11th Southern African Online
Information Meeting (SAOIM)
“ Innovation in an Age of Limits”
7 June 2012

Source

From computers to the Internet, libraries have successfully met the challenge of adapting their services to changing technologies.
Source
Today's challenge is delivering services to smartphones, eBook readers, and
tablets to users on the go who now view more content on mobile devices than desktop and laptop computers.
eBook sales outpace paper books, and users increasingly download music, movies, and
books from iTunes and Kindle, storing their purchases in the Cloud
.
Access by Touch: Delivering
Library Services Through Mobile
Technologies- June 8, 2012
(Online Conference) http://www.amigos.org/mobile_tech

The Mobile world at the palm of our hands
Source

If Librarians want to hold on to their role as an Information professionals, they need to be able to reach out to users in their preferred method of
Communication. (Griffey, 2010)

• Library Services on the
GO!
• 24/7 Access to the Library
Catalogue, websites, services & resources
• Social Interactions via
Mobile Web 2.0
Applications
• Current Awareness to
Services and Resources
• Information Retrieval &
Reference Services
• eBook Readers on loan
At the PALM of your PATRON HANDS

Plan to be a Mobile Library/Librarian!
Develop or Customise Mobile Applications for your University/Library to fit your library users needs:
• Create Mobile website
• Create Mobile Library Catalogue
• Create Portable Instruction Resources
• Offer Mobile Library Tours
• Offer Mobile collections
• Provide SMS services
• Explore other implementation ideas ALL
THE TIME!
(Griffey, 2010)

http://uj.mobi/

Use your mobile to: http://ujmobilelink.uj.ac.za/ http://ujlink.uj.ac.za/airpac
• Search UJ Library
Catalogue
• Reserve items (place a hold on them)
• Renew overdue books
• Download e-books and e-journal articles
… and lots more

2012
Project 1: iPads to be available in the library
• 15 iPads for UJ Kingsway Campus library
> 12 iPads will be on stands in the library for students to use with selected applications
> 3 iPads will be used by library staff to explore and learn how to use;
• Sponsor: Core Computer Business
- On loan for 2 years
- The contract has been submitted to the library for approval

Project 2: iPads on loan
• 3 iPads will be purchased
• Circulated to students
Challenges:
• How ready are we to provide Mobile services?
• Negotiate licensing for access to resources
• Mobile disadvantage students
Opportunities:
• Taking the library to the users
• Mobile experience for students

The University of Johannesburg aims at making available wireless access on all campuses.
Currently the UJ Library provides:
• Wi-Fi @ Kingsway Library.
- Purpose: to accommodate the access to the library mobile iPad projects
- Initial stage 2011-1212 only on Level 1 in the library for 40 users
- From May 2012 additional Wi-Fi access is available for 200 students accessible on Level
1 & 2

UJoogle: the new integrated Library search engine
Implementation:
• July 2012
Ujoogle.uj.ac.za
• UJoogle (Encore, Innovative) brings true discovery to library users by offering social features, faceted search, advanced relevancy ranking, peerreviewed articles, digital collections, books and more.
• Ujoogle/Encore provides a platform that allows for content flexibility and streams information from article sources in real-time

• Pilot study
• The survey was conducted from 16 August 2011 for two weeks
• Four campus libraries
• Focus group:
- Walk-in students
- Post-graduates and undergraduates
• Sample: 41 participants
• Conceptual Framework: Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)

18%
Number of Participants
(per Campus)
44%
Type of Mobile Phones
Smartphone Classic phones Ordinary phone
10%
19% 19%
41%
APB FADA APK DFC
Age of Participants
76%
49%
17%
15-20 21-25
7%
26+

19%
Hours of Internet access
(Weekly)
35%
21%
17%
8%
1-2 hours 2-3 hours 3-5 hours 6+ hours None
58%
Reasons for Internet use
48%
41%
24%
Social
Networking
E-mail Instant
Messaging
Surfing the
Internet
46%
Searching the AirPac:
Perceived Ease of Use
44%
Reasons for NOT Searching
AirPac
29%
27%
22% 22%
Easy Very easy
10%
0% 0%
Difficult Very difficult Don't know
0%
Difficulty to use
Costs Phone features
Rather use
PC
Nothing
Perceived Ease of Use: The extent to which an individual believes that using the system will be free of effort

48%
46%
Perceived Usefulness of AirPac
Searching AirPac Renewal of Books Check Library records
51% 51%
49%
46%
10%
3%
Easy Very easy Don't know
Perceived Usefulness - the degree of performance for a person who uses a particular system / technological product.
The person believes that his/her performance is enhanced by using the system/technological product
0%

It's awesome Innovative thinking
Very innovative & a good structure for the UJ library.

To meet the expectations of students, the libraries should focus on:
• Developing Mobile library portals
• Seamless wireless access in the library, to enable free Wi-Fi access for students
• Making available different mobile devices, such as iPad and Kindle, to enhance users experience with different media
• To adopt and implement new trends based on users feedback
• Mobile savvy librarians to carry out the implementation

“A level of limitless, a level where there is no impossibility, a level where impossible say I’m possible ” Molefi Nyofane

Griffey, J. 2010. Mobile Technology & Libraries. London: Facet
Publ. M-Libraries: http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=M-Libraries
Thomas, L.C. 2012. The state of the Mobile in Libraries 2012.
Accessed: 30/05/2012. URL: http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/02/mobile/the-state-ofmobile-in-libraries-2012/
Presentation:
Kovatcheva, P. The Academic Librarian on the move: the use of
Mobile Technologies in Support to Teaching, Learning &
Research. iBala workshop, 28 September 2011. Available on
SlideShare: http://www.slideshare.net/pavlinka163/presentations

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