focus on the interface - mobile

8/14/2019 Focus on the Interface - Mobile

1/4

Superpatron Edward Vielmettigives a patron's-eye view ofmobile library interfaces,along with ideas on puttingphones to good use

on the r^

M o b i l e p h o n e s a r e e v e r y w h e r e : there are more mo-bile phones than Internet-connected computers and long hnes infront of stores to get the latest new model. One in ten U.S. house-holds has cut the cord, relying on a cell phone, not a landline, fortelephone services.

Globally, there are 3.3 billion mo-bile phone subscriptions as of the endof 2007, according to an Informa re-port, with about 25 percent o thosesubscribers using Internet services on[heir m obile devices. And w hile a recentsurvey from web analytics vendor Get-Clicky showed that mobile phone us-age reflected only about 0.5 percent ofoverall Internet use, this growing newplatform for library content and servic-es deserves the attention of library tech-nologists, even if mobile library inter-faces can not be the 100 percent focus of

improvements and development.Sadly, in many libraries, the most

common image associated with mobilephones is the ubiquitous sign saying theyare not allowed. It's time for libraries toreevaluare systematically this attitudetoward patrons who bring communica-tions devices into the library and to seewbat they can do to engage patrons bothinside the building and on the go withtheir collections and services. An inves-tigation of what some pioneering librarysystems are doing to connect to patronsvia their mobile devices reveals transcod-

ed catalogs, SMS reminders, and otmobile-friendly Internet services. Trepresent a mere prelude to what theture of the mobile library might be.

D i s t i l l i n ga n O PA C

My handset, an older model BlackBehas a RinctionaJ but unlovely browthat harkens back to the stateoi Internbrowsing in the late 1990s: it's relativslow, it has a small screen, an d it doesn'everything that my big laptop does. Bcrucially, it works when I'm on the mand allows me to check the weather, figout how late the bu.s is running, and senTwitter message from just about anywhIt seems only reasonable that I should be able to look up a book at the librput it on hold, or renew my outstandbooks from the same device.

A number of library catalog vdors offer ready-made modules that


2/4

low mobile phones a special, cut-downversion of the catalog designed forwhat is assumed to be a device with atiny text-only display, limited keyboardfunctionality, and slow access speeds.The strongest product in this catego-ry is the AirPAC catalog interface, de-signed by Innovative Interfaces (III),though other examples include Pock-etCirc from SirsiDynlx. The AirPACscreens are simple, clear, and easy toread on small devices. It's not fancy orflashy and generally underwhelms onmany fronts, but it works quickly and,most important. Is easy to deploy. It isused by the Nashville Public Library(see graphic, below left).

Note that its AirPAC front pagedoes not include common questionsthe library gets (hours, locations) anddoesn't have a phone number to call for

referencethis is typical of aitalog-cen-tered mobile implementations that aredisconnected from the rest of a library'sservices. AirPAC has been around since2 0 0 1 , and it shows the early designstrategy aiming at the lowest common

denominator in mobile phone informa-tion display.Mobile-focused online catalogs

can be found around the world. TheKatholische ffentliche Bcherei Erbachim Odenwald uses a system called BVSeOPAC, developed by IBTC in Haiger-loch, Germany. This system has much ofthe same look and feel as AirPAC, v^iththe bare minimum ofpage text, no bookcover images, and conservative, single-col-umn page formats readable on minimalsystems. Ball State University libraries,Muncie, IN, built a mobile version of itsonline catalog in 2005 with a similar con-servative approach, and the Cal Poly Po-

mona library mobile site offers just hotirsand locations but no catalog access.

Coding for mobile on the flySome library systems offer mobile ac-cess through translation systems that re-format the regular library web site intosomething more friendly to mobile de-vices. Called "transcoding," this is a verylow-cost solution but also one that haslimits. As an example, the University ofVirginia VIRGO catalog employs a ser-vice from Usablenet called Transcoder,which transforms the site so that it's ac-cessible to both disabled users as well asto mobile Internet devices. Generally, afailure of this approach is that the in-formation architecture necessary for asmall screen differs from that for a largescreen. A simple translation that pre-serves a fiill set of site navigation linkscreates real problems that may require

mobile users to scroll through two orthree pages of text before seeing content.Google offers a similar service calledGoogle Mobile Optimizer, which is in-tegrated into some of the Google Mo-bile tools so that when individuals cometo a library through a Google search ona mobile phone, they get a reasonablyformatted site. (For more on mobile sitetranscoding, see Megan K. Fox's "Infor-mation A nytime ,' p. 2.)

