The document discusses the increasing reliance on mobile devices for research, highlighting the behavioral shift from traditional search methods to mobile tools. It notes how various libraries and information companies are adapting by developing mobile applications and platforms to facilitate access to information. The paper emphasizes the need for librarians to embrace mobile technology and develop new skills to effectively integrate these tools into library services.

1. by Joe Murphy
W hen confronted with the need to do serious research,
do you reach first for your phone, your laptop, a desk-
tethered computer—or is it your mobile device? A
growing number of researchers are engaging mobile devices
as search tools. Smartphones, cell phones, and other mobile
changes the situation. When people need a thorough survey
or in-depth search of a topic, they are still expected to move
on to traditional tools and settle down at the computer to
scour proprietary databases and the library OPAC.
However, as aspects of our lives rely more heavily on our
technologies are now commonly among the first places peo- mobile devices, we are becoming more willing to embrace
ple turn when seeking information. the use of mobile technologies for searching and advanced
Increasingly, mobile devices are used as information research. The information industry is adapting to reflect
tools for current awareness as well as for search. this shift in user behavior. Because of advances in mobile
Newspapers, from The Wall Street Journal to the Financial technology and changes in our approach to engaging infor-
Times to local city dailies, have created mobile versions, mation, our quests for the deepest information resources
which are optimized for reading on a cell phone screen. can be just as convenient and mobile.
Factiva will send alerts to your mobile device.
There are differences in information-seeking behaviors LIBRARIES ADOPTION OF SMS
beyond simply reading news on your mobile. What you first Libraries have taken up the need for answers via SMS
use to search often depends upon convenience—and the (short-messaging service) by providing text message refer-
easiest route is often dictated by your mobile technology ence services through a variety of technologies and models.
habits. You can easily grab an answer from Google or While not a new development, this addition of librarians
Wikipedia using a mobile web browser or application. Text into the mobile search arena by SMS has been a major step
messaging is even easier, and it’s become endemic with in keeping the expertise of the librarian within the mobile
mobile phones. You can text a friend or ChaCha (text information-seeking experience.
242242) for a quick answer. Then there’s social networking. Search with other mobile technologies, including mobile
Another approach is to query your social circle through applications and mobile social networks, is growing. Mobile
Twitter or Facebook, again using your phone. applications are pieces of software produced by third parties
Switching gears to professional-grade research as such as businesses or services that people can download onto
opposed to ready reference or personal trivia questions their smartphones. The recent explosion in popularity of
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2. mobile applications (the phrase “There’s an app for that” has is based on proper authentication, and login is necessary.
entered the popular vocabulary with a vengeance) has fueled Searching is limited to known citations, providing conven-
a new direction in mobile search. Many information resources ient access to case info on-the-go (www.lexisnexis.com;
and portals have created mobile applications as powerful gate- http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id336328468?mt=8).
ways to their online resources. Major web search engines, as Fastcase, although perhaps not as well-known as
diverse as Google, Bing, and Wolfram Alpha now offer power- LexisNexis, introduced its legal research app in January
ful search experiences via smartphone applications. These 2010. Available for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, it
tools have set the stage and offered lessons for libraries and allows for full Boolean searching, citation lookups, and
information vendors pursuing mobile search projects. browsing statutes in outline view. The app, and subsequent
searching, is free (www.fastcase.com; http://itunes.apple
MOBILE APPLICATIONS .com/us/app/fastcase/id352470511?mt=8).
FOR PROPRIETARY DATABASES iSSRN, the Social Science Research Network’s mobile
Back up. What about those proprietary databases so essential search interface, provides access to the online content of the
to library research? Yes, there are apps for those. Several infor- SSRN eLibrary for everyone via an iPhone app. The friendly
mation companies have begun to make their tools accessible to iSSRN mobile search application allows for basic search of
mobile searchers by introducing mobile search gateways in the its electronic paper collection as well as abstracts and access
form of smartphone applications or mobile web platforms. to PDF articles (www.ssrn.com; http://itunes.apple.com/
Mobile applications for iPhones have been the central thrust of us/app/issrn/id334702612?mt=8).
