Leabharlann UCD

An Coláiste Ollscoile, Baile

Átha Cliath,

Belfield, Baile Átha Cliath 4,

Eire

UCD Library

University College Dublin,

Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland

ANLTC/SWETS RESEARCH AWARD 2012

Strategic mobile library development: the place of library apps and the options for creating them

Library Association of Ireland and CILIP Ireland Joint Conference and Exhibition 2013

Contents• The project

• Some general themes

• Irish situation as survey revealed it

• What could we do in an app?– Reviewing what others have done– User feedback

• Next steps:– More on how to do an app demonstrator– Visiting some places– Finalising the topics and methods– Doing 3 or 4 little demonstrators in different ways

The Project

Basics• €2,000 grant given to us, award every other year

• Josh Clark and Ros Pan = Outreach Unit, part of Planning and Administration Team

• One area look after is the UCD Library website including mobile website so it fits in with our remit

• Related to Library IT team, mobile catalogue and presence in University mobile app

• Fits into UCD Library Mobile strategy, just one part that can inform that over next year, lead on that Head of Library IT

• Timeline November 2012 – early October 2013

• Designed practitioner based research, into an area that we are not well informed about

• Goal: To gain full understanding of the current development of the mLibrary, the amount of development/interest in mobile app as one option, and understanding and some practical experience in using various approaches to such development by means of developing demos

• Scope: The scope of the project encompasses desk research and conference attendance, visits and/or survey, development of demonstrator apps, report writing and presentation.

• Out of scope: – Visits beyond Europe– Live apps for real life usage

Work packages summary

• Work package 1: The preparation and project information organisation

• Work package 2 Reading up on all areas: desk research& conference information gathering

• Work package 3: Flesh out knowledge of what goes on in Irish libraries

• Work package 4: The demonstrator apps

• Work package 5: Writing and delivering

• Work package 6: Closure and Exit Strategy

• Constant talk of use of internet via mobiles overtaking desktop use by 2014

Context: what to invest in mobile?

Ellyska Kroski presentation on Slideshare Mobiles to Go

Overall context statement

• Context: UCD Library has a number of mobile offerings for users – website, catalogue. UCD has a mobile app for users. Given that more users will access internet via mobile than desktop device by 2014 on current estimates, the library needs to consider how it delivers its mobile offering and the place of apps in that strategy

Deliverables & Milestones• Deliverables: a report; a range of demonstrator

library apps; a conference presentation; a published paper

• Milestones :

• 05 Nov 2012 commence project

• 31st May 2013 interim project report (funder requirement)

• 07 Oct 2013 final submission of report and other demonstrator deliverables etc to ANLTC funders (funder requirement) and for ourselves....

• 31 Oct 2013 internal consideration of anything want to mainstream from the project

• 31 Dec 2013 done any conference presentations, papers etc want to do on the project

How are we getting on?• Finding it hard in terms of time required

• May ask for extension as partner in this project taking off 3 months in June which would be the key time to develop the demonstrator apps

• Done reasonable trawl round literature, by no means comprehensive, got skeleton report c 100 pages

• Got a snapshot response to survey which we have done on Irish situation

• Done little in-house informal student feedback exercise, 830 responses still analysing, interesting findings there

• Reasonable idea of next steps:– Places to visit and talk about this– What could form the little demonstrators & how to do– And building them…

General themes

What are we including in the scope?

Established timeline of app development

– 2007 Apple release the iPhone, iPod touch, app store “ a step leap in the multifunctional mobile device”

– 2009 the first Android device is available– 2010 Apple release the iPad, the app store

and others really take off– 2011 Smartphone explosion of ownership,

overtaking feature phones– 2012 tablets begin to take off and mini-

tablets/cheaper tables emerge 2013-

Enabling factors• Costs coming down;

• Improved 3G and 4G networks offering up to 1GB per second transfer speed;

• wifi becoming widespread and often free in locations, allowing a shift from phone calls only to widespread use of mobile media without incurring large costs;

• CPUs in mobile devices offering more comparable to netbooks;

• Inclusion of facilities to target the mobile user on the move – gyroscopes, compasses, GPS capabilities;

• the explosion of mobile apps/websites which make the investment an attractive proposition.

Library timeline?

“Libraries seem to have engaged enthusiastically with the early web, with many of us having web pages by 1995…However, most of us seem only recently to have started to think about engaging with mobile phones or mobile computing..”

“Using Mobile Technology to Deliver Library Services: A Handbook”, 2012, Andrew Walsh

Library barriers?

