1. Mobile Technology and the Academic Library 1
Moving Forward: Opportunities for
Mobile Technology in the Academic Library
Katie Seeler
University of Maryland
LBSC 734: Seminar in the Academic Library
Dr. Trudi Bellardo Hahn
May 04, 2011
To be submitted to:
College & Research Libraries
http://crl.acrl.org/

2. Mobile Technology and the Academic Library 2
Moving Forward: Opportunities for
Mobile Technology in the Academic Library
Abstract
Large numbers of students own mobile devices that they use to access the Internet on a
regular basis. Libraries can harness the power of this trend by incorporating the technology into
library services such as information resources, orientation, circulation, reference, user
instruction, and marketing. Universities across the nation are utilizing a variety of technologies
like applications, QR codes, and augmented reality to move traditional services into the digital
era.
Mobile Technologies
Laptops, netbooks, e-readers, tablets, and internet capable handheld devices are some of
the many types of mobile technology currently flooding the market. It is important for the
academic library to look at how many students own each type of technology and how students
use their mobile devices to locate and retrieve information. Juxtaposing this information with
current library operations allows the library to align their services to student behavior and
expectations.
Beginning in 2004, the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research has conducted a yearly
study of undergraduate students and information technology. Nearly 37,000 respondents from
127 institutions in Canada and the United States in the most recent survey revealed trends in
information technology and the academic experience, technology adoption and ownership, and
student activity with technology.
When asked to describe their technology adoption behavior, the overwhelming majority
of students were mainstream adopters, early adopters, or innovators.1 (Table 1) This indicates

3. Mobile Technology and the Academic Library 3
that students are quick to adopt new technologies and while the academic library may not be able
to keep pace, assessing student use of changing technologies allows the library to make a more
informed decision in their technology acquisition process.
TABLE 1. Undergraduate Student Technology Adoption
ECAR Descriptor Tag Description Percentage
Loves new technologies and among
Innovator 10.8%
first to experiment and use them
Like new technologies and use them
Early Adopter 24.7%
before most people
Usually use new technologies when
Mainstream Adopter 49.3%
others do
Usually one of the last to use new
Late Adopter 10.3%
technologies
Skeptical of new technologies and
Laggard 5.0%
use them only when necessary
Note: The percentages do not total 100.0%. Data cited verbatim from ECAR study.
As for ownership of Internet capable handheld devices such as tablets and smartphones,
almost 63 percent of students currently own and another 11 percent intend to buy such a device
within a year. The number of respondents owning such devices increased 22 percent from the
previous year, while the percentage of those students intending to purchase within a year
remained the same.2 The collective group amounts to 75 percent of undergraduate students, a
number that academic libraries should take note of as these students expect to be able to conduct
a variety of standard services via their mobile equipment.
When examining what activities students were engaged in while using the Internet on
their mobile devices, the top three interests are to check information (news, weather, etc), e-mail,
and social networking websites. The 76.9% of undergraduate student respondents indicating
they use mobile applications for social networking marks increased by 23 percent from the
previous year’s survey. Other key uses of the Internet on mobile devices are the use of maps and

4. Mobile Technology and the Academic Library 4
instant messaging. (See Table 2) Of the thirteen activities listed, almost of a third of
undergraduate students reported that they conduct seven or more of the activities listed.3 The
interests and activities reflected in these results can greatly influence how the academic library
services its student patrons.
TABLE 2. Internet Activities Performed from Handheld Devices
Internet Activities Performed Percentage of Internet-Using Device Owners who
Perform Activity (N=17,867)
Check information (news, weather, specific facts, etc) 85.0%
E-mail 81.7%
Social networking websites (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc) 76.9%
Use maps (find places, get directions, or plan route) 68.6%
Instant message 38.3%
Conduct personal business (banking, shopping, etc) 38.1%
Download/stream music 34.5%
Download or watch videos online 30.2%
Download or play games online 25.5%
Follow or update micro-blogs (Twitter, etc) 21.0%
Use photo-sharing websites (Flikr, Snapfish, Picasa, etc) 18.1%
Read or contribute to blogs 15.0%
Watch mobile TV 11.7%
Mobile Technologies and Library Services
Knowing that a significant portion of undergraduate students utilize mobile technology
on a regular basis, the academic library is challenged to incorporate this technology into standard