mobile endeavors because of the versatility and popularity that
comes with the dedicated and flexible search experience. This APPS FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
sets them apart from sites on mobile web browsers. The follow- The American Institute of Physics (AIP) launched its
ing are a sample of mobile search resources currently available iResearch iPhone app to provide mobile access to content
from vendors as iPhone applications. of many of its major titles, including Applied Physics Letters,
On the legal research side, LexisNexis provides mobile Biomicrofluidics, Chaos, Journal of Applied Physics, The
access to case information, sourced from Lexis.com, with Journal of Chemical Physics, Journal of Mathematical
its Get Cases and Shepardize iPhone app. Usage of the app Physics, Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data,
>
MAY | JUN 2010 15

3. Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, Low The SirsiDynix BookMyne iPhone application locates
Temperature Physics, Physics of Fluids, Physics of Plasmas, and nearby libraries and allows patrons to search the library cat-
Review of Scientific Instruments. The application, which alog, place holds, and check their library account balances
emphasizes browsing over searching and maximizes the if the library subscribes to the SirsiDynix Symphony man-
iPhone’s wider landscape mode, allows users to save discov- agement system. Search functionality is obviously limited
ered content as cached items to provide access through to library cardholders, but the app is free (www.sirsidynix
patrons’ authenticated devices even when not connected .com; http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bookmyne/id3506
(www.aip.org; http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/iresearch/id 25461?mt=8).
331339330?mt=8). OCLC’s WorldCat Mobile iPhone application identifies local
Nature Publishing Group’s Nature.com iPhone app, which libraries that hold items cataloged in WorldCat. Search for a
runs on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, makes it easy for book and the mobile app will show the closest owning library.
mobile researchers to browse, search, read, bookmark, and set It provides contact information and maps to libraries.
up saved searches for news and articles from Nature and Developed in partnership with Boopsie, the mobile function is
Nature News. The current-awareness feature, which pushes available in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, France, and
new articles directly to your iPhone, saves searches, and offers Holland (www.worldcat.org/m; http://itunes.apple.com/us/
the ability to navigate and interact with figures and to view ref- app/worldcat-mobile/id309643302?mt=8).
erences, makes this a useful mobile search tool for researchers. LibraryThing’s Local Books iPhone application searches
The app is free (www.nature.com; http://itunes.apple.com/ and browses LibraryThing for events at specific bookstores
us/app/nature-com/id349659422?mt=8). or libraries near the searcher. LibraryThing’s Library
The IOPscience express and the PhysicsWorld.com News Anywhere mobile application is a proprietary addition to
Flash iPhone apps are geared toward helping researchers keep library OPACs that works with multiple providers. It works
up-to-date with the most recent articles in Institute of Physics with all the major vendors—SirsiDynix, ExLibris, Innovative
(IOP) journals. This free app allows for browsing the most Interfaces, Follett Software, Polaris, and Alexandria. The
recent 25 articles by journal or subject area and searching interactive overlay, which is available for iPhone,
across titles for content from the last 2 years. Full-text articles BlackBerry, and Android phones, is available for purchase
are available in PDF and can be exported by email. Twenty arti- by libraries to mobilize the OPAC search experience
cles can be downloaded to the app per month (www.iop.org; (www.librarything.com; http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/iopscience-express/id local-books/id335363746?mt=8).
349478847?mt=8). Going beyond searching a library catalog, ProQuest’s
ACS Mobile, from the American Chemical Society (ACS), Serials Solutions released an app, which is downloadable
introduced ACS ASAP Articles in March 2010. Running on from its site rather than from Apple’s iTunes store, for its
the iPhone platform, it streams peer-reviewed scholarly Summon web-scale discovery service. Users of any library
journal content and the latest news from Chemical and with Summon can search the library’s physical collection and
Engineering News (C&EN). You can also save favorites, dis- digital resources from their phone (www.serialssolutions
play full text, search across more than 850,000 articles and .com/summon).
book chapters archived on the ACS Web Editions Platform,
and share links and snippets. Access to full text is limited to BROWSERS ON YOUR PHONE
subscribers, and the app costs $2.99 (www.acs.org; http:// Putting an app on your mobile device isn’t the only way to
itunes.apple.com/us/app/acs-mobile/id355382930?mt=8). access research information. Browsers are now appearing
There are also mobile applications built by unaffiliated third on mobile devices. Gearing resources to mobile web
parties that use or access specific research tools. For instance, browsers and developing mobile webpages as opposed to
several iPhone applications have been created for enabling mobile applications widens the potential audience to all
mobile searching of the popular arXiv.org eprint archive. mobile searchers. Here is a sample of companies that have
created rich websites for mobile browsers.
