Mobile Services for Libraries

Sarah Houghton-JanDigital Futures Manager, San Jose Public

LibraryAuthor, LibrarianInBlack.net

why mobile?

‣80% of American adults own a cell phone

‣By 2015 U.S. ownership of smart phones will be 162 million - 2/3 of all mobile handsets

‣43% own MP3 players

‣5 million iPads sold (+ watch Android tablets)

Jolie O’Dell, Mashable, on the Morgan Stanley study: http://mashable.com/2010/04/13/mobile-web-stats/

the great debate:mobile sites vs.

apps

10 steps to

mobile supremacy

#1: your website

‣mobile-friendly?

‣W3C’s mobileOK Checker

‣mobile version of homepage (or site)

‣mobile services webpage

‣is your website mobile-friendly?find out at W3C’s mobileOK Checker

“Mobile Friendly Library Websites” by Fleur Helsingor @ UC Berkeley (http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/digicoll/libraryweb/mobile-websites.pdf)

#2: your catalog

‣test catalog’s mobile friendliness

- PASS - SOPAC, Evergreen, Koha

- FAIL - Innovative, Voyager, SirsiDynix

see a pattern?

‣WorldCat (mobile app + mobile webpage)

#3: databases‣mobile apps and/or mobile-

friendly pages

- EBSCO (page)

- Gale (app)

- others

‣check with all vendors

‣watch for feature & functionality loss

#4: ebooks

‣eAudioBook formats: MP3s/DRM-laden formats of death

‣eBook formats: PDF, Mobi

‣Overdrive eBook app

‣who missed the boat?

‣check with all vendors

#5: reference‣text messaging - AIM & Google Voice

hacks, LibraryH3lp

‣Twitter - “send a question to @SanJoseLibrary”

IM - free IM clients (Meebo, Trillian) + individual accounts (AIM, GoogleTalk)

web chat - nope

#6: social media

Facebook

- many mobile FB apps

- post updates, photos, video, & events

- pages vs. groups

Twitter

- many more Twitter apps

- post frequent updates

#7: location-based services

‣Foursquare, Gowalla, Facebook Places

- entries, tips, trips, contests

‣augmented reality - Layar, Wikitude

- campus or library tours, local history tours

#8: apps

‣Boopsie - customized mobile library application (San Jose Public Library)

‣custom iPhone or Android app (D.C. Public Library)

#9: in-library mobile services

‣walk-in mobile message center

‣library mobile charging stations

‣library mobile media download stations

#10: marketing mobile

‣market mobile with mobile

‣start an opt-in list for library texts

- group texting app “textPlus”

‣buy ads in relevant apps (local, library-like)

‣contests for signing up, mayorships, etc.

…inc. marketing staff

‣ensure mobile access to work systems

‣train staff on mobile access to library stuff

‣encourage staff use of mobile to do work

‣buy mobile devices for staff to use/train on

7 apps every librarian should

know‣WorldCat

‣Kindle/Nook

‣Google Translate

‣Foursquare

‣Evernote‣ IMDB‣Yelp

future challenges

‣devices

‣platforms

‣formats

‣digital rights management

‣standards

questions & discussion

Sarah Houghton-Janweb: LibrarianInBlack.net

Twitter: @TheLiB

Facebook: Facebook.com/LibrarianInBlack

email: LibrarianInBlack@gmail.com