Academic Libraries and Mobile Technologies Eithne Barry Edinburgh

Academic Libraries and Mobile Technologies Eithne Barry Edinburgh Napier University

Project Overview Collaboration between Edinburgh Napier and University of Highlands and Islands, funded by SLIC. Two strands of project: • To investigate student usage of and attitudes towards mobile technologies • How UK academic libraries are using/can use mobile technologies to support students

What do our users want?

Project survey – Nov 2010 • Across three universities - Edinburgh Napier, Queen Margaret University, University of the Highlands and Islands. • Students only • i. Pad offered as prize. • 1061 responses. • Majority of replies were from ENU, this sample fairly representative of student population.

Edinburgh Napier catch-up survey – Oct 2011 • Same survey questions. • Edinburgh Napier University only - update to inform our own developments. • 182 responses • Much smaller response group – less representative.

Say hello to Jane I’m the ‘average student’ here at Edinburgh Napier University.

What sort of mobiles do students have?

Remember. . . Blue = Nov 2010 survey = 1061 Green = Oct 2011 survey = 182

• 2010, 68% had a ‘smartphone’ • 2011 - 86% said they have one. • Top smartphone makes Apple Nokia 2010 25% 19% 2011 28% 9% Samsung 14% 18% Blackberry 14% 16% HTC 11% 17%

Operating system (smartphones only)

Backed up by sales? • BBC news 28 th Oct – ‘Samsung overtakes Apple in smartphone shipments’

61% (64%) of survey respondents said they had owned their current mobile phone for less than a year. 81% (85%) had owned their current mobile for less than 18 months.

My phone is nearly a year old, and I’m thinking about getting a new one. Maybe an i. Phone? I don’t know, the Samsung Galaxy SII looks pretty good. . .

Can they afford web browsing? 43% (53%) had ‘unlimited’ access to the web on their mobile But. . . 32% (16%) said contract/funds stop them using the mobile web as much as they would like

QR codes (all respondents) 18% (47%) knew what a QR code was 8% (34%) had a QR code reader on their mobile phone/device

Which services used on mobile phone/device once a day

I mostly use my mobile for texting and phoning. I’m on the web most days (checking Facebook or email), but I don’t read much on there. The screen is too small.

Using Library services 15% (24%) had used Library services on their mobile Services they had used (2010):

Library services you would use on your mobile if you could?

I haven’t used Library pages on my mobile. That’d be great though, especially to save time. Like if I could search for a book on the bus on the way to the Uni.

Student quotes ‘Access to information is in your pocket! 24/7’ ‘Can get information any time, do what I wanna do, such as find books during the lecture teacher said. But the screen is not big enough. ’

‘I see only benefits. This age is fast, connection is important. ’

Summary • A high proportion of students have smartphones and are browsing the web daily. • 90% (95%) would like to access at least one Library service.

However… • 32% (16%) say contract/funds stop them using the web as much as they would like (possibly becoming less of an issue? ) • Students over 30 are less likely to browse the mobile web regularly. • Reading content (such as e-books, journals or newspapers) is less common.

Challenges for us • Designing services that suit our users, for a range of mobile phone/devices and operating systems. • Keeping up with the rate of change of phone/devices • Providing equity of services for all users.

How are libraries responding?

How are libraries responding? • Information for users – Mobile -accessible websites and apps. • Access to searching – Mobile OPACs. • Accessing Library Collections. • Accessing the Library building. • SMS/text alerts and SMS/text reference.

Mobile-accessible websites and apps What’s the difference? Mobile website Browser-based pages linked together and accessed via the web. Mobile app Application that you download and install on your mobile Compatible across a range of devices Normally require a separate version (i. Phone, Android, Blackberry etc) to be developed for each type of device. Instantly available, easily updatable, can’t be deleted. First have to download and install the app. User has to install updates (and most apps only used for 30 days? ) Mobile websites can be developed May be faster ? Gaming, offline that act very much like apps (or are app content or using particular phone accessed through a browser). functionality (GPS, camera etc).

Mobile websites and apps UK Number of University-wide sites and apps using: • Campus. M – Liverpool John Moore’s, Roehampton, Sheffield, Dundee, Edinburgh etc. • Blackboard Mobile Central – Sheffield Hallam University 1 st. International • Boopsie – Integrating catalogue and other university information e. g. University of Auckland, Brown University Library, World. Cat.

Access to searching - Mobile OPACs • Library Anywhere by Library Thing – e. g. Edinburgh Napier University, Queen Margaret University, University of Stirling. • In-house solutions – e. g. Cambridge, Oxford. • Innovative Interfaces (Air. Pac) proprietary, with Millenium – e. g. University of Glasgow, Sheffield Hallam University, Liverpool University.

Accessing Library Collections • Issues with e-books - digital rights management, exclusive platforms, noncompatible file types etc. • At ENU - we buy e-books from four major aggregators, journals from 100 s? In our trials, journals were much easier to access than ebooks.

- Research databases JSTOR mobile IEEE Xplore. . . etc

Accessing the Library building www. wowdewow. co. uk What’s black and white all over?

Accessing the Library building • Huddersfield University - Linking physical to virtual using QR codes. • Bath University – QR codes on items on the catalogue allow you to save Title, Author and Classmark directly to your phone (and then you can find it on the shelf). • Stirling University – group study room booking, treasure hunts.

SMS/Text alerts • Some libraries provide text messages when books are overdue, or reservations are ready for collections. E. g. University of Manchester. • Others are providing reference services via text or instant messaging. • List of libraries doing both of the above, and services used at: www. libsuccess. org

What we’re doing at Edinburgh Napier • Surveying students every year, to get trends. • Providing a mobile version of our catalogue using Library Anywhere. • Providing links and help for mobile-friendly database interfaces. • Creating a mobile website for our key Library and IT services. • Making more of our University website mobile accessible.

http: //mlib. blog. com • • • Project report Survey results Case studies Beginner’s guides E-resources trials

Questions?