JISC. Technologies in Libraries End of project survey: barriers/challenges to implementation. Available online at http://mlibraries.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2012/12/05/end-of-project-survey-barrierschallenges-to-implementation/ Accessed Dec 19th 2012

Difficult to prioritise – UCD Library website via mobile devices Mar 2013

• Use of the website via mobile devices (including tablets), 9% of all visits to the site came from such mobile devices and 10% of all page views.

• Just under half of that mobile use was from iPhones and a quarter from iPads, steady for the last 6 months = Apple devices, 75% mobile use

• Student feedback indicates that a really large number of students have Android smartphones – we can perhaps assume that undergraduates are not our key mobile user group as Android use does not show up in the analytics

Averages mislead – a small number of web pages get lot of mobile useTop use web pages Pageviews Mar.

Desktop home page 77463

Desktop opening hours 6146

Mobile website home page 5701

Desktop Search tools page 5447

Mobile opening hours top page 2542

Mobile opening hours JJL 2403

Desktop our libraries page 1510

Desktop JJL info page 1419

Desktop literature review page 1350

Desktop borrowing & renewing 1334

Difficult to prioritise – other snapshots

• ITCarlow. First 2 weeks January 2013, 5% catalogue searches came from mobile devices

• UCD Library in Jan 2013 7% of total catalogue visits were to one of our 2 mobile catalogues

• ITTallaght. Whole of 2012 4.6% visits to website were from mobile devices

• NUIG Galway. For whole of 2012 8.6% of visits to their library website were from mobile devices

• 9.42% of visits to Lenus the Irish Health Repository (www.lenus.ie) were from mobile devices during 2012

Context: how to develop for mobile?– Increasingly mobile device is fine with standard desktop

website, adaptive design websites that re-size etc, no need to do anything special at all for mobile

– Focus on just our website, but shift to fully Responsive Web Design route

– Yes do need something but the best route is to develop mobile websites rather than mobile apps: we look at 100s of websites, not realistic to think that every one can develop apps – not a sustainable model, flash in a pan

– In so far as going for apps, aim for apps multi-platform, mobile web apps with HTML5, CSS3 etc

– Just carry on and do one app for ios, one for android and so on, very common now… native apps

JISC Observatory report Delivering web to mobile, Mark Power

Irish situation

Survey

• Put together informal survey in SurveyMonkey

• Publicised on lir mailing list, and sent chaser

• 30 replied but after remove duplicates and zero-use responses down to 23 institutions represented

• Useful feedback, but need to view as sample not as comprehensive as would have liked

• Things move rapidly e.g. since survey DCU have piloted augmented reality with the layar app, Limerick gone live with talis mobile catalogue

• If you have any mobile website, catalogue or app and are not on the list following please do a survey form, available here!

Children's University Hospital Temple Street

Daughters of Charity

DCU Library

DIT Library

Dublin Business School

Dublin City Public Libraries

Dublin Dental University Hospital Library

Failte Ireland

GMIT Library

Health Service Executive, Regional Library & Information Service Dr. Steevens Hospital

IADT, Dun Laoghaire - The LILRC

Institute of Technology Carlow

Institute of Technology Sligo Library

Institute of Technology Tallaght

Irish College of General Practitioners Library and Information Centre

NUI Galway, James Hardiman Library

NUI Maynooth

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

School of Celtic Studies, DIAS

Sligo Libraries (Sligo County Council)

St. Angela's College, McKeown Library

Trinity College Library Dublin

University College Dublin Library

University of Limerick Glucksman Library

Findings – institutional level

1. Few institutions have an overall mobile website

DIT http://dit.ie/mobile/Home page only seems to be, rest of links are standard web pages I think

DCU indicated something under development

St Angela’s College Sligo do have one. http://mobile.dudamobile.comFairly full mobile website, some sections revert to standard desktop pages

2. Institutions with an overall app

DCUDCU have an app, currently it is available for iPhone and AndroidIt does not currently (March 2013) include any library content or linkages.Being re-done and will include library content in new version

NUI MaynoothThey have an app “The Maynooth app” for iPad, iPhone and Android.

It includes a little Library content including summary of opening hours and a link to the Library app “NUIM Library”

Trinity College Dublin

TCD have a general app which is for students and is available for iOS - all platforms - and Android.

This was built using CampusM, a third party solution also widely used in the UK buy around 25% of universities there.

Regarding library content, there is a link to the library mobile catalogue in it, included from a home page button

http://ilancasterinfo.lancs.ac.uk/

University College Dublin

UCD have a university app, built using Blackboard mobile

This contains some library content and opening hours info accessed via maps and the directory

The main library content is a link to the mobile catalogue (currently AirPAC, due in summer to move to Encore version

3rd party solutions as a way forward for the institutional app?

