Mobile Library Projects at North Carolina State University

Tito SierraNCSU Libraries

CNI 2009 Fall Task Force MeetingDecember 15, 2009

Outline

• Background• Mobile Library Projects at NCSU• NCSU Libraries Mobile• The WolfWalk Project

• Issues to Consider When Developing Mobile Services

Background

Questions for the Audience

• How many of you work at an organization with a mobile presence?

Questions for the Audience

• How many of you work at an organization with a mobile presence?

• How many of you don’t have a mobile presence, but are planning one?

Questions for the Audience

• How many of you work at an organization with a mobile presence?

• How many of you don’t have a mobile presence, but are planning one?

• How many of you are curious about mobile, but aren’t sure if it’s right for your organization?

Why Go Mobile?

Why Go Mobile?

Source: Mary Meeker, “Economy + Internet Trends”, Web 2.0 Summit, October 20, 2009

Why Go Mobile?

Mobile devices provide new opportunities for enhancing the user experience with library services and library digital

collections

Libraries and the Mobile Web

How should libraries approach the mobile web space?

Mobile Library Projectsat NCSU

NCSU Libraries Mobile

Project Overview

• A suite of library services

• Optimized to three tiers of mobile devices

• Based on MIT Mobile Web source

• Launched November 2009

“MobiLIB” at NCSU (2007)

NC State Mobile Web (2009)

NC State Mobile Web (2009)

NCSU Libraries Mobile (2009)

• Locations & Hours• Computer

Availability• Catalog Search• Ask Us• Webcams• News & Events

Guiding Principles

Don’t reproduce the library website—distill it to what people would actually use in a

mobile context

Guiding Principles

Save the time of the library user

NCSU Libraries Mobile Demo

http://m.lib.ncsu.edu

Locations & Hours

Computer Availability

Catalog Search

Ask Us

Webcams

News & Events

Usage Analysis

Preliminary usage analysis based on first eight weeks of transaction logs

Pageviews by Service

Pageviews by Platform

Project Team

• David Woodbury, NCSU Libraries Fellow• Jason Casden, Digital Library Initiatives• Markus Wust, Digital Scholarship &

Publishing Center

The WolfWalk Project

WolfWalk Project Overview

• A historical guide to NCSU campus landmarks

• Images sourced from University Archives

• In development, scheduled to go live January 2010

WolfWalk Concept

Increase the visibility and accessibility of university archives by integrating this

content in a self-directed, location-aware walking tour for mobile devices

Todd Kosmerick (University Archivist) and Adam Berenbak, NCSU Special Collections Research Center

Markus Wust, Content Lead for the WolfWalk Project

Jason Casden, Lead Developer for the WolfWalk Project

WolfWalk Content

First freshman class posing in front of Holladay Hall (1890), NCSU University Archives Photo Collection

WolfWalk Content

View of card catalog in D.H. Hill Library (1972), NCSU University Archives Photo Collection

WolfWalk Demo

http://webdev.lib.ncsu.edu/m/wolfwalk

(Early alpha preview)

Project Team

• Tito Sierra, Digital Library Initiatives• Jason Casden, Digital Library Initiatives• Markus Wust, Digital Scholarship and Publishing

Center• Brian Dietz, Special Collections Research Center• Todd Kosmerick, Special Collections Research

Center• Steven Morris, Digital Library Initiatives• Joseph Ryan, Digital Library Initiatives

Issues to Consider When Developing Mobile Services

Basic Questions

• What value does the “mobile” aspect of the project add to the user experience with a library service or collection?

• What incentives do users have to access this content on a mobile device, rather than via existing channels?

Mobile User Experience

• Designing for mobile is about more than designing for a small screen device

• Designing an effective mobile user experience requires a greater understanding of the user context

• Lack of prevalent models makes this work both challenging and exciting

Native Apps vs Mobile Web Apps

• Do you build a platform specific “native app” (e.g., iPhone App, Android App), or a mobile website that works across a range of devices?

• What are the tradeoffs of each approach for your project?

When to Make a Native App

• Charging for it• Creating a game• Using specific locations*• Using cameras• Using accelerometers• Accessing the

filesystems• Offline users

The Case for Mobile Web Apps

“I believe that unless your application meets one of these native application criteria, you should not create a native application, but should instead focus on building a mobile web application.”

— Brian Fling, “Mobile Design and Development”

Shifting Landscape

• Mobile technology is changing rapidly, making it difficult to plan for what’s next

• New standards and technology are unevenly distributed across platforms

• New interaction models emerging• Location-Based Services• Augmented Reality

Location-Based Services

Source: Mary Meeker, “Economy + Internet Trends”, Web 2.0 Summit, October 20, 2009

Augmented Reality

Source: Layar.eu

Experimentation

If you plan to work in the mobile space, be prepared to take risks and experiment

Don’t overplan—be open to new ideas and opportunities

Thanks!

Tito SierraAssociate Head for Digital Library Development

NCSU Libraries

tito_sierra@ncsu.edu

More Information

NCSU Libraries Mobile:http://m.lib.ncsu.edu

The WolfWalk Project:http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/dli/projects/wolfwalk