The emergence of the iPhone hasallowed interface designers tog o one step

further in reaching out to mobile users.In one sense, the full browser found onthe iPhone has let web developers off thehook: the browser will adapt the site onits own, removing the need for mobile-specific development. Just as with thetranscoding systems described above,however, this is not perfect. The Web-Kit-based Safari browser on the iPhonedoes not render all sites in the same wayas the browsers with the biggest marketshare, so library sites that are less than100 percent on desktop-based Safari

browsers are going to suffer. In addition ,the very narrow and short iPhone screencan make for situations where input and

A i r PA CWe l c o m e t o t h e N a s h v i l l eP u b l i c L i b r a r y c a t a l o gAUTHOR -

View Ent i re Col lect ion

Search

Advanced SearchingView your pa t ron

L IB R A R Y IN T E R F A C E S

Ann Arbor District LibraryiPhone portaliphone.aatil .org

Ball State University MOPACbsu.edu/libraries/MOPAC

Cal Poly Pomonacsupomon-4.edu/~library/mobile

Cushing/Whitney Medical Librarycollected mobile contentmed.yale ,edu / l ib rary /m

Katholische ffentliche BchereiErbach im Odenwaldmobile .KoebErbach .de

Nashville Public Library AirPACwaido.library.nashville.org/airpac

NCSU mobiLIBwww.l ib .ncsu .edu /m

University of Virginia VIRGO mobilecatalogvirgo,notlong.com

text boxes are tinyflaws that are fix-able with the addition ofsmall amountsof iPhone-specific coding but that stillneed to be addressed.

Some libraries have gone out oftheir way to assemble mobile contentand format it for the iPhone, knowingthat owners of these devices are a part ofthe target user base. The best example ofthis is theYale Universit)''Cushing/Whit-ney Medical Library site, which collectscatalog content, licensed database por-tals, and a mobile-friendly version ofMEDLINE into a single site. Note thatthe actual effort to put this together isnot as great as it might seem; much ofits services are delivered through links toexisting independent projects that pro-vide mobile-iriendly content. The YaleScience libraries also offer text message-based reference services, with in-build-ing signage to help patrons locate help.

A second instance of iPhone-specific development is Michigan's AnnArbor District Library's (AADL) iPhone

portal. AADL uses a Drupal front endon top of its III catalog, and that frontend's application programming inter-

MobiLIB HomeL Cata log Search2 Computers3 L i b r a ry H o u rs4. Campus Di rec to ry5 Con tac t UsB L i n k s7. Wo l f i m e S t a t u s

Face to interface: Nashville PL's AirPAC and North Carolina State's MobiLIB


3/4

Send th* titi and location of *n it*m lo your Mobil PhonUt e : Cal E xir ci^tui : rwcn tKfnolofy ti sva ydoy nfO /GeMrdGon^

tntsr /our mob* phorm f: \

Mit tfir fu a rodtffna/yihriMiAvr, 0 jpvi,JHriBJvj

yout praWdw:! Cin gtilat /AT&TT'I

MOTE: c ornrr clariti ncv 4

Bryn Mawr Tripod catalog record lo SMS textmessage

face allows the development of indepen-dent views with out being completelybe-holden to catalog vendors. The availableprototype is spare, offering only a searchscreen on the front page. And whilebrowsing is quick, there's no way to login , so you can't actually put a book on

hold from this version of the system.The North Carolina State Universitysystems MobiLIB Is another s tandoutinthis world, offering such nice touchesasthe ability to search only for books onthe shelves (see graphic,p. 7, right).

