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5856 results in Facet Publishing

Page 202 of 293

M-Libraries 3
  • Transforming Libraries with Mobile Technology
  • Volume 3, M-Libraries
  • Edited by Mohamed Ally, Gill Needham
  • Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    23 January 2012
  • A new generation of learners in an increasingly global information environment require libraries to play a greater role than ever in the delivery of education and training. Mobile technology offers huge potential to help libraries transform their service models to meet this challenge. A brand new edition of the highly successful M-Libraries series, this draws together cutting-edge international contributions from the leading authorities in the field. Based on the proceedings of the Third International M-Libraries Conference held in Brisbane in May 2011 it explores the variety of work that libraries are doing across the world to deliver resources to users, via mobile and hand-held devices. The main strands of discussion include: mobile services and their development.

  • 21 - Designing effective mobile web presence

  • from PART 3 - FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY
    • By Sam Moffatt, University of Southern Queensland (USQ) Library
  • Edited by Mohamed Ally, Gill Needham
  • Book:
    M-Libraries 3
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    23 January 2012, pp 191-196

  • Summary

    Introduction

    This chapter covers the design of an effective mobile web presence so that the interaction will be friendly for users.

    Every organization is different and has different sets of clients. For the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) the dominant vendor was Apple's iOS (iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch), with a 34% market share. This was followed by Nokia with 28% and Samsung and Blackberry with 10% each. HTC accounted for 7%, while LG, Motorola, Sony Ericsson and many more combined to form the final 11%. iOS as a platform is an attractive target for which to develop, given the relative homogeneity of the platform. Nokia is also large enough to merit attention, but further accounts for a wide range of device capabilities. With over 310 different mobile devices, the amount of testing and development for each one becomes a cost factor that must be considered. It is important to survey clients to find out what devices they are using and ensure that the dominant platform is supported.

    Initial design

    Before building a mobile web presence a few design considerations need to be taken into account. These considerations are specific to the limitations of mobile devices and the particular problems that are encountered on this platform.

    Simple

    Many mobile devices have a limited amount power. In some cases com - plex designs may take extra time to load and render, and on some simpler devices that aren't smartphones it may not be possible to display them at all. Additionally, when navigating through a website sometimes the only navigation tool the device supports is a thumbstick that allows users to navigate slowly around the page. The Nokia N series is an example of devices that rely upon a thumbstick for page navigation. Users of this platform will be alienated and frustrated by complicated designs.

    A reasonable strategy for keeping the design simple is to ensure that a minimal amount of data is being sent to the client. End-users may be accessing mobile services from cellular data networks that not only are slow but also can have high associated data fees. Complicated designs with lots of graphics can slow down the transfer of the page and also increase the cost to the user of visiting the service.

  • 16 - India's mobile technology infrastructure to support m-services for education and libraries

  • from PART 3 - FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY
  • Edited by Mohamed Ally, Gill Needham
  • Book:
    M-Libraries 3
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    23 January 2012, pp 139-150

  • Summary

    Introduction

    The growing need for high mobility and to stay connected is the prime driver of increasing mobile use in the world today. This is true for people of different age groups and occupations. The youth segment, in particular, comprises 30% of the total mobile handset market. This segment requires high mobility and connectivity, and the same is true for business and other professionals. This innate need, coupled with the availability of handsets and connectivity at affordable prices, has triggered the growth of mobile use in India.

    The mobile phone has evolved from being a mere communication device to being an access mode with an ability to tap into a plethora of information and services. This is the reason why it is now being referred to as the ‘fourth screen’, after cinema, television and computers.

    M-resources and m-library services have become the ‘pull effect’, and students and researchers increasingly asking for more than just basic telephony in order to access them, driving the development of mobile value added services (MVAS). Today most of the students and faculty in universities and research institutions are seeking more from their communication devices and they are two of the prominent groups that have become increasingly reliant on mobile internet services for research, m-resources, m-educational literature searches and projects.

