Library Adoption of
Smartphone and Mobile
Applications
Kayla Payne
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A large portion of technical services work includes maintaining awareness of changes to
technology and common library practices. In order to keep up with trends in technology, libraries
and librarians must accommodate smart phones and other devices by incorporating mobile
applications into their services. There are many different aspects of mobile usage in libraries,
including web-optimized library sites, managing library accounts, and reference and other
services. Mobile technology provides the ability for services and functions that have never
existed before. Mobile devices include handheld smart phones, (such as the iPhone, Android, or
Blackberry phones), tablets (such as the iPad), and e-readers (Kindle, Nook, etc.) This essay will
focus on smart phones and how libraries can work to make resources more readily available to
mobile phone users.
Mobile reference and web site accessibility means that patrons can contact the library
anywhere they are. Rather than insisting patrons be somewhere specific, such as the reference
desk, in front of a computer, or on campus, they are able to “be anywhere and doing anything
and still touch the library” (Griffey 19-20). The mobile phone is the center for informational
needs, and patrons expect information to come to them rather than the other way around (Griffey
4-5). Mobile phones are not meant to replace laptops and desktop computers; however, they can
be used for on-the-go research, which includes both information retrieval and productivity tasks
(Carlos 434, 440).
In an ALA Tech Source blog post, Michelle Boule discusses how a fair number of people
see the library through their online presence. Web sites that are compatible with major smart
phone platforms will be easy to browse, search, and navigate on a smaller screen (Boule 2011).
Those websites which are not optimized for mobile devices may load with small text and tightlyplaced links; enlarging the text may force readers to scroll from side to side, and if links are close
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together, it can be challenging for users to tap to the right one, leading them away from the pages
they are trying to access (Enis 2012). Such problems may frustrate visitors and discourage
regular website visits. A mobile-optimized version of a library's Web site should not include
every feature that is on the full site. Since most users use mobile technologies while they are on
the go, they are not conducting rigorous studies. Rather, they are "searching for resources and
sharing these via e-mail or their social networks; in-depth reading will occur when they are using
their desktop or laptop computers" (Mairn 264). Web pages should be tested on actual mobile
devices and validated through the World Wide Consortium's (W3C) MobileOK checker (Mairn
265).
Google Analytics is a free Web metrics tool that creates easy to read reports which
segment Web traffic into distinct categories, including mobile devices. Analytics "tracks
individual visits to the Web site by both mobile carrier and device", which enables users to view
not only the amount of mobile visitors your Web site receives, but also what devices were used
and how long visitors stayed on your site (DeMars 254). Smartphone users "spend less time
online and want fast access to on-demand information." According to J. Michael DeMars,
internal statistics at his academic library suggest that mobile users spend just over one minute on
the library Website in contrast to desktop users, who stay on the site for more than three minutes
(DeMars 254).
If your library is planning to launch a mobile site, the first step in the planning process
should be to survey your users to get a picture of their mobile browsing habits. Next, decide
whether you want to create an app or a webapp. An app can be compared to a traditional desktop
computer application that is written in a programming language then compiled and installed on a
smart phone. In contrast, a webapp is just a webpage optimized for display on mobile devices,
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written in any standard web coding language. Chad Haefele discusses six more “building blocks”
for mobile site design: framework, data sources and outside systems, custom code, catalog,
promotion, and evaluation and iteration (Haefele 119, 121-126).
One example of a native app can be found in the Library of Virginia’s “FindItVA”
website and application. FindItVA is "a collection of databases that provide free 24/7 access to
resources such as newspapers, magazine and journal articles, and books such as encyclopedias"
supported through federal funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (The
Library of Virginia). When mobile users travel to the website, http://www.finditva.org, they are
not automatically directed to the mobile website. However, if users are aware of the link
http://www.va.boopsie.com, and they go to this link using their Apple iPhone, for example, they
are automatically redirected to the Apple App Store, where they can download the native app
“Find It VA.” Visiting this mobile site on a desktop computer allows users to try out the app
either through a pop out window or inside a BlackBerry phone image; the desktop view of this
site is pictured below, in Figure 1. Users can also take an image of a Quick-Response code using
their card reader app, which will link them to the aforementioned site and redirect to their
phone’s app store.
