My ContentMobile Based Library Services and ToolsMobile TechnologyIntroductionWhat is Mobile TechnologyMobile Technology Vs LibrariesLibraries Provide Expanded ServicesThe M-Learning Development in IndiaObjectives of the studyMobile Technology and Library Services: A Practical Approach Mobile Online Public Access Catalogue Mobile databases Mobile Collections Mobile Application Mobile Library Instruction SMS Notifications / ServicesMobile Devices Used In LibrariesComponentsMobile Site Development ToolsQuick Response (QR) Code on mobilesFuture Potential of Mobile Applications in LibrariesMobile Web SitesAdvantage of Mobile Access for AcademicsDisadvantages of Mobile TechnologyLimitationsSolutionsSkills required to the library staffOur Central Library (QIS College of Engineering and Technology, Autonomous)Conclusion
Mobile based library services and Tools
Mobile Technology
Mobile technology is exactly what the name indicaters - technology that is portable, it refers to any device that you can carry with you to perform a wide variety of "tasks". It is technology that allows those tasks to be performed via cellular phone, PDA, vehicles, laptops etc. A standard mobile device has gone from being no more than a simple two way pager to being a cellular phone, a GPS navigation system, a web browser, and instant messenger system, a video gaming system, and mach more. It includes the use of a variety of transmission media such as radio wave, microwave, infra-red, GPS and bluetooth to allow for the transfer of data via voice, text, vidio and more.
1. Introduction
Mobile technology is developed for communication purpose. Since the past 7 years mobile phones have changed the way that we live and work. Mobile phones have gained importance in both the developed and developing counties. Mobile phones are gaining more popularity among the youth. Engineering students are very interested in learning and using these technologies. They are accessing whatever information they required through mobile phones. Most of them are using to internet to check their e-mails and all are attracting towards social networking sites and e-resources through mobile web. Mobile phones are easy to carry and flexible this makes the students can use for quick reference and conducting an extensive research.
Mobile devices include laptops, net books, note book, computers, cell phones audio players. Such as Mp3 Players, cameras and other items. Almost every student in colleges has a mobile connected to the internet. Owning smart phones and accessing the internet through mobile is increasing in numbers. Mobile phones come with a variety of applications, which can support storing, receiving and easy access to f ile and use full information which students require in advancing their studies.
2. What is Mobile Technology
Mobile technology in general is any technology of mobility such technology as in cars industry, note books, personal digital assistant, sand, cellular phone Mobile technology devices are a combination of hardware, operating systems, networking and software. Mobile technology used in a specific as the communications technology using unguided media transmission such as radio wave, infra-red and bluetooth so you can transfer any type of data with mobile technology such as voice, video texts, images etc.
3. Mobile Technology Vs Libraries
Mobile technology has now come up with 'Libraries in hand' trend. Our librarians are in move to determine these devices are affecting information access and ensure that they are communicating with patrons and providing web content in the most appropriate and effective ways. Our librariants must be prepared to take this challenge to increase the market and demand for mobile access to personalized facts and information any time, anyathare on ones one's own handheld devices, since mobile handled devices are truly personal devices, search histories and physical locations can be harnessed to produce more accurate, individualized information and services. Users are don't want to wait for list of web results, libraries today are covering most of the technologies given by mobile industry like PDAs, Blackberry, iPod, cell phones, UM PCs (ultra, Mobile PC) and mobilizing library contents in a portable from suitable for small screen and delivering short services in the form of contents / information which devices multiple searching features. Librarians will need to become proficient in using these devices to enable users to access them anywhere from anyplace.
As the information revolution continues to unfold, libraries will experiment with mobile devices and services to support the information needs of their users wherever they may be. The adoption of mobile technology alerts the traditional the relationships between libraries and their users and devices and introduces novel challenges to reader privacy. At the same time the proliferation of mobile devices and services raises to issues of access to information to the digital age, including content ownership and licensing, digital rights management and accessibility.