    The growth of MVAS is based on four pillars: access devices, content, technology and infrastructure. This chapter analyses these four pillars and mobile network services in India with regard to the availability of mobile broadband; and mobile service providers with regard to MVAS and their cost-effectiveness for mobile users. The chapter will also present data about the types of mobile content and applications available through different mobile service providers and how it is used and valued by learners in different real-life study contexts. An overview of the mobile web, its potential use with Web 2.0 tools (including screencasts, podcasts, vodcasts and YouTube) and how it is beginning to be employed to support our education system, especially libraries, is also presented.

    The total number of mobile subscribers in India as of July 2010 was 652.42 million. Since its liberalization in 1991, the telecoms sector has seen unprecedented growth. It is currently valued at $100 billion dollars, contributing a very significant 13% to GDP.

  • 2 - Preparing for the mobile world: experimenting with changing technologies and applications for library services

  • from PART 1 - DEVELOPING MOBILE SERVICES
  • Edited by Mohamed Ally, Gill Needham
  • Book:
    M-Libraries 3
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    23 January 2012, pp 13-22

  • Summary

    Introduction

    The field of mobile technologies is huge. This paper tries to limit discussion to the context of university libraries and the delivery of information resources. However, it is helpful to be informed by the wider educational environment and technology marketplace. We explore: the technology background and technology take-up by university library clients; how libraries have used and are using clientserving technologies; the Deakin University Library (the Library) eresources profile; the Library's adoption of and experimentation with mobile-friendly applications, interfaces and technologies; and some outcomes and conclusions based on current experience and technology evaluations.

    Understanding the client technology profile

    Understanding library clients and their current use of information technologies is essential to providing services and resources to them effectively, while also enabling knowledgeable advice on mobile technologies and interfaces to be provided within a library context. There has been an exponential increase in the ownership of laptop or netbook PCs by university students and smartphone use has exploded amongst both the student and general population. A great number of undergraduate students have and use laptops, netbooks and smartphones in library spaces. This high take-up of mobile technology by students is evidenced by Australian research at Curtin University of Technology which showed that ‘Three quarters (76%) had laptops or netbooks … Approximately 99% of respondents had mobile phones: three-quarters of those (75%) were web enabled.’ (Oliver and Nikoletatos, 2009, 723).

    Data from the USA presented in the ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2010 (Smith and Caruso, 2010), shows the technologies that students own and how they use them, among a surveyed 36,000 undergraduate students from over 120 universities and colleges. This client-profile information for the USA and Australia largely pre-dates the release of the iPad.

    The ECAR study (Smith and Caruso, 2010) provides information on the technologies the students were using. Over 80% of students owned a laptop, and over 10% a netbook (close to 89% saturation among undergraduate students), and over 60% of students owned an internetcapable hand-held device (Smith and Caruso, 2010, 9). These would mainly be smartphones and iPod Touch or PDA technology. As the ECAR data collection is 12 months old it is reasonable to expect a greater current take-up of mobile technologies than is indicated in the 2010 figures.

  • 20 - Device-independent and user-tailored delivery of mobile library service content

  • from PART 3 - FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY
  • Edited by Mohamed Ally, Gill Needham
  • Book:
    M-Libraries 3
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    23 January 2012, pp 181-190

  • Summary

    Introduction

    With the advent of the smartphone and the explosion in the market for mobile applications (apps), a great opportunity has emerged for the delivery of library service content to a more diverse range of users and mobile devices. While a great many individuals use iPhone or Androidbased smartphones, which facilitate the delivery of these apps to users, a vast majority of the public are still left out of this particular loop. In enabling a much wider cohort of library users to access these services, the ‘app store’ concept has enormous potential for the enhanced delivery of learning and informational content. Whereas app stores are accessible only to certain classes of device, the aim of the system presented here is to enable any individual using a Java-enabled device to receive relevant service content tailored to their preferences and device capabilities. This chapter investigates the potential of this new architecture, encompassing mobility and the facilitation of a more personalized and contextualized information environment for library users. Also considered are the enhancements to traditional library services and practices that can be facilitated by the incorporation of these technologies, in particular the exciting possibilities they hold for a narrowing of the ‘digital divide’ and for revolutionizing learning in the case of distance learners and communities/populations previously starved of educational opportunities.