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Figure 1 - VA Boopsie Website as viewed on a desktop computer
Quick-Response (QR) codes “store URLs and text data that can be pulled from the
physical world onto mobile phones” (Cannarella 2011). Using the camera feature on a smart
phone to take a picture will translate the code through software into text, web addresses, or
contact or location information. These barcodes are two-dimensional; information is stored both
horizontally and vertically, whereas conventional barcodes can only store information
horizontally. Since more and more people are gaining access to smart phones, using QR codes is
appealing in a library setting to incorporate information access. QR codes are low cost, user
friendly, and easy to employ; “there are many free QR code generator sites such as Kaywa QR
code generator, qrstuff.com, and Delivr.com” (Cannarella 2011).
Three ways to use QR codes in libraries include promoting library events and special
collections, making services more discoverable, and creating digital “wayfinders” in the stacks
(Pulliam & Landry 72). An article on “Extending Library Services with QR Codes” by Dantrea
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Hampton, Amanda Peach, and Benjamin Rawlins goes into further detail on these and other
applications of QR codes in a library setting. The Staunton Public Library advertises the
FindItVA app through a poster with a QR code linking to the VA Boopsie site (or directly to the
app store, depending on your device). The QR code and an image from the app are pictured
below.
Figure 2 – (left) QR code directing users to FindItVA Boopsie app; Figure 3 – (right) Find it VA app on iPhone
The app uses geolocation to determine the closest library to your current location. Once you
select your library, you are able to log in to your account, place holds, search the catalog, view
hours and locations, call directly from the app, and much more.
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Figure 4 - Staunton Public Library App views on the Apple iPhone 5
Boopsie is the vendor that supplies this application. Boopsie requires minimal technical
expertise on behalf of the library staff. The FinditVA app links libraries from all over the state of
Virginia, who are bound to employ a variety of ILS systems. Boopsie uses Unique AccessILS,
which is compatible with all ILS solutions, and offers an almost seamless transition from catalog
to application. Applications are accessible on iOS and Android systems. Boopsie offers a
standard package, which includes catalog searching, ILS integration for My Account features,
library locator, Ask A Librarian, calendar and events, additional content (such as reading lists
and homework resources), integration with Boopsie Star Partners (such as EBSCO Host and
AccessMyLibrary), and integrated social networking tools. The optimum package includes all of
the above plus access to OverDrive titles, BookLook® Mobile (which allows patrons to enter or
scan ISBN barcodes of books to see if they're available at the library), reviews and
recommendations, and an add-on feature called BookCheck™. BookCheck™ allows patrons to
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"instantly check out a book, DVD or CD from anywhere within your library using their mobile
devices, making any mobile device a self-checkout terminal" (Boopsie, Optimum Package).
FindItVA seems to have purchased the optimum package, employing every feature except
BookCheck™.
If a native app cannot be built, libraries also have the option of optimizing their websites.
The four major browsers that should be considered when building a standard Web Site are
Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Google Chrome. When designing a
mobile site other factors to consider include platform, screen size, and whether or not the Web
site will be used on a touch screen device (DeMars 256). Library mobile Web site designers can
implement a browser detection script, which can "recognize mobile devices and redirect them to
the mobile pages" (De Mars 259). Certain design features allow browsers to fit content to the
screen; for example, using percentages or ems to size text instead of assigning absolute point font
values will ensure that text is proportionally sized. Images cannot be sized in ems, however, so
images must be kept to the same absolute size (Ryan 131-132).
Two examples of academic library mobile optimized websites can be found at
http://m.lib.jmu.edu and http://m.library.sc.edu for the James Madison University Libraries and
the University of South Carolina Libraries, respectively. Both link to contacts, hours,
laptop/computer availability, and an Ask-A-Librarian feature. They also give the user the option
to view the full/main site. JMU Libraries offer links to a mobile quick search and other research
resources, which are further divided into Android apps, iPhone/iPad apps, and mobile sites. USC
has a catalog search directly on the mobile home page and also links to article databases, which
prompts a Proxy Log On. Also included in the USC site are floor maps, events and exhibits,
information on each of the five libraries, services offered, and collection information. These are
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essential links to general library information and resources, and include the types of information
for which mobile users are looking.
