Experimental iPhone and Android Apps at the University of Illinois

Jim Hahn and Alaina Moralespresentation hashtag: #uiuc4eva

Experimental Services• Background– Research and development is partially grant

funded, and one day a week of librarian time devoted to app research• Right now I’m spending half a research day in an

augmented reality app class

– Research funding varies year to year for devices, programmers, and testing supplies

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iPhone apps• New Titles• Video Tours• Location based in-building tour

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iPhone app: new titles

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iPhone app: video tour

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iPhone app: cell phone tour

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iPhone to Android• iPhone – Dashcode, a module of the iPhone SDK

• Android• Java– Eclipse» Greater access to the hardware on the device

for WiFi scanning

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Android app• Library Helper : – Students input call number and the software

approximates student location in the building; guides them to the shelf location of the title.

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Library Helper

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Library Helper• Assessment Methodology– Rapid Prototyping– Formative Evaluation• Small groups of in-depth qualitative data

• Student quotes:– “I don’t check books out from the library. It’s too scary.”– “This app shows the library is keeping up with technology.”

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Library Helper• Next Steps for further development will

include– Single search bar interface with multiple query

points; incorporating search by title, subject, call number, course number….

– Personalization– Recommendation

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AcknowledgementsPresenters wish to acknowledge the Research and Publication Committee of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library and the University of Illinois Campus Research Board, which provided support for the completion of this research.

Many thanks also to Dennis Matthews, PhD candidate in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois for his technical expertise in the development of the wayfinding app and in building positioning software.

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Questions

• Alaina–morale26@illinois.edu

• Jim– jimhahn@illinois.edu

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Links• Library Helper: https://market.android.com/details?id=uiuc.library.helper

• iPhone apps:http://www.library.illinois.edu/ugl/about/

Experimental_iPhone_Apps/iPhone_apps.html

• Android apps: http://www.library.illinois.edu/ugl/about/

Experimental_Android_Apps/Android.html

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