    Throughout the 20th century and the early years of the 21st century, humanity's rate of technological advance has grown progressively swifter, with various technological innovations revolutionizing almost every aspect of life, from an individual level right up to the societal level. With the tremendous foothold that information and communications technologies (ICTs) have gained in society, it was only a matter of time before they were adopted in educational institutions and turned towards the enhancement of existing teaching and learning processes. In particular, the advent of the internet and the ability to access a seemingly infinite repository of information has altered the way people are approaching education. There have been many studies advocating greater integration of technology into education, such as Crouch and Mazur (2001), Garrison and Kanuka (2004) and Heinze and Proctor (2004). Many of these studies highlight that the use of new technologies by higher educational institutions in course delivery has become inevitable.

  • 11 - There's a librarian in my pocket: mobile information literacy at UTS Library

  • from PART 2 - PEOPLE AND SKILLS
  • Edited by Mohamed Ally, Gill Needham
  • Book:
    M-Libraries 3
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    23 January 2012, pp 93-100

  • Summary

    Introduction

    At the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), Library we are considering how mobile and social technologies are changing the way our clients engage with information. In everyday life, at home and university, our clients are engaged in problem-based learning, collaboration and content creation. They are increasingly relying on mobile devices, flexible delivery of services and 24/7 access. As information literacy instructors, we recognize the need to be proactive in meeting the changing needs of clients and have been experimenting with ways of supporting learning in this new environment. This experimentation has led to the development of a more game-based learning model so as to move our information literacy programme beyond the classroom and into flexible, personalizable, 24/7, physical, digital and mobile spaces.

    In 2009, UTS Library launched a mobile-friendly website accessible from most mobile devices. The IT team decided not to create an app because it wanted to be platform independent, and it didn't create a separate mobile site because it didn't want to manage content in multiple places. Instead, it developed a custom template engine that detects which device is requesting the website and returns the content in the appropriate format for the device. The team also wanted to avoid an all-or-nothing approach and decided to go with a rolling series of releases rather than wait for the entire site to go live. Clients can access a range of high-use content and search for resources using the mobile- friendly catalogue. When an item is found in the catalogue you can see a location map showing where to find it. The Library website is being made progressively mobile friendly and room bookings have recently been added. By the end of 2011 the whole website should be available in mobile format. Currently about 6% of our website traffic comes from a mobile device and 85% of these are Apple devices. We expect traffic to our mobile website to increase dramatically over the coming year as more and more of our clients upgrade to the latest smartphones and tablets – and based on current trends, these may not remain predominantly Apple.

    Making it social

    Social media sites are increasingly being accessed on mobile devices and it is essential to have a presence in these spaces so that we can connect with clients in their online communities.

  • 18 - Meeting the needs of library users on the mobile web

  • from PART 3 - FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY
  • Edited by Mohamed Ally, Gill Needham
  • Book:
    M-Libraries 3
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    23 January 2012, pp 159-170

  • Summary

    Introduction

    The Open University (OU) UK is a world-leading distance learning institution and currently has more than 240,000 students studying various undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Since 2005 a growing number of students have been accessing the University's websites on web-enabled mobile devices. In order to meet their requirements we endeavour to ensure that the content and services on the Library website are accessible and render well on smaller screens.

    We developed the first mobile version of the Library website in 2007 (Sheikh and Tin, 2007), working collaboratively with Athabasca University using its ADR (Auto Detect and Reformat) software. This version was a single-column design intended to work on basic mobile phones as well on smartphones such as the Nokia N95. However, in the last couple of years our website analytics have shown an increase in numbers of visits from touch-screen phones (e.g. iPhone, HTC Android and Samsung Galaxy), which has prompted us to redesign the mobile Library website to improve usability, especially on touch-screen mobile devices. We are adapting MIT's open source Mobile Web project, which enables the website design to be optimized for three categories of smallscreen devices: basic, smart and touch-screen phones.

