Mobile AccessAmanda Myers, Michelle Walsh,

Adriana Marroquin

Problem

• We are a group of web-services librarians for Baltimore County Public Library. Feedback from our patrons has revealed a heightened interest in being able to access the library remotely. The county commissioners have provided our public library with a $7,000 grant for advanced technology. This grant will be used to address the interest patrons have shown in remote access to library services. It is our goal to integrate mobile technology with the library’s services in order to support our catalog, patrons’ accounts, and to allow access to our online resources. This will allow our users the opportunity to access the catalog, make changes to their library accounts, and use reference services remotely.

Why Mobile Access is Important

• "If a smartphone can always access a network, content can be continually streamed to the device over the network, providing content on demand... By going mobile, a library takes a giant step toward becoming a round-the-clock service." Timothy Vollmer, ALA, 2010

• “Libraries are mastering the mobile Web to bring patrons a new set of services-services that their users are coming to expect from communities and content providers. They are leveraging the technology that their patrons are using, such as cell phones and iPods, to deliver robust new services without making users leave their comfort zones. And these portable offerings are serving to integrate library services with patrons' daily lives.” Kroski, Ellyssa, "Library Mobile Initiatives," Library Technology Reports, 44.5, (2008): 33

Institutions & Solutions Researched

• University of Mississippio Mobile Siteo Ask-a-librarian

• North Carolina State Universityo Mobile Siteo Mobile App

• Cornell Universityo Text-a-librariano Mobile Siteo iPhone App

Why Universities? o Serve diverse populations and provide literature on their

projects.

University of Mississippi

http://www.library.olemiss.edu/mobile/

Developed by: Debra Riley-Huff, Web Services Librarian

2011.

University of Mississippi

• What does it fulfill?: Makes the regular library site more accessible. Interface allows for usability with all phones types. Ability to communicate with librarians.

• Site Development?: Small committee of library employees formed a committee; selected the features most useful for patrons and students. Used jQuery Mobile interface, HTML5, and CSS encoding. Designed by one employee, Debra Riley-Huff.

• Time and money?: Three months of development, summer 2011. Launched September 2011. Open source, no cost. Estimated at $6,500 with development hours and technology.

• Server for mobile site?: Mobile site on a separate server from the main library – gained more users when the main server crashed.

University of Mississippi

Features:

Ask-a-Librarian:

A chat feature that allows

mobile patrons to communicate

with a reference librarian on

campus.

University of Mississippi

Features: Search Resources (Catalog, Databases)

Grants users access to the library's catalog using a detailed search or withthe new program, "One Search" - gives library users an efficient, intuitive and accessible search through the library catalog, local digital collections, and many of databases in addition to the rest of the 534 million items available in its index.

Mobile Friendly Databases offers users

the ability to access mobile sites ofprofessional and academic databases

University of Mississippi

Feedback?:

• Steady increase of hits - Chat and catalog most used

• A lot of use of Chat feature. Favorite feature by students and researchers

• The University of Mississippi created its own mobile site and new iPad app due to the success of the library's site.

North Carolina State University

• http://m.lib.ncsu.edu/

• What it fulfills: Gives users easy access to the library website from their mobile devices.

• Cost: Not stated, but budget friendlyo Used pre-existing web serviceso $50-$600 for LibraryH3lp

• Release Time: 3 Monthso Mobile website released October 30,

2009

North Carolina State University

• Technology Usedo MIT's Mobile Web Open

Source Project written in PHP

o W3C CSSo HTML 5o jQuery Mobile for interfaceo QR Codeso LibraryH3lp for ask a

librarian serviceso Summono Existing technology

North Carolina State University

• Search the catalog for books and other materials

• Search for newspaper and journal articles, eBooks, newsletters etco Displayed in mobile format

North Carolina State University

• Allow users to see how busy the library is

• Show computer availability in the library

North Carolina State University

• WolfWalk App/Mobile Site

• 2010 for mobile / 2011 for tablet

• Virtual tour of the campus

• Includes historical digital collection

• Reviews from the Apple App Store have been good

• Cons:o Licenses o Fulfilling requirementso Testing o Adding an App to the store can be

time consuming

Cornell University - Text a Librarian

• What it fulfills: Mobile reference services; great for ready reference and for library information

• Cost (approximate): $2000 set up fee, and $2700 yearly maintenance

• Available from: Mosio and Upside Wireless(Mosio TAL interface)

Cornell University - CULite Site

• What it fulfills: A mobile device-friendly site for users who do not want to download an app

• Cost: $0

• How they did it: Used a site transcoder, Siruna; created special mobile homepage contentOf note: Siruna no longer exists

Cornell University - CULite App

• What it fulfills: An iPhone app to access catalog, account information, library information, reference services, etc.