Mobile devices today can run increasingly complex software, interact with cloud services, play rich multimedia, content and allow for advanced user interactivity. New hardware and technologies such as bluetooth, accelerometers, and multi touch screens, as well as text massaging, smart phone software applications, mobile websites, global positioning systems (GPS), wifi and media creation and capture tools, are all part of the mobile environment. Many of today's mobile devices are increasingly 'always on', that is by default meant to be commected to a wireless network.
4. Libraries Provide Expanded Services
Libraries can better serve their users by embracing the growing capabilities of mobile technology. They can promote and expand their existing services by offering mobile access to their website and online public access catalogues: by supplying on the go mobile reference services: and by providing mobile access to e-book, journals, video, audio books, and multimedia content. Thus audio/ video collections no longer are composed only of physical units to barrow, but increasing are streamed on demand or downloaded, circulating content in urban, suburban and rural libraries across America. An America library association study in 2000 found that 66 percent of public libraries offered e-books to their users (up from 55 percent the previous year). An estimated 83 percent of libraries offer online audio content and about 63 percent offer online video content.
5. The M-Learning Development in India
Libraries in hand' is the latest slogan of the Indian libraries and mobile services in India are quite affordable. M Learning in India is at present still in it. The proliferation of mobile phones, PDAs and other mobile devices meant that the platform has lot of potential in India, with over two million users being added every week and as per the telecom regulatory authority of India, there were 910.16 million mobile phones and 938.34 telecom service (including landlines) users in India at the end of May 2014, and excellent connectivity across regions. Major mobile manufactures such as Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Motorola in India have linked up with service providers like Airtel, Vodafone and others to provide mobile content, which also includes learning content. Companies that specialize in content aggregation, provide the actual content, while mobile value added services providers develop the mobile technology and delivery.
The ISRO satellite centre have introduced mobile library services in the first phase to only senior scientists / engineers are allowed to use mobile in the campus and the faculty and the students of Indian Institute of Space Technology (IIST). All information services hosted on ISAC library homepage accessible through intranet and space net can be straight away optimized to mobile based services, initially library's alert services like information on new books for suggestion, books on display, arrival on indented document, reserved documents ready for collection, books overdue, library circulars, information about important events, etc. by allowing users to comment directly from their PDAs and mobile phones to library databases. QR code can be introduced in ISAC library web OPAC, web pages and virtual materials to help users to capture store and retrieve the information about library services and resources.
Smt. Hansa Mehta Library (HML) the university library of MS university of Baroda, Gujarat been designed to build M Library platform to develop an effective learning and leaching. As a result the library website has been recreated to ensure that it displays well on a variety of mobile devices. students can access a wide range of digital resources and library services and truly engage in learning activities using any mobile devices wherever and whenever they choose, not just as their desktop PCs. Development in MP3 format, Pod casting and support for a third generation of smart phone's puts smt. HM library at the leading edge of new and emerging trends in mobile learning and education.
6. Objectives of the study
The main objectives of the study are
i. To study the use of internet through mobile phones among student
ii. To find out the impact of mobile technology in the research workflow.
iii. To know the various operating systems and network service providers used in mobile phones,
iv. To identify the problems and difficulties faced by students while browsing the internet through mobile phones.
v. To extrapolate ways that libraries could support those mobile information needs.
vi. To determine the type of mobile phones used and purpose of using them.
vii. To analyse the reading culture of students after the usage of mobile phones.
viii. To know the frequency of reading through mobile phones.
7. Mobile Technology and Library Services: A Practical Approach
Libraries can provide a wide array of mobile services to interested users. While this range of communication capabilities has significance for libraries, especially in the provision of reference service, it is possible that it will actually be the use of smart phones for reading, watching listening to and producing digital content that will have the mast impact on libraries.
7.1 Mobile Online Public Access Catalogue
Libraries are providing access to their OPACs via mobile optimized websites. The New York Public Library mobile beta site support a mobile PAC and allows users to browse library locations and hours (watch http://m.nypl.org/).