    In this chapter we will highlight some of the developments to the mobile Library website and the work being carried out during different stages of the project, specifically covering:

  • ■ gathering user requirements for mobile library services through user feedback, focus-group consultation and website analytics

  • ■ a technical overview of adapting and customizing MIT's open source mobile web software

  • ■ the lessons learned and key problems when designing content/websites for smaller screens.

    • The importance of mobile services for distance learners

    An increasing number of OU students are now equipped with access to mobile technologies such as mobile phones and small-screen hand-held devices. These mobile technologies include anything from basic phones to the latest touch-screen phones, small-screen tablets and e-book readers. The majority of these devices are web-enabled and thus provide students with always-on access to the internet. We anticipate this leading to an increasing demand for flexible content delivery and library services that can meet the perceived needs and expectations of students using such mobile devices. Mobile technology applications in education can benefit both students and educators.

    Mobile Library website development

    In order to meet the needs of our mobile users, we have been developing and enhancing our mobile Library services during the last few years.

  • 10 - Apps and attitudes: towards an understanding of the m-librarian's professional make-up

  • from PART 2 - PEOPLE AND SKILLS
  • Edited by Mohamed Ally, Gill Needham
  • Book:
    M-Libraries 3
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    23 January 2012, pp 85-92

  • Summary

    Introduction

    This chapter will discuss a research project that identifies the skills, knowledge and attitudes of the m-librarian. Six library and information professionals engaged in the provision of m-library services throughout Australia were interviewed. Six themes emerged as being critical for the m-librarian: technology, personal traits, user focus, communication, collaboration, and research and development. The research is significant because it establishes an open dialogue between current industry professionals, library science educators and the professional association on the evolving skills and knowledge required by information professionals in a world of rapidly changing technology. This dialogue will guide the development of current and future education for library and information professionals.

    Mobile technologies are changing the ways people live, work and play. They are significantly altering the nature of human interaction and the manner in which individuals and communities connect, communicate and use information. A small but growing number of libraries are beginning to apply mobile technologies to provide new services or to enhance traditional services. In doing so, these libraries are making themselves not only more available but also more relevant to their users. Recent discussion within the library profession has explored the trends and developments in mobile devices and their impact on library services. Interestingly, these discussions have not considered the impact these new devices will have or are having on librarians. What, if any, skills, knowledge and attitudes do librarians need to add to their existing toolkits to help them to design and deliver mobile services and collections? This chapter will fill the gap by providing the preliminary findings of a study aimed at exploring the changing skills and knowledge needed by the successful m-librarian.

    Brief review of the literature

    To date, there has been little discussion in the literature about the skills, knowledge and attitudes needed by librarians to operate successfully as m-librarians. The little literature that is available, however, indicates that m-librarianship represents a shift in practice that may require a different professional make-up for library staff. It is also useful to consider the literature related to skills and knowledge requirements for ‘Librarian 2.0’, as there are similarities between the changes heralded by both m-librarianship and Library 2.0.

    Gavgani, Shokraneh and Shiramin (2011) did a content analysis of syllabi from Iranian universities offering a qualification in medical library and information science (LIS). The analysis aimed to identify instances within the syllabi of emerging trends and issues in LIS.

  • Foreword

  • Edited by Mohamed Ally, Gill Needham
  • Book:
    M-Libraries 3
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    23 January 2012, pp xxv-xxviii

  • Summary

    I had the distinct privilege of being invited to provide the opening keynote for the Third International M-libraries Conference in Brisbane, Australia (11–13 May 2011). The conference theme, ‘Mobile Technologies: Information on the Move’, explored and shared work carried out in libraries around the world to deliver services and resources to users ‘on the move’ via a growing plethora of mobile and hand-held devices. Previous M-libraries Conferences (2007 Open University in the UK and in 2009 co-hosted by the University of British Columbia and Athabasca University) laid the foundations for international conversations about the challenge in libraries to meet the needs of the mobile user.

