library assistants day · december 11. 6. mobile internet use. statistics from (accessed 21/11/11)...

Library Assistants Day Thursday 8th

December 2011

“An introduction to mobile technologies”

Lynsey Hawker

NHS Liaison Support Librarian

St George’s University of London

[email protected]

Library Services, Information Services

Find out more, visit http://www.sgul.ac.uk/library

An introduction to mobile technologies

• What do we mean by mobile technologies?

• What is a smart phone?

• Role of librarians?• Mobile applications/ mobile websites

• Quality of information

• Library uses and Promotion

December 11 2



What do we mean by mobile technologies?

• A collective term used to describe portable devices that we use everyday…

– PDA (Personal digital assistant)– Tablet computers– Mp3 players – E‐readers – Mobile phones or Smart phones

• Increasingly we assume internet capability, wireless or 3G connections

December 11 3



What is a smart phone?

• Internet access (dependent on type of contract)• Capability to download/run software applications• Turns you mobile into a Mini computer

December 11 4



Image from http://www.reviewexplorer.com/wp‐

content/uploads/2011/03/smartphone.jpg

accessed 9/6/11

http://www.reviewexplorer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/smartphone.jpg


Operating systems

• Lots of different types of phones• Each have a different operating system – this is the program that allows

you to run applications on your device• Windows, Mac OS, Android, symbian• Difficulties

December 11 5



Image from http://www.reviewexplorer.com/wp‐

content/uploads/2011/03/smartphone.jpg

accessed 9/6/11



6December 11

Mobile internet use

Statistics from www.mobithinking.com (accessed 21/11/11)

– In 2009 half a billion people accessed the mobile internet worldwide

– This figure is expected to double within 5 years

– This would mean that the mobile internet would overtake the PC as the most popular way to

access the internet

– In 2011 over 85 percent of new handsets will be able to access the mobile Web.

– Today in US and Western Europe, 90 percent of mobile subscribers

have an Internet‐ready phone

– 71 percent of smartphone users that see TV, press or online ad, do a mobile search

– Over 300,000 mobile apps

have been developed in three years.

– Apps have been downloaded 10.9 billion times. But demand for download mobile apps is expected

to peak in 2013.



http://mobithinking.com/mobile-marketing-tools/latest-mobile-stats#why-mobile-web

http://mobithinking.com/mobile-marketing-tools/latest-mobile-stats#lotsofapps

http://mobithinking.com/mobile-marketing-tools/latest-mobile-stats#mobile-app-stores

• Browsing the internet/accessing information…

December 11 7



What do people use their smart phones for?

8December 11



• Accessing email/social

media sites…

9December 11



• Downloading/reading ebooks…

And lots more…

10December 11

What does this mean for Librarians/Information professionals?

•

An increasing percentage of our users are or will be using some sort of mobile technology to browse/access the internet

•Wide variety of devices•Wide variety of operating systems•Wide choice of apps, mobile sites and uses for them

•Similarities to explosion in popularity of use of the internet•Guide users to authoritative information available

• Opportunity to embrace new technologies

•New ways of accessing information•Increased access to information •Service promotion•Interaction with users



11December 11

Mobile Websites



12December 11

Mobile Websites



13December 11

Mobile Websites



14December 11

Mobile Websites



15December 11

Mobile Websites?



16December 11

Mobile Websites?



17December 11

Mobile Applications



18December 11

Mobile Applications



Ebscohost databases Pubmed on tap (lite)

19December 11

Mobile Applications



Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) Guidelines

Gray’s anatomy

20December 11

Quality of information



Anyone can develop and publish an app

•Quality of information can vary greatly

•Apply the same criteria to mobile apps and mobile websites as we

would to normal websites

•Use authoritative resources to find and access information

21December 11

Quality of information

Assessing quality of information on the web…

Ask yourself:• Who

is the author of the website and its material?

• Why

did they write it?

• When

did they write it?

• What

sources of information are listed?

• How

is the website organised?

Possible additional criteria for mobile apps

•

How much does it cost?•

Are other people downloading it? What do the reviews say?

•

What information is the app asking you for?



Review from http://www.imedicalapps.com/

27December 11

Some useful sites for finding medical apps and library mobile sites …



•iMedical Apps.com http://www.imedicalapps.com/

•Medlibmob's medical, library and mobile Bookmarks http://www.delicious.com/medlibmob/medical+mobile+library

http://www.netvibes.com/medlibmob#FINDING_APPS

•National Library of Medicine Gallery of Mobile Apps and Sites http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mobile/

•Scrubdin (Medical app review site) http://scrubd.in/

Download apps from the relevant official App store

Apple App Store

Google's Android Market;

RIM's BlackBerry App World.

http://www.imedicalapps.com/

http://www.delicious.com/medlibmob/medical+mobile+library


http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mobile/

http://scrubd.in/

28December 11

Library Applications

Bookmyne App (Syrsidynix)

•Find nearby libraries that are signed up

•Check account•Place Holds•Browse Catalogue



29December 11

Developing Library apps



•Anyone can develop and publish an app

relatively simple and easy to do

bloapp http://www.bloapp.com/

•Some words of caution

• Accessibility

• Will it be used?