E a s ya s S M SNot every innovation has to come fromchanges to the catalog interface. Its per-fectly reasonable to use desktop systemsfor the sometimes complex task of find-in g and borrowing books and to use the

mobile phone as a simple scratch padfor temporary details like which floorto access to pick up the book. As an in-stance of innovation here, Adam Brinatthe Bryn Mawr libraries, PA, developeda component that allows you to textthe location of a book to your mobilephone. The device receives an SMS oremail message with some very smallbitof essential inform ation (book title, lo-cation, floor, call number), allowingrhepatron to have that information at handwhen heading to the stacks. This feature

proved popular when installed ar theIowa City Public Library, with librar-ian Jason Paulios reporting thata patronha d him send her a text message fromthe catalog "to show others how coolwewere." The feature was initially devel-oped for Ill's Millennium catalog,andthe source code is available online.

A nimriber of services allowfor send-ing reminder emails to users telling themabout books that have come due or areavailable from reserves. Th e HelsinkiCity Library will send pickup noticesas text messages to your mobile phone.This comes as no surprise since Finland,home to mobile phone giant Nokia, is

way ahead of the rest of the worldin mobile application development.The National Library of Singaporeannounced a similar SMS-based re-mind er service this spring, aimeddi-rectly at its young adult population:the announcement reads,"Howcool is that?" and was written by a13-year-old blower.

L is t s in l i b r a r i e s a n d b e y o n dBook-finding and reminder sys-tems go well beyond the library.

Bookstores and other book informationproviders offer mobile services for keep-ing track of reading materials. Librarieswould do well to emulate them.

Amazon.com works really wellfrom a mobile phone and has a well-designed function CO help you save a listof books its wishlist. Via the sites mo-bile interface, you can find the books

you want and save them to your wishlistto make a decision later about whetherto purchase or borrow from a library.I've used this in the field to good effectwhile sitting watching my kids in the li-braryI use the Amazon search func-tions to look up the name of a book andthen walk briefly to the catalog terminalto find its location on the shelves.

The LibraryThing collaborative cata-loging system also has a mobile interface,though it's much pared down relativetothe main view. Still, it allows you to brow se

through your own wishlist and very con-veniendy links to the Amazon page for anygiven book, a surprisingly seamless inte-gration given that Amazon automaticallyloads a mobile-friendly page as well.

Resources Services

Configuring VPN on your iPhoneClintcal Resources for your mobile

UCentral

unbound MEOLINE

PubMed for Handhelds

UpToDate Online

ePocrales for the iPhone

More for your mobile

I

Yale Univ. Cushing/Wtiitney M edical Library sitefor iPhones

L IN K L IS TAmazon.com mobi leamazon .com/gp /aw/h .h tml

Ann Arbor Transit Authority mobilebus schedulemobi le . ther ide.o rg

Gcwgle f\/lobile Optimizergoogle.com/gwt/n

Innovative Interfaces AirPACii i . com/so lu t ions/a thabasca. sh tml

Iowa City Public Library with SMStexting from catalogcatalog. icpl.org

LibraryThing mobilel ib rary th ing .com/m

National Library of Singapore SMStext announcements ingaporesms.no t long .com

Remember the Milkm . rem em b er th em i lk . co m

SirsiDynix PocketCircpocketci rc , no i long .com

SMS text message from an IIIMillennium catalogtrilogy.brynmawr.edu/trico/sys/sms.h tm l

Twitter mobilem. twi t ter. com

Usablenet Asststivet ranscoder,usab lenet . com/t t

Weather Underground mobilem.wund .com (general mob i le)i .wund .com ( iPhone)

If you're just keeping a list of boo

to read independent of the library, thare a huge number of ToDo list and re-minder systems that take SMS or Twter messages as input and collect thefor viewing on the small screen. Silike Remember the Milk, with multioptions for viewing lists, may be betfor personal list-keeping than a stricbook-focused system embedded in either library or bookstore software.

If you rejected spe nding tim e on mbile-based library services in 2001, whscreens were tiny and applications wfew, it would be worthwhile revisiting tdecision in 2008. A broader range ofpable mobile Internet devices addsto thpotential for a system that will get appciable amounts of use by patrons. Seltive use of text messaging for high-vanotification and reminder services brilibrary information to every cell phouser. And w hile you reat it, tear down t"no cell phones" sign and look to connto people with the communications tothey are using everywhere.

Edward Vielnwtti([email protected]) ispatron of the Ann Arbor District Library,Ml, and

a member of its Tecfinoiogy Advisory Board


4/4

focus on the interface - mobile

Documents