    As the Conference acknowledged, we are seeing the emergence of a new user dynamic, as evidenced in the plethora of mobile devices as well as the app, smartphone and mobile culture that has started to pressure traditional and innovative institutional libraries to address and support the mobile user.

    These proceedings share some of the presentations and research that was presented at the Third M-libraries Conference. My own keynote is available as a Slideshare and on my blog, Stephen's Lighthouse.

    Over the years, we have learned that mobility has the power both to enhance the library experience and to disrupt. At this conference we explored how to tell the difference between an opportunity and a threat. What are the opportunities in learning, research, education, management, etc.? From my point of view there have been a few strategic shifts that Foreword Stephen Abram are caused, or at least magnified, by the mobile revolution. revolution. And these changes are just in their nascent stages at this point. They include:

  • ■ the shift from desktop/laptop environment to one that is designed for a small screen and sound

  • ■ the shift from potentially shared network devices (desktops and laptops) to truly personal devices

  • ■ the shift to a sharing and collaboration ecosystem from one that is a constrained networked architecture but founded in personal social and professional networks with permeable boundaries

  • ■ the shift from enterprise-controlled architecture and machines to personally controlled and owned devices

  • ■ the shift to an information and communication ecology that is global rather than one that is bounded by institutional or national cultural norms and rules.

  • 4 - Use of mobile phones in the delivery of consumer health information

  • from PART 1 - DEVELOPING MOBILE SERVICES
  • Edited by Mohamed Ally, Gill Needham
  • Book:
    M-Libraries 3
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    23 January 2012, pp 33-42

  • Summary

    Introduction

    The mobile phone is increasingly becoming a significant healthcare enabler and delivery tool. It is evident that its popularity is due to its worldwide connectivity, coverage, ease of use, immediacy, costeffectiveness and diverse capabilities. There are at least six times more mobile phone owners than computer owners in the world (Peres, 2009). Many predict that by 2013, 95% of the entire world population will have a mobile phone. The technology has become affordable and the infrastructure is widespread (Hyett, 2010). It is easier, cheaper and faster for physicians, residents and medical science students working in emergency rooms to exchange health information, consult their peers and seniors and keep up to date through mobile phones than via computer, internet and personal contact. Downloading, sharing copies of reference books, images, rare cases for discussion – all can be carried out effectively via mobile phone. Bluetooth is prevalent among medical science students and residents. Blackberries, PDAs and iPhones can be used as tools for connecting people socially and connecting them to the internet. In the patient–doctor relationship mobile phones can be used for the delivery healthcare and health information by either health information specialists or health providers. There are many studies reporting the use of mobile phones in the patient–doctor relationship (Prociow and Crowe, 2010; Varnfield et al., 2011), monitoring of patients with chronic diseases (Tirado, 2011), HIV education (Chiasson, Hirshfield and Rietmeijer, 2010), behavioural research (Prociow and Crowe, 2010) and treatment and healthcare (Lim et al., 2011; Maddison et al., 2011; Riva et al., 2011).

    Mobile phone take-up isn't a phenomenon of the developed world only. Developing countries, such as China, India and many countries in Africa, are adopting the mobile phone at an amazing rate (Bon Tempo, 2011).

    On the one hand, patients seeking health information have better access to mobile phones than to computers; and on the other hand, it is evident that demand for evidence-based consumer health information (CHI) has increased. In consequence, it is essential to implement the capabilities of emerging technologies so as to connect evidence-based CHI, health providers and health consumers. In Iran, a developing country, the majority of patients require health information and information prescriptions for the treatment, diagnosis and management of diseases (Gavgani, 2010a). There are projects using mobile phones, especially SMS, for health information delivery to patients in Iran, although not library-based information services.

  • 13 - It's just not the same: mobile information literacy

  • from PART 2 - PEOPLE AND SKILLS
  • Edited by Mohamed Ally, Gill Needham
  • Book:
    M-Libraries 3
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    23 January 2012, pp 109-118

  • Summary

    Introduction

    Libraries are increasingly developing services that take into account the massive impact of mobile devices on their users. This chapter looks at what this might mean for information literacy.