“Clearly the likes of CampusM and Blackboard Mobile could offer a convenient outsourced solution, but they do so at a financial cost, without providing as much functionality as some of the in-house examples. “

The M-Library Project: UK academic libraries going mobile, University of the Highlands and Islands Edinburgh Napier University, 2011, p. 11

3. Web apps

Edinburgh Napier University web app

Ryerson, ongoing university level wep app project http://m.ryerson.ca

4. Responsive Web Design strategy

“This enhancement to the website recognises the huge shift in website access platforms from traditional PCs & laptops to tablets, smartphones and other mobile devices, ensuring the website meets the needs of today's users. Our website is now fully responsive which is a first for any Higher Education Institution in Ireland“

IT Tallaght, http://www.it-tallaght.ie/ http://www.it-tallaght.ie/index.cfm/page/newsarchive/id/140

Findings – Library level

• Most commonly found by far is the mobile catalogue, either via LMS vendor or 3rd party solution like Library Anywhere

• Users of things like LibGuides get a mobile version of all guides produced

• Database vendors offer apps and mobile sites

• You can “cobble these things together” into a website or app or a front page in various ways

• Some of the catalogues allow extra info to be added, extends bit more than just catalogue function

• More comprehensive mobile-designed websites…UCD Library has one, St Angelas full included in the institutional one… anybody else??

1. “Complete” mobile library website

2. Mobile catalogues + - 3rd party solution• Library Anywhere reported in use by 4 survey

responses www.libanywhere.com - total users is 8• Catalogue interface for mobile users plus the ability

to add info, web links as well• Users get both mobile website AND app, not sure

know that – nobody told me that in the survey anyhow!University College

Cork Libraryhttp://www.libanywhere.com/la/index.php?dofollow=50f55228dfccb6.51568672-467418194  

Carlow County Libraries

http://www.libanywhere.com/la/index.php?dofollow=50f552f4814c73.54624397-99278146

Clare County Library http://www.libanywhere.com/la/index.php?dofollow=50f55454585285.85167237-1596556947

Kildare County Libraries

http://www.libanywhere.com/la/index.php?dofollow=50f554d6714382.21271635-1748066442

GMIT http://www.libanywhere.com/la/index.php?dofollow=50f55aab25d5f5.02723872-661412790

DIT http://www.libanywhere.com/la/index.php?dofollow=50f55aeab3f543.22239528-1236926749

IT Tallaght http://www.libanywhere.com/la/index.php?dofollow=50f55b0c5da462.46992044-909056204

Limerick IT http://www.libanywhere.com/la/index.php?dofollow=50f55ca02678f1.49369650-522721341

• DIT have a quite well developed implementation. Quite a lot of the links take you to the desktop website, Repository interface or Serials Solutions search screen, some like the repository offering a mobile version

• A notable inclusion at IT Tallaght and IT Limerick is a separate link to search their Summon resource discovery tool from Serials Solutions with mobile tailored pages as well as catalogue search, shown here in ITT screenshots.

Boopsie option.. not in Ireland..

University of Auckland

3. Mobile catalogues from LMS vendors• Innovative Interfaces in use at UCD and TCD• TALIS Prism mobile catalogue in use at DCU and

more recently at Limerick

4. Library level apps in Ireland?

• Modest level of development…• Maynooth do have a library app• Have highly specialised Book of Kells app for iPad

from TCD• All users of Library Anywhere get app as well as

mobile website. Could be important, our UCD students all want an app and what they want in it is the catalogue they say. Extra functions in app e.g. scan book barcode with mobile camera to get catalogue record up

• Since the survey DCU have started piloting use of Layar in their library, a different thing really, using somebody else’s niche app in your own library for one particular result.. enhanced print in this case

• NUIM Library is the name

• iOS only (tbc)

• catalogue search in their Ex Libris catalogue (do not have a mobile catalogue otherwise tbc)

• Dynamic opening hours

• News

• Contact form

• All uses of Library Anywhere have an app

• iOS and Android

• Called LibAnywhere

Layar in use at DCU, Aurasma another similar option

• 3rd party app that library can make use of

• You scan image or logo and get extra information either get taken to it or it is overlayed onto your poster or triggering image

• Targeted app, very specific added info function

• Can use in different way but one way is to augment print info such as posters, as piloting at DCU (also do apps..)