7.2 Mobile databases
Pub Med for Handhelds is a mobile web portal for the national library of medicine (watch http: // Pubmedhn.nlm.nih.gov/)
Libraries provide access to a variety of its resources and databases. The users can just enter search terms and see results that are designed specifically for mobile viewing. This services includes OPAC, integrated search, and original document search. OCLCs World Cat Mobile application pilot allows users to search for and f ind books and other materials available in their local libraries through a web application they can access from a PDP or a smart phone.
7.3 Mobile Collections
Third party content providers are partnering with libraries to deliver audio books, e-books, audio language courses, streaming music, films, images, and other multimedia that can be used on mobile devices. The overdrive service is supported on numerous mobile devices and has developed an application for blackberry smart phones (watch: // wall. overdrive.com). Duke university has created a free iphone application called Duke Mobile. containing a wealth of information on digital library resources, including extensive access to the library's digital photo archive and other Ne peers the the library's collections (watch : // itunes.apple.com/app/dukemobile /id 306796270?mt=8).
7.4 Mobile Application
Some libraries have developed mobile applications for smart phones. The district columbia public library has developed an ephone application that includes a mobile OPAC and the ability to place items on hold and also provides information on hours and locations of local libraries.
7.5 Mobile Library Instruction
Some libraries are offering library instructional materials and resources via mobile platforms. For Example, East Carolina University's "Research First Aid" is a series of podcasts for library researchers on the go (watch http:// www.ecu.edu/csdhs/laupuslibrary/researchfirstaid of m)
7.6 SMS Notifications / Services
Many libraries use SMS for a variety of purposes, including notification for items available for picup, due date reminders, information on availability of library materials, provision of call numbers and locations and others.
Text message alerts are entry level mobile web services for a library to offer her patrons speedy news announcement, event reminders, and other requested information.
The library makes the following SMS services available to her patrons :
News and reminder Service
This services sends reminders to patrons about important news, exhibitions, intraction and so on. Due day reminder and renewal request service This service sends reminders to patrons when their borrowed items are coming due. Furthermore, if a patron receives a due-day reminder and wants to renew the item, the patron can click a renewal - request hyperlink embedded in the text massage to renew a borrowed item.
New title notification service
This service lets patrons get informed of newly acquired titles. This service accompanies the preview and reservation of new title.
Multimedia borrowing notification Services
The library stores her multimedia collection (including CD, VCD and DVD) in a CD/DVD management system. After entering has/her PIN ID and password, a patron can discover and check-out any discs they want from the CD/DVD management system. At the same time, an SMS alert will be sent to the patron so as to prevent from account compromise.
Request Arrival Notification Service
This service reminds patrons about the availability of reserved items.
Overdue Notification Services
This services reminds patrons about overdue items. All the above SMS services are opt. in. patrons only need to login to the library website and fill in their mobile phone numbers to avail of these services. Currently, patrons can use these services free of charge. This study aims at evaluating patron's acceptance of the first five services.
SMS Reference
Some libraries are offering 'text a librarian' services ideal for simple questions that can be answered with a brief response for more information visit M-Libraries, Libraries success: A best practice wiki.
8. Mobile Devices Used In Libraries
• PDAs (Personal Digital Assistant)
• Tablets. • ipods and MP3 players.
• Smart phones • The design of mobile
• Cell phones.
9. Components
The research tracking (how users currently engage with information on the world wide web via their mobile devices.)
* The operating Systems.
* The content
* The devices.
* The users.
* The services.
10. Mobile Site Development Tools
While libraries can make their own mobile sites, there are also different services that translate the website into a mobile friendly interface via the use of css (cascading style sheets) or ADR (Auto-Detect and Reformat Software) which allows a website to rearrange it control and navigation to suit the size of the screen it is being viewed on. That way websites will look good on all sizes of screens including the popular net books and libraries will be well positioned to meet future demand.