• Cost: $0

• How they did it: Submitted proposal to a computer science class; the students then developed the app

Cornell University - CULite App

Features include:

• catalog access

• Account information

• Library hours

• Maps integrated with Google maps

• Reference services

Final Recommendation

• Mobile Websiteo Accessible for smartphone and non-smartphone userso Economically friendlyo Many programs available to customize website

• Combination of NCSU and University of Mississippio Use of jQuery Mobile Interface, CSS, HTML5 and Summons (One

Search) from NCSU and UMSo Use of existing API's so app can access catalog, account, and Ask-a-

Librarian serviceso Inter-Library Loan

• Allocation of funds: o $5,000 for software developero $2,000 for maintenance and upkeep

Modifications for Our Library

• Account

• Catalog

• Article Search

• Special Collectionso Local History

• Maps

• News and Events

• Teens and Kids

• Webcams and computers may be integrated at a later date

Bibliography - Michelle (NCSU)

• About Summon. (n.d.).NCSU Libraries. Retrieved May 5, 2012, from http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/articles/aboutsummon.html

• Annual Subscription Population-based Pricing. (2011).LibraryH3lp. Retrieved May 5, 2012, from http://libraryh3lp.com/pricing

• jQuery Mobile. (2012). Retrieved May 5, 2012, from http://jquerymobile.com/

• Mitchell, C., & Suchy, D. (2012). Developing Mobile Access to Digital Collections. D-Lib Magazine, 18(1/2). Retrieved from http://www.dlib.org/dlib/january12/mitchell/01mitchell.print.html

• NCSU Libraries Mobile. (2011, December 9).NCSU Libraries. Retrieved May 5, 2012, from http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/dli/projects/librariesmobile/

• NCSU Libraries Mobile. (n.d.). North Carolina State University. Retrieved from http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/dli/projects/librariesmobile/ncsu_mobile_sheet.pdf

• QR Codes in Public Spaces. (2010, November 9).NCSU Libraries. Retrieved May 5, 2012, from http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/dli/projects/qrcodes/

• Vollmer, T. (2010). There’s an App for That! Libraries and Mobile Technology: An Introduction to Public Policy Considerations. American Library Association. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/offices/sites/ala.org.offices/files/content/oitp/publications/policybriefs/mobiledevices.pdf

• WolfWalk. (2011, August 2).NCSU Libraries. Retrieved May 5, 2012, from http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/dli/projects/wolfwalk/

Bibliography - Adriana Marroquin (Cornell)

• Cole, V., & Krkoska, B. B. (2011). Launching a Text a Librarian Service: Cornell's Preliminary Experiences. Reference Librarian, 52(1/2), 3-8.

• Connolly, M., Cosgrave, T., & Krkoska, B. B. (2011). Mobilizing the Library's Web Presence and Services: A Student-Library Collaboration to Create the Library's Mobile Site and iPhone Application. The Reference Librarian, 52(1/2), 27-35.

• Cornell University Library. (2010, April 4). CULite: Cornell University Library Mobile Interface. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ygOBpAY7WA

• Glazer, Gwen. (2010, March 10) Mobile site and iPhone app make Cornell library portable. Retrieved from http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/March10/LibraryApp.html

• Text a librarian. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.textalibrarian.com/• Weimer, K. (2010) Text messaging the reference desk: Using Upside

Wireless' SMS-to-Email to extend reference service. The Reference Librarian, 51: 108–123.

Bibliography - Amanda Myers (University of Mississippi)

• Cole, V., & Krkoska, B. B. (2011). Launching a Text a Librarian Service: Cornell's Preliminary Experiences. Reference Librarian, 52(1/2), 3-8.

• "How to Create A Mobile Experience." Library Technology Reports 44.5 (2008): 39-42. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 May 2012

• Kroski, Ellyssa, "Library Mobile Initiatives," Library Technology Reports, 44.5, (2008): 33-38.

• Riley-Huff, Debra, Personal Interview, 30 April 2012.

• Spotlight on One Search (n.d), Retrieved from

http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/general_library/spotlight/one-search.html