personalised and location-specific information to students within the campus area.”

QR Codes
Provide additional information on physical resources
GeoHistorian Project http://www.rcet.org/dvcproject/geohistorian.html
Read-alikes of popular books (Contra Costa County Library)
QR codes in the stacks to take users to the mobile catalog (Columbus Metropolitan Library)
Historical images of buildings, locations, etc.
Pull up or bookmark a website with more info

Augmented reality or RFID for mobiles
Not happening in libraries yet.
Ideas
Shows you what subjects are available on a particular bookshelf
Scanning over a book takes you to a summary of the book and ratings/reviews
Scanning over a device will bring up instructional content.
Going up to a journal will bring up the e-version

Txt a call number

Txt a call number (cont’d)
University of Bath and University of Huddersfield (UK) have QR codes in the catalog.

RSS to txt
RSS feeds can be converted to SMS messages.
Library news
Events (at different branches, for different populations)
New books
New books in a specific subject or query

Mobile Reference and Instruction

SMS reference
Not limited by location (point of need)
Messages need to be short (150 characters or less)
Patrons may be charged for messages they send and receive
Only useful for brief transactions
IM reference can also be done on most smartphones (Mobile AIM, libraryh3lp, etc.)

Roving reference

Research Tips via SMS

Screencasts
Movie taken of your desktop
Good for demonstrating library databases, website, etc.
Audio narration, captioning, highlighting, spotlighting, interactive components
Various export options (depending on software)
Example: http://library2.norwich.edu/guide/index.php/How_to_Use_Academic_Search_Premier

Podcasts
MP3+RSS
Uses
Research instruction
Library/university/community news
Book reviews
Events
Children’s stories

Library tours UIUC Undergraduate Library Tour (iphone app)

http://library.duke.edu/support/renovation/tours.html

Instructional videos
Library orientation video
How-to’s
Use library equipment
Get on the wireless
Find things in the library

QR Codes

http://splcen.blogspot.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/5volt/2200733213/

http://hhhl.wordpress.com/2010/03/03/follow-the-code/

Other ideas for QR codes
Send a text to the reference librarian
Library tours
Library scavenger hunts for orientation

Mobile Marketing

Twitter

Library announcements, news, events

Promote/recommend materials

Share relevant local info

Info for specific population

Interact with patrons

Librarians on Twitter
Twitter is a great professional development and networking tool.
Build relationships with bright, tech-savvy librarians
Learn about new resources
Query the hive

How to get a following on Twitter Be a filter for interesting info (link and retweet) Engage in conversation (@ people) Promote your content

QR Codes

Foursquare
Add an entry for your library
Tips
To-do lists
Offer prizes for the most library visits (the Mayor)

Library promotions on foursquare http://www.flickr.com/photos/darienlibrary/4568096149/

Foursquare
Add an entry for your library
Tips
To-do lists
Offer prizes for the most library visits (the Mayor)
Know who your power-users are and reach out to them via Twitter
Harvard: Encourage students to explore campus
UNC: Campus dining shares info via Foursquare

Foursquare business metrics

SMS Notifications
News
Events
New books by subject
When a hold is available for pickup
Due dates/overdue notices
MUST BE OPT-IN!

Questions? Links and slides at http://meredithfarkas.wetpaint.com Gmail: mgfarkas Twitter/Flickr/FriendFeed/AIM: librarianmer

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The Library in Your Pocket: Mobile Trends for Libraries

by Meredith Farkas

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