Databases on the Go:
Creating a Mobile Database Site
Mary Walker, Electronic Resources Librarian
mary.walker@wichita.edu
ER&L
February 28, 2011
Mobile access to databases is becoming increasingly available. As smart phones
increase in popularity, more of your customers will be able to access databases from
outside the confines of a computer. Even if your library does not yet have a mobile
library site, you can create a mobile database site.
Introduction
Wichita State University (WSU)
 “Urban Serving University”
 14,806 students Fall 2010
 11,419 FTE
WSU Libraries
 Medium sized academic library located in Kansas
 166 databases
 20,825 e-books
 71,761 e-journals
Mobile Device Use
“People expect to be able to work, learn, and study whenever and wherever they want to.” 2010 Horizon Report
Kent State University (Seeholzer & Salem)
 “a number of participants identified research databases as an essential element” of a
library’s mobile website
 review the “available literature on a topic”
 use their mobile device for research and leave their laptop at home
 only a few major resources be selected but provide a link to a more complete list.
Cell Phone Ownership & Internet Access (Smith, A)
 no growth in cell phone ownership from 2009 to 2010
 taking advantage of their phones advanced capabilities
 82% of Americans own a cell phone
 67% use them to access the Internet
Databases on the Go presented by Mary Walker, Wichita State University Libraries
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Library Website Access (Smith & Borreson)
 94% accessed their institution’s library website
 1/3 use it several times a week to access library website
Mobile Databases
Types of Access
 Apps (iPhone, Android)
 Mobile website
 Locator service
Mobile Database Discovery
 Vendor newsletters/emails
 Listservs
 Blogs
 Colleagues
 Other library websites
Mobile Site Creation
Other Libraries
 Rice University
http://m.library.rice.edu
 University of New Mexico http://elibrary.unm.edu/mobile/
 Dartmouth http://www.dartmouth.edu/~library/collprog/mobile.html
Software
 Commercial
 Mobify
http://mobify.me/
 Mobile Site Generator
 Viewport
http://davidbcalhoun.com/2010/viewport-metatag (for more information)
Creation
WSU Database Page
o
http://library.wichita.edu/techserv/ElectronicResources/MobileSite/mobilepage.htm
o
o
o
o
Created January 2010
Initial design was basic
Updated March 2010
Libraries’ mobile site created May 2010
http://libraries.wichita.edu/mobile/
o Google Analytics setup October 12, 2010
 October 2010 46 visits
 November 2010 35 visits
 December 2010 28 visits
 January 2011 44 visits
Databases on the Go presented by Mary Walker, Wichita State University Libraries
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Mobile Site Generator
o http://www.hiddenpeanuts.com/msg/
o Intuitive
o Upload .iUI file to the server where your webpage will be located
o Edit in Notepad
o K10 Design iUI 0.13 – An Overview
http://www.k10design.net/articles/iui/
Testing
 Devices
 Simulators
o iPhone
http://www.testiphone.com/
o Android
http://www.search3w.com/mobile_simulator.php?url=http://www.yourdomain.com
 Friends & family
Future of Mobile at WSU
Evolution
 Add mobile apps & links
 Revise as needs change
 Update to be informative & useful
References
Lippincott, J. (2010). A Mobile Future for Academic Libraries. Reference Services Review,
38(2), 205-213.
New Media Consortium and EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (2009). 2009 Horizon Report
Retrieved from http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2009-Horizon-Report.pdf
New Media Consortium and EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (2010). 2010 Horizon Report
Retrieved from http://www.nmc.org/publications/2010-Horizon-Report.pdf
Purcell, K., Entner, R., & Henderson, N. (2010). The Rise of Apps Culture. Pew Internet &
American Life Project. Retrieved from http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/The-Rise-of-AppsCulture.aspx
Seeholzer, J. & Salem, J. (2011). Library on the Go: a focus group study of the mobile web
and the academic library. College & Research Libraries, 72(1), 9-20.
Smith, A. (2010). Mobile Access 2010. Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved from
http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Mobile-Access-2010.aspx
Databases on the Go presented by Mary Walker, Wichita State University Libraries
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Smith, S. & Borreson Caruso, J. (2010). The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and
Information Technology, 2010. EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, Boulder, CO
Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERS1006/RS/ERS1006W.pdf
Smith, S. & Borreson Caruso, J. (2010). The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and
Information Technology, 2010, key findings. EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research,
Boulder, CO Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/EKF/EKF1006.pdf
Tudor, B. & Pettey, C. (2010). Gartner Says Worldwide Mobile Phone Sales Grew 35 Percent
in Third Quarter 2010; Smartphone Sales Increased 96 Percent. Retrieved from:
http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1466313
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