1 in 4 mobile apps once downloaded are never used again.

http://www.bloapp.com/

30December 11

Promotion via Social Networking?



SGUL Library on TwitterSGUL Library on Facebook

31December 11

QR (Quick Reference) Codes

•

Display text to the user

•

Open a link to a webpage

•

Compose an email with the correct address

•

Attach to a catalogue record for easy retrieval and storage



Scan the QR Code with your

mobile phone’s QR reader to

view the library’s mobile

technologies page on your

phone.

32December 11

SMS Messaging

•

Library information

•

Overdue/reminder notices

•

Information/Enquiries service



Reminder:

You have 2 items on loan

SGUL Library. These items

must be returned or renewed

by 22:00 on Thursday 8th

December 2011

Renew your books at

http://unicorn.sgul.ac.uk

http://unicorn.sgul.ac.uk/

33December 11

Useful sites



Android market https://market.android.com/

Apps for iphone http://www.apple.com/uk/iphone/apps-for-iphone/

iMedical Apps.com http://www.imedicalapps.com/ (Including Top 20 apps for healthcare professionals http://www.imedicalapps.com/2010/12/bes-free- iphone-medical-apps-doctors-health-care-professionals/)

Medlibmob's medical, library and mobile Bookmarks http://www.delicious.com/medlibmob/medical+mobile+library

Medlibmob's netvibe page devoted to medical apps http://www.netvibes.com/medlibmob#FINDING_APPS

National Library of Medicine Gallery of Mobile Apps and Sites http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mobile/

Scrubdin (Medical app review site) http://scrubd.in/

Mobile phone stats available at http://www.mobithinking.com

https://market.android.com/

http://www.apple.com/uk/iphone/apps-for-iphone/

http://www.imedicalapps.com/

http://www.imedicalapps.com/2010/12/bes-free-iphone-medical-apps-doctors-health-care-professionals/

http://www.imedicalapps.com/2010/12/bes-free-iphone-medical-apps-doctors-health-care-professionals/

http://www.delicious.com/medlibmob/medical+mobile+library


http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mobile/

http://scrubd.in/

http://www.mobithinking.com/

34December 11

Apps and mobile sites



Book Myne (SirsiDynix) http://www.sirsidynix.com/products/bookmyne

Diagnosaurus http://www.unboundmedicine.com/uguides/diag/diagnosaurus/diagnosaurus.htm

Ebscohost http://www.ebscohost.com/schools/mobile-access

Gray’s Anatomy http://www.appsnews.org/2010/08/grays-anatomy-iphone-app-review/

Medical calculations http://www.mediquations.com/iPhone_iPodTouch_iPad/index.html

Medscape http://www.medscape.com/public/mobileapp

Nature http://www.nature.com/mobileapps/

NEJM mobile app http://www.imedicalapps.com/2010/06/new-england-journal-of-medicine-iphone-app-free-content/

NHS Direct mobile app http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/about/mobileapps

NHS Direct symptom checker mobile http://mobile.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/

Pubmed on tap http://www.referencesontap.com/

SGUL Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/SGUL-Library/327267646881 (or search SGUL Library) SGUL Twitter page http://twitter.com/sgullibrary (or search sgullibrary)

SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network) http://www.sign.ac.uk/guidelines/apps/index.html

http://www.sirsidynix.com/products/bookmyne

http://www.unboundmedicine.com/uguides/diag/diagnosaurus/diagnosaurus.htm

http://www.ebscohost.com/schools/mobile-access

http://www.appsnews.org/2010/08/grays-anatomy-iphone-app-review/

http://www.mediquations.com/iPhone_iPodTouch_iPad/index.html

http://www.medscape.com/public/mobileapp

http://www.nature.com/mobileapps/

http://www.imedicalapps.com/2010/06/new-england-journal-of-medicine-iphone-app-free-content/

http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/about/mobileapps

http://mobile.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/

http://www.referencesontap.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/SGUL-Library/327267646881

http://twitter.com/sgullibrary

http://www.sign.ac.uk/guidelines/apps/index.html

library assistants day · december 11. 6. mobile internet use. statistics from (accessed 21/11/11)...

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