LIBRARY CATALOG APPS EBSCO provides mobile access to its online resources via
AccessMyLibrary, from Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, a mobile web browser-optimized site (http://search.ebsco
uses the phone’s built-in GPS to locate nearby (defined by host.mobi and http://m.ebscohost.com) with EBSCOhost
Gale as within 10 miles) public libraries. The app connects Mobile. All EBSCO databases are accessible through the
patrons with local library resources and allows them to mobile site once your local administrator has set up an
search within any Gale databases, serials, how-to guides, and institutional profile. Users on authenticated devices can
reference works to which the library subscribes. You select a select and search a wide variety of EBSCO resources, export
resource and perform a search in an interface mirroring the results lists and PDF full text when available, and view
PowerSearch on the online version. The app is free, and you HTML full text and figures and graphs from articles as
don’t need a library card for nearby libraries to search Gale’s images. EBSCO has developed its interface for most smart-
databases (www.accessmylibrary.com; http://itunes.apple phones; it’s not limited to the iPhone (www.ebscohost
.com/us/app/accessmylibrary/id342518632?mt=8). .com/thisTopic.php?marketID=1&topicID=1336).
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4. Using Mobile Devices for Research: Smartphones, Databases, and Libraries
developing mobile sites and application platforms across many
device models will reach the broadest user population but is
the most expensive approach. Separate applications for the
major smartphones and a mobile web browser site will make
the resource accessible to the largest number of searchers yet
requires the largest dedication of resources and staff time.
New models for authenticating mobile search tools and
pricing to maintain seamless access are needed. Providing
full access without compromising content is an important
consideration. Options that enhance the personalization
and preference settings can allow for potential access to full
content and customizable limits that suit the individual
searcher. Publishers should develop an enterprise culture of
adaptability that is responsive to the ever-shifting behaviors
and expectations of mobile searchers.
BALANCING TRADITIONAL
With IEEE Xplore (http://m.ieeexplore.ieee.org), the WITH MOBILE DELIVERY
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) pro- The mobile experience should deliver the content that
vides a mobile webpage for searching its digital contents. smartphone users are accustomed to receiving from tradi-
IEEE Xplore is a free search interface with access to full text tional information systems. Mobile users, however, expect fea-
by exporting via email and viewing as provided by license. tures customized for a fully mobile experience; features that
This IEEE interface is a generic mobile webpage to patrons allow them to find, engage, and export the information from
with all internet-enabled mobile devices, although viewing within the mobile platform. They want it to fit into their estab-
full articles is restricted to subscribers. [See a full review of lished mobile lives by including core mobile concepts and will
the newest version of IEEE Xplore on page 26. —Ed.] judge the mobile search platform by what it does not do well.
The National Library of Medicine has simplified mobile Librarians who are not smartphone users expect the
search and access to health information with its Mobile resource to interact with and enhance the established static
MedlinePlus (http://m.medlineplus.gov) mobile-optimized web-based resource. Designing for both groups means
website. This mobile version of MedlinePlus provides easy evaluating the very different but potentially complemen-
access to consumer health information through searching tary considerations of these stakeholders and leveraging
and browsing. Though it’s not the full MEDLINE, Mobile strengths of the extant and emerging technologies.
MedlinePlus includes summaries of more than 800 diseases, Exactly how mobile search tools can be best designed
conditions, and wellness topics. It also has health news, an depends heavily on user expectations, which are shaped by
illustrated medical encyclopedia, and information on pre- users’ experience with technology and are as fluid as the
scription drugs and over-the-counter medications. Mobile mobile technology landscape. Mobile applications are the
MedlinePlus is available in Spanish (http://m.medline best option for powerful information resources right now.
plus.gov/Spanish). There is a link to Mobile MedlinePlus But the adoption of HTML5 and the changes anticipated for
from the MedlinePlus homepage, as well as an FAQ (www mobile web design might cause a shift away from applica-
.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/faq/mobile.html). tions and back toward mobile browsers.
There’s also an app: The PubMed On Tap iPhone applica- Other technologies that will impact mobile search in the
tion has advanced search functions and the ability to read, near future are emerging gadgets such as the Apple iPad, a
store, and export reference information and articles as tablet computer that will change the perceived roles of
PDFs. A free version, PubMed On Tap Lite, offers all the fea- mobile technology in research. These emerging technolo-
tures but limits results per search to 10. gies have the potential to shift user-engagement expecta-
tions and provide us with opportunities to plan for multiple
CONSIDERATIONS FOR potential future paths in mobile search.
LIBRARIANS AND VENDORS
These initiatives by information providers show a strong LIBRARIANS GOING MOBILE
start toward mobile search. These companies should con- Before committing resources to mobile products, librari-
sider the following key points to strengthen and further ans should consider how to respond to the mobile revolu-
enhance their mobile search projects and continue their tion, how to react to vendor endeavors, and how to adapt
success in this arena. skills and operations to welcome a mobile culture into the
A primary consideration is deciding where to allocate library information-seeking experience. This includes
resources. Which platform deserves the most focus? Where do keeping current on mobile technology and gaining per-
they prioritize mobile search endeavors? Casting a wide net, sonal familiarity with the mobile search experience.
