Mobilizing the Library: Beyond the Catalog

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Mobilizing the Library Beyond the Catalog
NCSU Libraries Mobile
Jason Casden, Digital Technologies Development
Librarian David Woodbury, NCSU Libraries
Fellow Markus Wust, Digital Collections and
Preservation Librarian
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Markus WustHistory and Services
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NCSU Libraries Mobile

• History
• Services
• Project plan design
• Technical details
• Stats Future plans

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MobiLIB NCSU Libraries First Mobile Service

• Launched in 2007 (before iPhone)
• Few models in higher education (Ball State
  University, University of Texas)
• Mobile not part of institutional strategy
• No campus collaborators
• No formal development team

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MobiLIB Services

1. Catalog
2. Computer Availability
3. Opening Hours
4. Campus Directory
5. Contact Information
6. Links to External Information Providers
7. Campus Bus Status Information (External)

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Reusing existing services

• Much of MobiLIB was based upon existing data
  services
• Catalog
• Computer Availability
• Library Hours
• Campus Directory (by campus IT)
• Simplified development and maintenance
• Reduced development time
• Ensured data consistency

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Catalog using our Catalog Web Service
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Other Interfaces, Same Data Source
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Other Interfaces, Same Data Source
Automatically generate display of new book titles
iGoogle gadget
Create cover image displays for blog posts
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Computer Availability
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Other Interface, Same Data Source
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Library Hours
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Other Interface, Same Data Source
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Today

• 2 Projects
• WolfWalk
• Self-guided historical walking tour of NC State
  campus
• NCSU Libraries Mobile
• Next-generation mobile library site

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WolfWalk

• Mobile web version to be launched March 2010
• iPhone application coming soon
• Browse information and photographs of campus
  sites
• Detect users location to display closest sites

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NCSU Libraries Mobile

• Launched December 2009 (after iPhone, Droid,
  etc.)
• Mobile has become strategic initiative
• Formalization of development efforts
• Collaboration with campus IT
• Utilizes same MIT mobile framework (for display
  and device detection) as campus site

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NC State Mobile Web (Campus Site)
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Our mobile services

• Locations Hours
• Computer Availability
• Catalog Search
• Reference Services
• Webcam Feeds
• GroupFinder
• News Events
• Link to campus mobile site

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Locations Hours
New Images, maps, descriptions User Context Is
this branch library open tonight?
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Computer Availability
New Visual display, added branch library User
Context Where can I find an available computer?
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Catalog Search
New Cover images, email/text message
records User context Is the book I need
currently available?
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Reference Services
New Integrated reference chat User context I
have a question about the library
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Webcam Feeds
New Service View multiple webcam feeds User
Context Do I have time to get a coffee?
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GroupFinder
New Service Find groups within the library User
Context Where is my study group?
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News Events
New Service View multiple library-related news
feeds User Context What is new at the NCSU
Libraries?
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Real time tools
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David WoodburyProject Planning Design
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Project timeline

• Campus site launch (September 3, 2009)
• Planning wireframes (September)
• Programming (early October)
• Beta launch (late October)
• Formal launch promotion (November)
• Main website redirect (December)
• GroupFinder bug fixes (February 2010)

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Project team

• One project manager two programmers
• Approximately one month and half of work for FTE
  (split between three of us)
• However, we were using services that took many
  months to build

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What to mobilize?

• What services are currently available?
• What services are applicable on a mobile device?
• What services translate well to the mobile
  environment?
• What tools can be created easily?
• What would be fun to see?

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Relationship to home page

• Mobile Site ? Home Page
• Narrow options for mobile
• Can always link back
• Needs to be maintained by web team
• Branding tools need relate to main site

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Mobile is not just shrinking the page
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Use only essential, relevant content
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Use only essential, relevant content
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Reduce options, simplify
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Push data as high as possible
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Limit data to mobile context
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Limit data to mobile context

• For time oriented data, we assume current day
  time
• We assume action oriented

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Use the mobile interface
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Provide appropriate tools for the users context
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Expose hidden, useful content
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Mobile Planning Tips

• Start with the services that make mobile sense
• Limit the amount of data entry
• Link back to main site
• Promote your site
• Talk to students to get reality check

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NCSU Libraries Mobile Initiative

• Key area for the Libraries
• Includes department representatives from across
  the Libraries
• Will plan, advise, and support mobile development
• Will work with new formalized NC State Mobile
  campus group

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Jason CasdenTechnical Planning and
Implementation
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(No Transcript)
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When to Make a Native App

• Charging for it
• Creating a game
• Using specific locations
• Using cameras
• Using accelerometers
• Accessing the filesystems
• Offline users

Actually available to web-based applications
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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

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WolfWalk, Two Ways
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Our tools

• Mobile website
• XHTML 1.0 transitional
• CSS
• non-essential JavaScript and AJAX
• MIT Mobile Web Open Source Project
• Leaned on pre-existing web services
• Targeted higher-end devices

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No developers?

• Tools that require only HTML knowledge
• iWebKit, iUI, Dashcode
• Good for static content
• May lack good multi-tiered device support

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No developers?

• Vendors
• Boopsie, Terribly Clever
• Can manage mobile development process for you
• You may lack control over the final product
• May be expensive
• Doesnt develop internal expertise

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Best practices

• Standards and official guidelines
• Useful, but slow-moving
• Dont get stuck

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Lots of Devices
Top Level iPhones, Android phones, Palm Pre Large touch screens, sophisticated web capabilities
Middle Level Blackberry, Nokia smartphones, Windows mobile, etc. May lack touch screen and some CSS and JavaScript capabilities.
Low Level Web-enabled flip phones Small screens, low web functionality
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Content Adaptation
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Separating data from presentation
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Testing
CC BY-SA 2.0 http//www.flickr.com/photos/wfryer/
3929189482/
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Recommendations
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Be Agile

• Rapid development cycle
• Think iteratively
• Adjust to change quickly
• Avoid paralysis

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Play
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Collaborate

• Campus efforts
• External projects
• Steal what you like
• Improve it, so it can be stolen back

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In Summary

• Mobile websites are becoming very sophisticated
• Mobile web app development is web development
• just a little different

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Stats!
Page views 34657 Unique visits 6573
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What device? What is getting used?
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Future Mobile Plans

• Study room reservations
• Patron account information and tools
• Summon article searching
• ReservesDirect
• Building wayfinding
• Staff tools

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Resources

• Ballard, Barbara. (2007). Designing the Mobile
  User Experience. Hoboken, New Jersey John Wiley
  Sons.
• Fling, Brian. (2009). Mobile Design and
  Development Practical Concepts and Techniques
  for Creating Mobile Sites and Web Apps.
  Sebastopol, California OReilly Media.
• W3C Mobile Web Best Practices http//www.w3.org/T
  R/mobile-bp/
• W3C CSS Mobile Profile http//www.w3.org/TR/css-m
  obile/
• Griggs, K., Bridges, L. M., Rempel, H. G. (2009).
  library/mobile Tips on Designing and Developing
  Mobile Web Sites, The Code4Lib Journal, Issue 8.
  Retrieved from http//journal.code4lib.org/artic
  les/2055
• MIT Mobile Web Open Source Project
  http//sourceforge.net/projects/mitmobileweb/
• NCSU Libraries Mobile Project Page
  http//www.lib.ncsu.edu/dli/projects/librariesmobi
  le/