The library website (with or without OPACS) which are especially designed for viewing on mobile devices are as -
* Cambridge University Library, Cornell University Library, Duke University, Florida.
* International University Libraries, London School of Economics (LSE) Library.
* American University library, Boston University Medical Center Mobile library.
11. Quick Response (QR) Code on mobiles
(1994 by Masahira Hard Japanese company denso wave)
QR codes are two dimensional barcode which can be scanned by a cell phone camera prompting the cell phone to load a webpage or display text contained in the code. In order to make use of QR codes it requires.
* A cell phone with a camera, QR code reading software.
* Search for QR code readers by cell phone manufacture and model.
* Search QR code reader in the i Tunes store.
* Get the free OR App
* Search QR code reader in the android market.
* Get the free barcode scanner.
12. Future Potential of Mobile Applications in Libraries
More and more changes are expected with in four to five years in the f ield of mobile technology and its application to libraries. The technology is now available to use phones to read barcodes of RFIDs (radio frequency identifications) in the Library and OPACs are developing GIS (Geographical information Systems) Sensitive and the ability to communicate with users through their mobiles for reservations, fines, late notices, alerts, etc. Mobile Web 2.0 and 3.0 applications for social networking for the library community are available, thus enabling discussions, blogs, wikis and other features beneficial for all library developments. Some issues that the library may wish to examine in hours are the libraries role in
• Preserving new content types types and formats.
• Providing space for new equipment and works styles.
• Licensing information products for mobile devices.
• Providing instruction on the device themselves, not just access to content.
• Hosting or pointing to institutional content intended for mobile devices, e.g. Podcasts.
13. Mobile Web Sites
In addition to or in place of mobile applications, Some companies and organisations also develop mobile versions of their website that are better optimized for viewing on mobile devices.
* Encyclopedia Britannica mobile offers a search box and a list of suggested searches. Results include full text entries with enlargeable images. Access: http:// i.eb.com.
* Medline plus mobile. Produced by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, Medline plus mobile provides information about specific diseases, conditions and wellness issues. The site also contains prescription drug information, medical dictionary and current health news. Access: http://m.medlineplus.gov.
* World cat mobile. Search the world cat catalog for books, movies, music games and more. Results include items available at local libraries.
14. Advantage of Mobile Access for Academics
There are several benefits of providing access of libraries on mobile phones. Some important advantages are :
• Time saving
• It is a personalized service
• It is user friendly
• Limitless access
• User participation
• Location awareness
• Ability to access information
• Providing students with freedom of location and time
• Student have access to campus information.
• Increasing space in teaching and learning.
• Enabling one to one learning based on individual educational histories or test results.
• Students develop their skills in managing time, keeping recording, e-mailing and group work.
• PDAs provider easier and faster access to syllabi, assignment, reference work's and other course related materials for students.
• Students have direct communication with an instructor in class when scheduling appointments, turning in electronic assignments and sharing information such as URLs, lecture outlines and academic requirements.
• Allowing teachers to keep up the new educational subjects for future education.
• Mobile makes your content ubiquitous
• Mobile is the way of the future.
• Mobile diversities your audience
• Mobile enables you to connect to patrons via a new medium.
• Its easier to access
• There are three times as many mobile phones in the world as personal computers.
• Mobile enables you to offer new service types, i.e. location types.
15. Disadvantages of Mobile Technology
• Insufficient contents
• High price
• Inconvenient input and output interface.
• Limited computational power
• Compared to wired Internet service has relatively slow transmission speed
16. Limitations
All through mobile technology holds great promise for library services, there are some limitations or barriers in providing library services such as -
* Digital rights management.
* Access to information in the digital age.
* Limited memory of mobile device.
* Usually expensive and resource intensive
* Content ownership and licensing.
* Reach of an external vendon into the digital collections and technologies sustained access will be an extremely important issue for libraries if they adopt mobile library technology and services that offer content from providers outside of the library.