5. Mobile Technology and the Academic Library 5
services in a cost-effective manner. So what types of services are going mobile? What
institutions are leading the field in adapting old processes to new technologies? What are the
barriers to executing this change? The answers to these questions are fundamental for
establishing a plan to implement mobile technology into the academic library and to meet, if not
exceed, student expectations.
Mobile Version of Website, Catalog, and Databases
As the first point of contact for patrons and portal to additional features such as
databases, accessibility of a library’s website is of utmost importance, especially considering
how many individuals seek information via Internet capable handheld devices. Some common
services accessible through mobile library websites include hours of operation, catalog, new or
events, audio tours, and reference services. However, it is important that a library’s mobile
website develop applications that function on multiple operating systems in order to maximize
access.4
Numbers from a recent Library Journal survey indicate that 39 percent of academic
libraries presently provide a mobile version of their website and 36 percent offer a mobile-
friendly catalog. Other mobile priorities for the academic library include reference services, text
notifications, and ability to access databases.5 This appears to support the assertion of three
librarians from Oregon State University that “mobile versions of a library’s website will be as
common and as expected as the library’s current desktop site is today.”6
There are fewer academic libraries with mobile catalogs, or OPACs, than those with
mobile websites. This is most likely a result of the added expense from implementing a vendor-
supplied version or the know-how to create a mobile OPAC in house. Other disadvantages of
using commercial mobile OPACs include the lack of customization and feature enhancement.

6. Mobile Technology and the Academic Library 6
Some mobile OPACs even include citation tools.7 Georgetown University Library is an example
of an academic library that uses a mobile version of its OPAC provided by the vendor which
allows for item renewal, hold, and searches.8 One drawback to this particular product is that its
search interface has not been customized for mobile devices, meaning that it is a smaller version
of the desktop interface, thus decreasing ease of use. It also does not permit text messaging,
directions, or auto-dialing services.9 Although many mobile OPACs have their flaws, they are a
good start to mobilizing handheld access to an academic library’s materials.
Many database vendors like EBSCO, LexisNexis, and PubMed are providing mobile-
friendly versions of their materials or downloadable applications.10 The number of publishers
doing so is likely to increase. This is significant as 54 percent of academic library respondents
indicated that it is a priority to provide access to online databases via handheld devices.11
Orientation
Navigating the library can be a daunting task for many patrons, especially freshmen
students unaccustomed to such a large facility with a completely different cataloging system.
Many academic libraries conduct tours and/or provide some type of navigation tool like a map.
However, with the advent and popularity of handheld devices that support multimedia content,
academic libraries have been experimenting with other delivery methods.
One example is the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Lupton Library’s “iPod
Investigation” program, which is designed to familiarize freshmen students with available
facilities, resources, and services. Librarians assimilated video, music, screen captures, quizzes,
and some gaming to engage students as they toured the library on their own.12 Others like
University Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign provide virtual tours, cell
phone tours, and even an iPhone/iTouch/iPad application to orient users to its facility.13

7. Mobile Technology and the Academic Library 7
Augmented reality is an emerging technology that offers a new and exciting way to
present information. Essentially, augmented reality superimposes a virtual image on a tangible
surface (object, building, etc.). While there are not any universities with full-scale augmented
reality applications at this time, the 2011 Horizon Report identifies it as a technology likely to
greatly impact teaching and learning in the next two to three years.14 North Carolina State
University Libraries offers a mobile tour of campus known as WolfWalk. It utilizes geolocation
and geotagging to view historical images of campus locations.15 Perhaps as the technology
improves, the library will modify the programming to incorporate a handheld device’s camera
and create a virtual overly on campus buildings or to navigate within the library to find a
particular item.
Circulation
Academic libraries with mobile OPACs allowing patrons to access their personal account
can go one step further by permitting payments for goods and services via handheld devices.
Applications using radio frequency identification technology (RFID) enable users to make
payment by waving their handheld device in front of a terminal or automated device, such as a
printer or vending machine.16 This technology could allow patrons to pay their fines or even
check out materials.
Some academic libraries like the University of Maryland loan equipment (e-readers,
GPS, laptops, iPads, etc.) to students. Institutions with equipment loan programs could allow
users with Internet capable handheld devices to check the availability of equipment and even
reserve one for later use. The same idea applies to group study rooms, although some libraries
like Nova Southeastern University Health Professions Division Library offer beepers to alert
waiting students when a room is open, in addition to the ability to check the status online.17