    Some databases and library catalogues have mobile versions. Growing numbers of our users have the devices to access these. When a library user is as likely to search for information on a mobile phone, tablet or hand-held gaming device as on a fixed PC in a physical library, this could change the concept of what it means to be information literate. How will mobile search change the discovery, evaluation and reuse of information? We will first consider whether we need to develop a new lens through which to view the literacies required by our clients. From these theoretical considerations we will then proceed to a quick review of experience of mobile devices gained at two UK new universities: Bedfordshire and Huddersfield.

    Libraries could presently be in their greatest period of change: we have moved on from the hybrid library, we are facing a public perception of electronic delivery of all content, and Web 2.0 has given everyone the potential to author and to share. Now add to this the phenomenal spread of mobile devices the world over. Information is becoming mobile and social. It also appears that the economic recession that has affected large parts of the world may not slow these developments. Librarians must spend more time over coming months conditioning their services to the mobile environment.

    How does mobile technology affect information literacy?

    The image of young students who are continually wired into the online environment, texting and multi-tasking, has been overdone. It has been easy to exaggerate the differences of the web generation. The CIBER reports (Rowlands et al., 2008) have done much to debunk the hype that used to surround them. The truth is that we have all become part of the web generation, to a greater or lesser extent. Consider mobile devices: their adoption is across the whole of society. But what will it mean when searching is done on the move and with an expectation of immediate access to information? It is likely to involve an extension of existing trends whereby search is carried out at speed, with lack of reflection on the results and less reading of the actual content.

  • Introduction

  • Edited by Mohamed Ally, Gill Needham
  • Book:
    M-Libraries 3
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    23 January 2012, pp xxix-xxxiv

  • Summary

    Since the publication of the second book in this series (Ally and Needham, 2010) the field of mobile service delivery has matured considerably and is transforming how libraries operate. Mobile devices have become ubiquitous and libraries around the world have begun to engage with the opportunities they offer – some in experimental mode and some as mainstream services. Advances in technology present both challenges and opportunities. The contents of this latest book reflect the variety of approaches being taken and present a rich panoply of experiences from many corners of the globe – 21 chapters from 11 countries as far apart as Spain and New Zealand, India and Japan, South Africa and the USA.

    The book opens with a chapter by Mohamed Ally in which he describes the role of libraries in providing education for all. There are many global initiatives being implemented to provide at least a basic education to citizens around the world regardless of location, background and economic status. This chapter summarizes these education-for-all initiatives and explores how libraries could be transformed to provide education for all. The remainder of the book is divided into three thematic parts. The first is Developing Mobile Services. It includes seven chapters from six countries, each describing the experience of researching, planning and implementing a diverse range of services for mobile users.

    Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, serves a large proportion of distance learning students as well as students based on campuses in three geographical locations. Colin Bates and Rebecca Carruthers explain in Chapter 2 that these factors support the increasing use of mobile technologies. In their chapter they describe the development of mobile library services as part of a broader, university-wide mobile strategy. They have a programme of ongoing experimentation with new devices for both staff and students, and they share the feedback they have gathered from various small-scale trials.

    The University of South Africa (Unisa) is one of the world's largest universities and, with more than 308,000 students, is the largest distance teaching institution in Africa. In Chapter 3, Jenny Raubenheimer points out that Africa is the fastest-growing mobile phone market in the world and that mobile phones are now regarded as the equivalent of personal computers for the African continent.

  • 5 - Deploying an e-reader loan service at an online university

  • from PART 1 - DEVELOPING MOBILE SERVICES
  • Edited by Mohamed Ally, Gill Needham
  • Book:
    M-Libraries 3
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    23 January 2012, pp 43-50

  • Summary

    Introduction

    The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) is an online university born of the knowledge society and with a mission to provide people with lifelong learning and education. It was founded in 1995. The UOC offers student-centred learning with the benefits of personalized study, flexibility, accessibility and collaboration. In its online study programme, the UOC places the student at the centre of the learning process and provides him/her with the necessary distance learning resources for interaction with the whole of the university community. Learning at the UOC is oriented to responding to the needs of the student and takes into account the demands of the professional environment and technological and social developments.