* Another pressing concern about mobile technology in the library is privacy - because of the risk that patron usage information can be used and exploited by law enforcement official and those who commit identity theft. Mobile technology its changing the relationship between libraries and their users by expanding services and posing new challenges to readers privacy.
* Lack of appropriate mobile-frien-day academic content to meet learners needs.
* Problems in finding and accessing the content needed for mobile learners from the library perspective.
* Difficulty in supplying content to an increasingly mobile student body.
* Some of digital content can only be accessed on certain devices, and this can have a "chilling effect" on learning and library services because it locks some people out.
* The use of wireless devices is increasing rapidly, yet there is concern in the scientific community that this technology could have adverse side effects.
* Increasing staff reductions and other cutbacks.
* The dearth of technological expertise among staff member.
* Lack of staff awareness and familiarity-setting up text alerts, for instance, requires technical expertise from staff who understand how the library management system produces notifications, as well as staff or consultants who can help to set up an interface with a sim card modern or a suitable service in order to deliver those notifications as text alerts.
* Issues related to trust and security - Libraries should be wary of entrusting user information to locations in the cloud that may offer a different level of protection from that provided by in house library infrastructure.
Mobile phones are still viswed by the majority of people as devices for making phone calls and text messages, so they often don't associate them with other activities, such as information seeking. However, people are increasingly dependent on their mobile phones and there is a growing minority who do use them as diaries, for taking notes and for e-mail and internet access. As a result there may be an increase in expectation from library users that libraries will provide some services in a mobile friendly way.
17. Solutions
Libraries should conduct analysis and make smart decisions such as -
• Support staff educatio.
• Explore partnerships.
• New funding models.
• Build a solid foundation of knowledge about mobile services within the organization.
• Protect themselves from deceptive content agreements with third party providers.
• Ready to compromise when it comes to their traditional information delivery models.
• Host lectures or discussion groups or include such information in their website, blogs or newsletters.
• Tell users about the thousands of free mobile-ready books available from such initiatives as project Gutenberg.
• Create opportunities to educate staff, build local expertise, and promote discussion by offering training sessions and professional development options.
• As, the use of mobile technology grows, library staff will need to learn and use the technology to serve library users where they are, and libraries will face management, funding and training challenges in meeting this need. Instead, expert technical knowledge must f low throughout the profession.
• Need the expert knowledge of mobile devices to flow through the profession and not just lie in the hands of recent library school graduates.
" As technology advance emboldened librarians hold the key."
18. Skills required to the library staff
Librarians should acquire and apply the following skills if they wish to provide mobile based services.
* Skills relating to training and user orientation to market these services to users.
* Skills for interacting with users via smart phone applications, mobile friendly web pages and third party intermediary clients.
* Knowledge of hardware and software of mobile devices.
* Develop expertise in protecting privacy and security levels as more personalized information is involved in using for library services.
* Skills related to searching and navigating through mobile devices, mobile web applications like push e-mail, etc.
19. Our Central Library (QIS College of Engineering and Technology, Autonomous)
From 5 th August 2008, our central library is a personal library space where users can find information and resources of their choosing, users can read alerts, check records, renew resources, request items, track interlibrary loans and document delivery requests, set up email notices of new books and journals articles, set up preferences for catalogue searching, etc.
20. Conclusion
Mobile Technology has become a very important part of our lives nowadays. Mobile phones were developed primarily for communication purpose. Mobile phones have gained importance in both the developed and developing countries. The mobile phone is a device that enables users to communication, connect, transact and innovale. Mobile devices and mobile technologies have potential to facilitate the teaching and learning process in s great way. Mobile applications can support learning by making library resources more omnipresent, by bringing new users to the library through increased accessibility to the library resources, and by creating a new way to enhance connection between patrons and libraries. This increased use of mobile phones provides an untapped resource for delivering library resources to patrons. The mobile web is the next step for libraries in providing universal access to resource and information.
No comments:
Post a Comment