>
MAY | JUN 2010 17

5. Librarians can successfully manage the shift to mobile The next steps will include considering how to incorpo-
search by exploring the mobile literacy skills needed for rate nontraditional social mobile tools such as Twitter
self-development and for teaching users and by estab- and Facebook into our repertoire of search resources,
lishing new processes for managing access to mobile both as real-time search tools and as avenues for interact-
information resources. ing with vendors.
Librarians incorporating a full mobile culture into their
operations will need to change the way they approach THE MOBILE FUTURE(S) OF SEARCH
search skills and expectations—de-emphasizing the use of The future of mobile search will be a maturation of mobile
Boolean searching when mobile platforms do not facilitate resources as central, not supplemental points of access in
it and streamlining connections to and within mobile the short term. We will also see a further connection
resources and portals. between and beyond traditional publisher and library
Librarians face unique technical and managerial consid- resources including a focus on mobile search tools.
erations for implementing mobile resources and facilitating Changes in information technology are now occurring on
connections between mobile resources and end users, the scale of months, not years, and some of the major tech-
including new ways of managing access and authenticating, nology trends that will affect mobile search in the begin-
marketing, providing technical support, optimizing their ning of 2010 are location-based games and services, a
portals and pages for mobile devices, and including mobile renewed emphasis on personalization through customiz-
vendor resources and mobile-related resources into faceted able search interfaces, deep integration of social concepts
search tools and guides. and social networking services into mobile search tools,
Librarians should consider the mobile search experi- and augmented reality.
ence at every stage of a library’s operations, from purchas- Significant tangential technological trends in mobile
ing to providing access to the development of local search including location-based services, mobile social net-
platforms. This means welcoming and entering the mobile works, and augmented reality will impact the face and
culture with the goal of keeping the library in our patrons’ nature of mobile search in the near future. The focus of
mobile information streams. mobile search may soon shift from networked portals to
location- and experience-based access points of digital data
LOCATION-BASED RESEARCH layered over physical locations and items.
What about improving the mobile search experience by Mobile search will continue to change as we continuously
harnessing some contemporary trends in information adapt search technologies to stay within sight of our end
engagement? Think social, real-time, and location-based users’ information flows. Librarians and publishers can work
interaction with content and peers. The opportunities of together to effectively meet users’ mobile needs with respon-
these trends can be maximized by facilitating the sharing of sible products and services. The next step of this trajectory
discovered and recommended content through established will be meeting the clamor for mobile access, matching
and native social networks and enhancing discoverability mobile realities with users’ expectations, and, ultimately,
with time-sensitive and geo-based social rankings. driving instead of responding to expectations.
Nontraditional arenas reactive to major technology Mobile devices are becoming a significant gateway to
trends might be extremely fruitful avenues for enhancing searching. We are seeing increased user demand for the
mobile search experiences. Think leveraging Twitter, convenience of searching on-the-go. The expanding mobile
Foursquare, or augmented reality for advanced discovery. focus of information services is influencing our expecta-
Location-based social networks such as Foursquare, tions for engaging information tools. This pressure on serv-
Gowalla, and MyTown are games with an emphasis on com- ice providers is forcing us to adapt to these evolving
petition. Using mobile phones, players compete, interact, emerging mobile habits and to fit our resources into the
and share based on where they are physically with geo- mobile information market. Libraries and vendors have
based engagement with business and people. begun to meet these challenges in earnest and are ready to
Foursquare players gain points and climb the local leader continue adapting in order to succeed as the world of
board by checking in at physical locations. They are alerted mobile information engagement takes root. As mobile
of promotions from businesses nearby. Mobile search skills search catches up with mobile expectations, we in the infor-
are used when seeking within Foursquare for promotions, mation industry have the opportunity of guiding develop-
resources, or people. Librarians can learn from Foursquare’s ment to best balance the human and technological aspects
success in facilitating connections between users’ mobile of the mobile information experience.
searching and business resources. Why not library
resources? Vendors can leverage the popularity of building
and sharing across social connections. Location-based
Joe Murphy (joseph.murphy@yale.edu; libraryfuture on Twitter) is
social games may prove to be a natural complement and science librarian, coordinator of instruction and technology, Yale
strong enhancement to mobile search, and its applications University Science Libraries.
will evolve with its growing popularity. Comments? Email the editor (marydee@xmission.com).
18 www.onlinemag.net

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