Research databases in a mobile
computing environment
Ya Wang
Electronic Collections Coordinator
San Francisco State University
San Diego, CA
January 9, 2011
Table of Contents
Mobile computing environment
Database mobile interfaces from vendors
SFSU Xerxes database mobile interface
Discovery service products’ mobile interfaces
Statistics & discussion
State of the Internet…Mobile Will Be
Bigger Than Desktop Internet in 5 Years
Source: http://www.morganstanley.com/institutional/techresearch/pdfs/Internet_Trends_041210.pdf
Mobile Internet –
Unprecedented Early Stage Growth
Source: http://www.morganstanley.com/institutional/techresearch/pdfs/MS_Internet_Trends_060710.pdf
Mobile Browser Users
Source: http://www.morganstanley.com/institutional/techresearch/pdfs/MS_Internet_Trends_060710.pdf
Mobile learning on campuses
2010 Horizon Report
The portability of mobile devices and their ability to
connect to the Internet almost anywhere makes them
ideal as a store of reference materials and learning
experiences
2011 Horizon Report Preview
It has become common practice to develop web
content that seamlessly adjusts for optimal display on
whichever of these devices is used to access it,
increasing the proportion of Internet applications and
information that is accessible to mobile users.
Source: http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/CSD5810.pdf
http://horizon.wiki.nmc.org/2011+Mobiles
Library mobiles in practice
Hours & locations
Catalog search
Reference services
Computer and study room reservations
Library news
Research databases
Database vendors have started to
provide mobile search interfaces
List of databases that have mobile
interfaces (not complete)
Artstor
Cambridge Journals Online
EBSCO Databases
IEEE Xplore
JSTOR
PubMed
Wilson databases
SFSU is using
Xerxes is an interface application.
It can serve as the user interface to Metalib, Worldcat, and a growing
number of other discovery systems via an evolving plug-in architecture.
The latest version of Xerxes recognizes mobile devices and adjust its display,
giving users slimmed-down versions of the search and results pages
specifically designed for the smaller display.
Benefits of this method
1. Consistent mobile search and display pages for all databases
2. Our users are familiar with this interface
3. Provide mobile presence for databases whose vendors don’t have
mobile interfaces
Source: http://code.google.com/p/xerxes-portal/
SFSU “Find Articles” mobile presence
SFSU “Find Articles” mobile presence
SFSU “Find Articles” mobile presence
SFSU “Find Articles” mobile presence
SFSU “Find Articles” mobile presence
SFSU “Find Articles” mobile presence
Discovery service products’ mobile
interfaces examples
–Summon (Serials Solutions)
–Primo (Ex Libris)
Summon
Summon
Primo
Statistics & Discussion
Among total mobile site clicks, 14% are database clicks. Patrons are using our mobile
website to search databases. For the first semester, usage is roughly 8 to 9 clicks per
day. This is still low usage.
Who are the possible users?
- People in transit
- People on breaks with no computer available
- People with no time to go to the library
Need better authentication system, single sign on
If mobile computing is truly the wave of the future, we should start offering this
service from the beginning. We need to keep mobile users connecting to the library
to do research. Let’s be on top of it.