In a report of the January 2012 Library and Information Technology Association (LITA)
Mobile Computing Interest Group Virtual Meeting, Bohyun Kim, Kevin Lau, and Vincci Lui
summarized a presentation by Jason Clark about HTML5 and Mobile Web. HTML5 allows users
to create Web apps that can include features that in the past were only possible in a native app,
such as geo-location and speech recognition. Clark's BookMeUp@TheLibrary web app through
Montana State University can detect a user's location and suggest related location subject
headings. The app offers books under a selected location subject heading, and users can speak
directly to the device to search for a particular title (Kim et al, 331). PhoneGap is an open source
solution for building cross-platform mobile applications. An article by Sharon Whitfield in The
Reference Librarian gives a brief introduction to the software and how it can be implemented for
creating native apps in a library setting (Whitfield 444).
While mobile optimized websites and applications allow users to find information on
their own, these resources do not fully replace the reference transaction. One option for mobile
reference is short message service (SMS) messages. According to a study by Vecchione and
Ruppel, the top three tools used for SMS are Text-a-Librarian through Mosio; Google Voice; and
Library H3lp. Also listed in this study is the well-know AIM hack. (Vecchione and Ruppel 365)
This is a simple to use “hack” that can give patrons the opportunity to interact with the reference
librarian over the AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) network via SMS. If a patron sends a text
message to 246246 with the format of “send <username> message”, a conversation will start in
the IM client and be treated as a regular IM exchange (Griffey 69). Through SMS reference,
librarians become extremely accessible, personable, and more relevant to their library users.
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SMS messaging does have its limits when it comes to reference transactions; there’s no
real reference interview because “the process is intended for short, clear questions with definite
answers” (Brannon 157). Messages have limits from 140 to 160 characters, and although most
mobile carriers allow “concatenation”, meaning “a series of messages [connect] together to be
sent, received, and read as either one message or a series of shorter parts”, some users are paying
for each message they receive (Brannon 154). However, asking a question via SMS does allow
for anonymity. Users also have the ability to thoughtfully compose and edit a text message query
before sending it, which may not be the case during face-to-face communication (Vecchione and
Ruppel 356).
Another service to consider is virtually loaded library cards onto patron’s smart phones.
Apps such as CardStar and KeyRing allow consumers to load all of the plastic reward cards from
their key chains onto their mobile device. In order to create the smart phone card, users just have
to input or scan the physical card's barcode number. Challenges arise when library workers at the
circulation desk have to decide "whether library policy acknowledges the virtual card and also
whether a scanner can read it" (Kelley 2011). According to blogger Brian Herzog, "traditional
barcode scanners are designed to read laser light reflected off of a solid surface, while
smartphone screens are emitting light and have to be read by a charge-coupled device (CCD)
scanner" (Herzog 2011). As with any new technology, there are risks in accepting virtual cards.
However, Michael Kelley holds that "the risk for abuse 'is equal to, if not a lot less' than what
patrons face with their physical cards" (Kelley 2011).
In the past, patron privacy dealt mostly with user information resulting from transactions
within the library. Since the emergence of the commercial Internet, librarianship has moved
away from this focus on patron records and towards privacy and confidentiality in a broader
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scope. As more and more resources are offered online, users are accessing materials from their
homes, offices, and mobile devices. Privacy concerns may arise with the advent of new
technologies such as geolocation; this is another reason why, as information professionals, we
must stay current with how these technologies may affect librarianship (Cyrus and Bagget 285,
287).
The library can no longer be thought of as just a physical place. As technologies develop,
as librarians we must continue to adapt to these new resources in order to stay relevant to our
users. By creating mobile-optimized Web Sites, exploring the idea of native app creation,
offering mobile reference, and accepting virtual library cards, we can meet the patrons where
they are; on the go, ready to access information.
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