8. Mobile Technology and the Academic Library 8
The circulation department generally oversees the shelving of materials. Dr. Bo
Brinkman of Miami University unveiled an augmented reality shelf-reading application at the
ACRL 2011 conference in Philadelphia. Users that have downloaded the application are able to
hold their handheld device to the shelf, at which time the camera reads a special code on a
book’s spine to read its call number and compare it to others on a given shelf. The user will then
see a red X or green check mark over each spine to see what is in or out of place. The
application will then direct users to where the book should be placed using a green arrow. This
particular augmented reality feature is still under development but it could eventually be found in
many libraries.18 A major challenge to its implementation in the academic library would be the
application of a unique sticker (i.e., the code read by the shelf-reading application) to each item
in the library given the hundreds of thousands of volumes many libraries own.
User Instruction
In addition to examining trends in technology ownership and adoption and what students
are doing with technology, EDUCAUSE’s annual study of undergraduate students looks at the
connection between information technology and the academic experience. By understanding the
types of technology utilized in courses and how students prefer to learn with technology, the
academic library can deliver more engaging user instruction. This might be in the form of online
tutorials, face-to-face instruction, research guides, or any other type of initiative that seeks to
enhance information literacy for students in higher education institutions.
A large percentage of students enjoy learning by watching video content or listening to
audio content (80.7 percent) and by conducting Internet searches (79.3 percent). Slightly more
than half of undergraduate students report liking to learn via programs they can control, such as

9. Mobile Technology and the Academic Library 9
video games and simulations.19 Overall, students appear to prefer multimedia-based and passive
learning methods. (Figure 1)
Augmented reality applications might also be assimilated into user instruction. The
department that oversees user instruction often designs and manages programs to orient
incoming freshmen students to library resources and facilities. The previously mentioned
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Lupton Library’s “iPod Investigation” program could be
enhanced to guide students around the library by showing information on a handheld device.
User instruction could work with the cataloging, reference, and technology departments to create
a virtual display of item information when a student holds their handheld device up to a book.
The display might include user comments or suggestions for additional reading.
FIGURE 1. How Students Like to Learn with Technology
I
like
to
learn
through
creaFng
audio
or
video
content.
(N=35,996)
26.9
51.8
21.3
I
like
to
learn
through
contribuFng
to
websites,
blogs,
wikis,
etc.
(N=36,041)
37.3
46.2
16.5
I
like
to
learn
through
text-­‐based
conversaFons
over
e-­‐
mail,
IM,
and
text
messaging.
(N=36,261)
45.3
40.1
14.7
I
like
to
learn
through
programs
I
can
control,
such
as
video
games
and
simulaFons.
(N=36,128)
50.6
33.2
16.2
I
like
to
learn
through
running
Internet
searches.
(N=36,303)
79.3
14.6
6.1
I
like
to
learn
through
listening
to
audio
or
watching
video
content.
(N=36,259)
80.7
13.6
5.6
Yes
No
Don't
Know
Reference
A recent Library Journal survey found that two-fifths of those academic libraries without
mobile services intend to offer SMS (short message service) reference services.20 This service

10. Mobile Technology and the Academic Library 10
can be provided through a variety of platforms including Google, AOL Instant Messenger, and
Mosio’s Text a Librarian. Southwest Louisiana University implemented such a service and
found that the reference questions received through this medium tended to require short answers,
such as the year Texas became a state.21
Many handheld devices, including the HTC Evo 4G smartphone, iPhone 4, and iPad2,
now have the ability for two-way mobile video calling. While it does not appear that any
academic library is providing reference service through this feature, two-way mobile video
calling is relatively unchartered territory in the United States. It may become more prevalent in
coming years.
Marketing
Almost 60 percent of undergraduate students use social networking websites (Facebook,
Twitter, Foursquare, LinkedIn, etc.) on a daily basis, posting status updates or locations.22 All
types of libraries have started to maintain an online presence at various social networking
websites, using them to share information, advertise events, initiate dialog with users, and
promote their brand. The Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library at the University of Michigan has
created a Facebook profile page and embedded their catalog, WorldCat search, subject guides,
“ask a librarian,” and links to certain library pages.23
QR (quick response) codes consist of a matrix barcode readable by handheld devices with
a camera. Anyone can create a QR code online that leads to a URL, phone number, SMS
message, or text.24 This technology could be used to market events on a poster, flyer, or web
video. Lafayette College Library had an event in September 2010 called “Where in the Library
is Carmen Sandigo?: An Interactive Library Mystery Game” that used QR codes and librarians
stationed around the facility to help students learn about the library. Some libraries use QR