    UOC's educational model

    The UOC's educational model is the university's main feature, which has distinguished it since its inception. It was created with the intention of responding appropriately to the educational needs of people committed to lifelong learning, and to make maximum use of the potential offered by the web to perform educational activity.

    The learning activity is at the centre of the educational model (Gros, 2009). The students have three main elements with which to carry it out: (1) the resources, which include the content, spaces and tools necessary to performing the learning activities and their assessment; (2) collaboration, a set of communicative and participative dynamics that promote the building of knowledge among classmates and teachers, through teamwork, in order to solve problems and develop projects; and (3) accompaniment, the set of actions performed by teaching staff to monitor and support students.

    UOC Library: a virtual library

    The UOC Library has offered its services online since its creation in 1995 (March Mir et al., 2010). It has displayed a strong commitment to new technologies throughout this time. It is important to note that the UOC virtual library model implies that traditional library services (loan, reference, document supply, interlibrary loan, information competences, training) are offered at a distance.

    The UOC Library also offers remote access from the virtual campus to its electronic resources, without the need for additional configuration on top of the campus access. Since its creation, the UOC Library has provided its services and content description in three languages: Catalan, Spanish and English.

  • 7 - Using mobile technology to deliver information in audio format: learning by listening

  • from PART 1 - DEVELOPING MOBILE SERVICES
  • Edited by Mohamed Ally, Gill Needham
  • Book:
    M-Libraries 3
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    23 January 2012, pp 57-64

  • Summary

    Introduction

    Libraries globally are exploring ways to deliver the myriad of quality information resources available to their users – via mobile devices. As well as focusing on documents (with the inherent problems associated with reading on small screens), Southern Cross University (SCU) Library has explored ways of accessing key documents and converting them to audio form, so that students and staff have an alternative way of engaging with academic literature.

    Learners today exist in an increasingly multimodal environment. Mobile devices provide them with extra levels of flexibility, offering them both auditory and visual input and allowing them to learn anytime, anywhere and while doing anything. As Eisenwine and Hadley (2011, 5) state, ‘the digital generation prefers parallel pro - cessing and multitasking as a way of digesting information. In addition, that generation prefers pictures, sounds and video over text.’

    Traditionally, academic libraries have provided access to predominantly text-based materials. With a highly mobile cohort, however, the problems inherent in viewing or reading on small screens, combined with the need to support different learning styles, have provided the impetus for exploring audio-based alternatives to the academic literature.

    As SCU Library staff worked towards the development of a mobile platform, they simultaneously explored the provision of text-based audio files within that platform and the University's learning management system.

    Read, listen and learn

    The pedagogical value of providing audio-based resources, especially podcasts, has been well documented (Hew, 2009; Kervin et al., 2006; McGarr, 2009; Tempelhof, et al., 2009). Generally, such podcasts have been based on lecture materials or supplementary materials designed to support specific units. Other examples include the provision of conference or workshop presentations. Little has been written evaluating the use of audio forms of published and/or scholarly literature.

    Between 2008 and 2010, database vendors began providing audio files of selected academic literature. Factiva led the field with linked audio files for all its articles (of less than 4000 words). EbscoHost and Gale Cengage followed suit, providing audio files for full-text HTML documents, but not for PDF files. All three vendors provided an immediate ‘listen’ function and the facility to download an MP3 version. Ironically, despite being the provider of the first mobile database platform, EbscoHost disabled the ‘audio’ function for mobile devices. Ebook Library (EBL) provided a ‘read aloud’ facility within its e-book collection, but not downloadable MP3 files.