Aurasma demonstrators – Birmingham City University

Help on a screen-based service Pointing a mobile device at the Summon discovery tool overlays guidance arrows and notes onto the screen– pointing out the where to enter the search, where to refine filters & then view results

Anthony Humphries, BCUhttp://mlibraries.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2012/12/12/a-dose-of-augmented-reality-exploring-possible-uses-within-a-library-setting

5. Resourcing is an issue in Ireland

I think mobile technology is the now. We are quite behind on this technology and the biggest barrier is cost and ICT infrastructure.

challenges are: - persuading The Powers That Be to free up resources - trying to figure out where the landscape will be in 3 - 5 years to help us strategise something relevant for the medium term - getting colleagues on board with the final product to help get the word out - this can be particularly challenging sometimes - resource providers are very much in a state of flux in terms of mobile provision and this necessarily has an effect on us

Nothing else for the moment and I'm not sure if that will change in the future. Our biggest concern would be the resource spend on it, and the time needed to keep another branch of library services running at an acceptable level. It's better to have nothing than a service that has stalled. Due to increasing staff shortages and increasing usage, we have not been able to advance our services as much as we'd like. We are currently moving to a new LMS. Hopefully after this has been implemented, will we be able to look into this area.

The key challenge to development is that there are too few on the ground who are expert but who are single-handedly trying deliver ALL services.

What could we include in an app?• Can look at what other

people who have apps include

• Can ask users what they want

• Can put that together with own thoughts and decide

What library apps currently have

• Encounter examples in the literature e.g mlibraries support project survey and case studies

• Can search apps store for library apps

• Also found app search engine uQuery very good www.uquery.com to find wider range of library apps

• Put these together and get quite a long list of possible functionalities to include in a library app

• Some things nearly all general purpose library apps have e.g. catalogue and account; some great ideas seen, but seen less: harder to do

• A couple of very full featured options found

Example: Curtin University library• Catalogue search• Account management• Built in barcode scanner for barcodes and QR

codes• Opening Hours today• Library locations and google maps• Database listing including links through to

databases (complete listing possibly)• Link to Libguides collection• New Books display• Exam papers linkage• Room Bookings• Computer availability display• Library news• Contact Us (just lists) with option to get this

included in the device Contacts listing

Example: Ball State University (built with Boopsie)• Search library resources which opens to

extensive menu of choices for catalogue, singlesearch, articles, ejournals, digital media repository

• exam videos• research help opening to main website guides• Ask a Library opening to submenu of chat, text

sending, email, internet phone built in• My Account• Computer availability in libraries• Location and hours and uses GPS to show you

your distance from them• Study room booking (just website link)• Built in comments and suggestions form

http://mlibraries.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2013/02/22/whats-in-an-app-mobile-ising-the-library-at-birmingham-city-university/ blog entry, Feb 22nd 2013 by AnnMarie Lee, accessed March 24 2013

What users say they want

• Why pursue the library app idea?

• Is a degree of user pressure:

• “People want apps; they have been trained to expect apps for their mobile devices. Library software must keep up with the demand.”

• At present time they are very popular, Andrew Walsh has this to say, for example:

“Without a doubt, smartphone owners prefer the “app experience” to browsing the web, and will tend to use a well-designed app in preference to even the best websites” Clark, J. A. (2012). Building Mobile Library Applications. London, Facet Publishing.

 

Snapshot 1: Small user survey BCU

Birmingham City University case study available online at http://mlibraries.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2012/03/27/using-sms-to-reach-students-at-birmingham-city-university-library/ Accessed Dec 19th 2012, p. 7.

Snapshot 2: UCD mobile app feedback

UCD developed first version of its mobile app – the usage showed that of the things that they had tried out, a lot were not really what users wanted.

Snapshot 3: Edinburgh University Library

Survey undertaken November 2011 Reported by Gillian Andrea Nowlan, (2013),"Going Mobile: Creating a Mobile Presence for Your Library", New Library World, Vol. 114 Iss: 3, EarlyCite version accessed online 07-02-2013

“Both the survey and the focus groups revealed that students wanted to be able to search the catalogue, view their library account, check PC availability in the library, book study rooms, and have access to a map or GPS for finding their way around the library building.”

Snapshot 4: Leeds Metropolitan survey

Debbie Morris, guest blog entry. http://mlibraries.jiscinvolve.org/wp/case-studies/mobile-leeds-met-library-developing-and-promoting-our-mobile-provision/. Accessed March 24th 2013.