11. Mobile Technology and the Academic Library 11
codes in an exhibit to link to additional information or the university archives; others like
Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University use them for an audio tour.25
Conclusion
The dizzying array of mobile technology both currently available and in development can
be overwhelming to an academic library trying to engage students. Technology will continue to
impact every area of the academic library, from orientation to user instruction to marketing, as
students increasingly move toward Internet capable handheld devices. The academic library then
must determine how to seamlessly integrate the technology in a value-added manner without
neglecting those users who do not own or intend to purchase such devices.

12. Mobile Technology and the Academic Library 12
Notes
1
Shannon D. Smith and Judith Borreson Caruso. “The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information
Technology, 2010—Key Findings” (Report, Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2010), 39.
2
Ibid., 46-47.
3
Smith and Caruso, ECAR Study, 59-60.
4
Lilia Murray, “Libraries ‘like to move it, move it’,” Reference Services Review, 38, no. 2 (2010): 234-235, doi:
10.1108/00907321011045007.
5
Lisa Carlucci Thomas, “Gone Mobile? Mobile catalogs, SMS reference, and QR codes are on the rise–how are
libraries adapting to mobile culture?,” Library Journal, October 15, 2010: 30-31.
6
Laurie Bridges, Hannah Gascho Rempel, and Kimberly Griggs, “Making the case for a fully mobile library web
site: from floor maps to the catalog,” Reference Services Review, 38, no. 2 (2010): 318, doi:
10.1108/00907321011045061.
7
Ibid., 314-315.
8
Murray, Move it, 239-240.
9
Bridges, 315.
10
Murray, Move it, 241.
11
Carlucci Thomas, Gone mobile, 31.
12
Virginia Cairns and Toni C. Dean, “Library iTour: Introducing the iPod Generation to the Academic Library”
(presentation, Middle Tennessee University Instructional Technology Conference, Murfreesboro, TN, March 29-31,
2009).
13
University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, “Tours of the Library,” University Library,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, http://www.library.illinois.edu/learn/basics/tours.html
14
L. Johnson et al., “The Horizon Report: 2011 Edition” (Report, Austin, TX: The New Media Consortium, 2011),
5.
15
North Carolina State University Libraries, “WolfWalk:DLI:NCSU Libraries,” North Carolina State University
Libraries, http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/dli/projects/wolfwalk/
16
Joan K. Lippincott, “A mobile future for academic libraries,” Reference Services Review, 38, no. 2 (2010): 210,
doi: 10.1108/00907321011044981.
17
Nova Southeastern University Health Professions Division Library, “Checkout a Study Room? – Introduction to
the Health Professions Division Library,” Nova Southeastern University Health Professions Division Library,
http://nova.campusguides.com/content.php?pid=104950&sid=1008893
18
“Augmented Reality App for Shelf Reading,” Video clip, [March 22, 2011], www.youtube.com,
http://youtu.be/NgZVI630SsI (accessed May 1, 2011).
19
Smith and Caruso, ECAR Study, 89-90.
20
Carlucci Thomas, Gone mobile, 30.
21
Murray, Move it, 238.
22
Smith and Caruso, ECAR Study, 61.
23
Andrea Dickson and Robert P. Holley, “Social Networking in Academic Libraries: The Possibilities and the
Concerns,” School of Library and Information Science Faculty Research Publications, Paper 33 (2010): 6-7.
24
Robin Ashford, “QR codes and academic libraries: Reaching mobile users,” College & Research Libraries News,
71, no. 10 (2010): 526.
25
Brigham Young University Harold B. Lee Library, “QR Code Information - QR Code Information - Subject
Guides at Brigham Young University,” Brigham Young University Harold B. Lee Library,
http://guides.lib.byu.edu/qrcode