  • 9 - Staff preparedness to implement mobile technologies in libraries

  • from PART 2 - PEOPLE AND SKILLS
  • Edited by Mohamed Ally, Gill Needham
  • Book:
    M-Libraries 3
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    23 January 2012, pp 75-84

  • Summary

    Introduction

    Mobile technologies have added a new dimension to the role of library staff, a role that requires relevant knowledge and skills to ensure that the needs and expectations of clients are met (Gentry, 2011; Kroski, 2008; Traxler, 2008). For libraries to succeed in the mobile environment, management will have to consider two significant staffing issues. Firstly, it needs to understand the knowledge and skills required by staff to enable them to deliver services through mobile technologies; secondly, that understanding should be applied to develop support and training for staff in the use of mobile technologies. In order to explore these issues a survey was undertaken in late 2010, involving librarians working in the vocational education and training (VET – similar to further education in the UK) sector in Australia and New Zealand.

    Vocational education and training libraries and mobile technologies

    Generally, research into mobile technologies across the library sector in tertiary education has focused on universities (Adams, 2009; Kealy, 2009; Zauha and Potter, 2009). While there are similarities between university libraries and VET libraries, the differences are notable. There are 58 VET institutions in Australia and 19 institutes of technology and polytechnics (ITPs) in New Zealand. In 2008 enrolments numbered 1.7 million for Australia and 78,000 in New Zealand (Commonwealth of Australia, 2009; New Zealand Ministry of Education, 2009). These are large and diverse groups, comprising students taking apprenticeships, certificate, diploma and degree-level courses. The sector is characterized by a focus on industry and community engagement, whereby students tend to be competency based rather than research oriented and many have ongoing workplace commitments related to their studies. Prolonged periods of absence from campus and the young average age of the student cohort mean that effective mobile library services are particularly critical for the VET sector (Douch et al., 2010).

    About the study

    Library staff from eight New Zealand and six Australian VET institutions were invited to participate in a survey that included a short online questionnaire and an interview (conducted in person, over the telephone or via Skype). The questionnaire gathered some demographic information and asked participants to indicate their competence in using mobile technologies. The interviews used open questions to discuss the knowledge and skills required to deliver mobile services and the on-the-job training required to acquire those knowledge and skills.

  • 17 - Use and user context of mobile computing: a rapid ethnographic study

  • from PART 3 - FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY
    • By Jim Hahn, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Edited by Mohamed Ally, Gill Needham
  • Book:
    M-Libraries 3
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    23 January 2012, pp 151-158

  • Summary

    Introduction

    To understand the use and user context of mobile computing, a researcher from the Undergraduate Library at the University of Illinois Urbana- Champaign observed and surveyed students’ use of a library iPad while riding a campus bus. Using a rapid ethnographic approach to focused qualitative data collection, the librarian questioned students about the type of journey and their destination in order to understand aspects of the idea of user context. This chapter discusses the complexities of individual - ized context and the implications for application development. It will give stakeholders in university campuses an understanding of users’ prefer - ences and areas for further development of mobile information access.

    Work that focuses on the context of use and on users is absent from the m-libraries research literature. Specifically, design considerations should be informed by an understanding of the attributes of users’ locations and the extent to which users’ changing environments have an impact on information searching with mobile technologies. A recent article on urban computing points out that information access occurs in a specific place, at a specific time and on a specific device (Hansen and Grønbæk, 2010). The authors relate the importance of the mobile user being situated ‘within a physical and digital context, which changes as we move about or engage in different activities’ (Hansen and Grønbæk, 2010, 195). It is theorized that the physical context in which information searching and access take place will have an impact on the ways in which individuals search for information.

    Usability testing, as defined by Nielsen, requires small numbers, with five to ten participants being a sufficient sample group for understanding usability concerns (1993, 169). The rapid ethnographic approach is a type of usability study. The information sought in this study was about use of the iPad in the field, and a probing approach was taken in order to gather the data quickly (Millen, 2000). Millen defines rapid ethnography as ‘a collection of field methods intended to provide a reasonable understanding of users and their activities given significant time pressures and limited time in the field’ (Millen, 2000, 280).

    Methodology

    Ten participants, all undergraduate students riding the bus, were recruited for this study, which took place during three days at the end of November and beginning of December. The rapid ethnographic approach does not necessarily produce a representative sample (Millen, 2000, 281).

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