“They told us that the top 5 services they would like to access via a mobile device were:

■Timetables ■Emails ■Virtual Learning Environment ■University Portal ■Library Catalogue / Account”

Snapshot 5: Local student input at UCD

• Ran Roadshows in early March 2013

• Informal questionnaire around what mobile devices they had and library mobile and apps

• Had 830 forms back – iPad mini prize draw very attractive but not much thought in answers

• Not possible to go through the form with each person which had been the plan

• Mostly they were 1 and 2 year undergrads

• Very few own tablets or have plans to buy them (lot of Library staff have them….)

• Entirely focused on the Smartphone with its small screen – vast majority have one [plus laptop]

• Lot of them own Android phones

• A lot had downloaded the University app

• But very mixed awareness of library mobile website and mobile catalogue offering

• Most of them wanted the library to develop an app, even when they know little of our mobile offerings to date, tend to say yes please

• Most of them wanted the library to develop an app, even when they know little of our mobile offerings to date, tend to say yes please

• The main thing they want in the app is the catalogue function and related renewal etc

• Not got lot of idea otherwise: not a great source of inspiration! Other things mentioned:– General website type information– Floor maps preferably showing where particular books or

class ranges are– How busy the Library is– News type information– A few mention using the device to check out books

• Some comments that the University app is too large to be downloaded onto some Android smartphones so please keep app small

• Not directly app related but overwhelming yes to providing SMS for notices, particularly advance warning on due books and alerts to collect items

Other thoughts• Most library apps are what could call general with

mixed range of functions offered

• Warwick app is just floorplans, that is an example

• Are some tour app building solutions available

• Found interesting piece of literature making case for doing app based on reference queries to help with staffing issues – bulk of queries were hours and wayfinding/item finding queries so that could be the basis of a Help Me app

• MAY for demonstrator purposes focus on the more narrow type of library app…..more manageable as proof of concept: floor maps only, library tours only, special collections online gallery app etc

Preliminary thoughts at this point• Floor maps, ideally with at least link from

classmark to right place on the floor

• Welcome new students/library tour focus/possibly AR or QR codes in the mix

• Cultural Heritage topic of some kind – online exhibition style of thing

• Single team support e.g. Research support team app

• eLearning app – Libguides and video selection

• In a sense as not going to be permanent content not as crucial as the HOW ARE WE GOING TO BUILD IT QUESTION….

Next steps

a. More reading & visitingc. Decide HOW to do appe. Demo development

Visits may makePlace Explore

IT Tallaght RWD, Library Anywhere

Maynooth Future of library app

St Angelas College, Sligo Mobile website, efforts to build native app on zero prior skill set

UCD IT Services staff Blackboard Mobile user

Birmingham City Uni AR experimentsMobile and app plans

Leeds Met Uni Mobile and app plans

Lancaster Uni RWD, CampusM app

Demo development

Skill up

Get someone else to do it

Use 3rd party options free or costed for the non-techie and live with limitations they impose on content

Context: how to develop for mobile?

– What skill set you need to develop an app

– What is the cost to get something done by a third party

– What can be achieved with web-based application builders that claim can do decent app with no programming required, how limiting are these?

Skill up option…. Not realistic with time we have…

Beginning iPhone and iPad Web apps: Scripting with HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript (Apers & Paterson, 2010)

Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML (Freeman & Freeman, 2010).

 

iPhone and iPad Apps for Absolute Beginners (Lewis, 2009)

Learn Objective-C on the Mac (Knaster

& Dalrymple, 2008).

Use higher level tools to develop

Tools, like PhoneGap and Sencha Touch now exist that allow a developer to build a standard HTML mobile site and compile that site into a native app version

“Overall I'd suggest to develop a generic mobile app using Phonegap that can be compiled to a native app for iPhone, Android, Windows etc.”

Mel Ó Cinnéide, School of Computer Science and Informatics, University College Dublin, Ireland. February 2013

Get somebody else to do it

• Small enough demo that can pay IT person to do just a demo

• Follow up loads in academic units to find such a person, not too pricey!

• Get students to do it as projects – no cost, some places have done that

Use higher level template solutions

• Library Anywhere, Boopsie options

• SCARLET templates for cultural heritage – still need quite a bit of coding skill?

• At other end of the scale, very basic app builders like MyTour – can we live with just images, text and audio track to get a result out? is it worh €750?

• To be explored further….web-based app builders “No coding required!” – but what will the DO for us other than flat information…?

Finally....

We are looking for interested parties:

• Feel that they have achievements or knowledge in this area and willing to share it

• Interested in area generally, have plans or ideas

• Agreeable to visit for group discussions around the topic

• Interested in helping with demonstrator apps

Let us know now or e-mail

outreach@ucd.ie