“Make no mistake: mobile
devices are revolutionizing library service,” writes Lisa Carlucci Thomas in
her article surveying the position of mobile
services in 2012. While libraries
and publishers work to resolve their disputes over access to ebooks, one thing
is already for certain: ebooks have paved the way for mobile services. Influenced by the introduction of ereaders and
the proliferation of other mobile devices, the ever-growing interest in ebooks can
be considered the catalyst responsible for sparking awareness on mobile users
and the need for libraries to develop integrated mobile services into existing
service infrastructures. This article sends
a clear message that libraries are rising to the challenge, whether by “improving
mobile access to databases and ebook content” or addressing other “emerging
features and services, such as mobile payment systems (Square, Google Wallet),
checkins and gamification (Foursquare, GetGlue, QR codes, SnapTags), social
sharing and content curation (Path, Tumblr, Instagram, PicPlz), place-based
collections, and augmented reality tours (Scan Jose) built from library digital
collections.”
Mobile services are transforming
library service because they are helping patrons to become more self-reliant
and knowledgeable concerning their own information needs, but what about for those
patrons who don’t have access to their own mobile devices? In his article on current developments in self-service
technologies, Matt Enis observes the possibilities for a library where
patrons use innovative terminals and hi-tech kiosks to do everything from
browsing and downloading ebooks on various mobile devices they themselves check
out and return, to simplifying and expediting a laundry list of community-related
errands, such as the need to “buy a bus pass, register to vote, schedule a tee
time at a local public golf course, or pay local taxes, bills, and traffic
tickets.” These technologies allow the
library to bridge the gap between knowledge center and community center by “offer[ing]
services beyond circulating materials and offering access to computers,” and
releasing librarians from timely circulation tasks so they can focus “more on
people and less on things.”
As libraries move to provide
more resources and services to patrons, these technologies will become a
necessity. Libraries looking to establish mobile or self-service technologies
should first evaluate the needs of their community and determine how these
services fit in with the goals of the library.
Once established, marketing campaigns can work to increase awareness of
new services. And as new services make more
time available to assist patrons, library staff can lead educational initiatives
to help bring less confident patrons up to speed. With these services, libraries are rapidly evolving
to meet concurrent shifts in patron needs.
Questions to think about:
- What are the new skills that librarians are going to need to learn as their traditional tasks become obsolete?
- What are the different areas of focus that could arise as librarians spend less time on those traditional tasks and more time addressing the needs of individual patrons?
- What is the best way to make patrons aware of new services and to understand how to use emerging technologies?
Enis, Matt. (2012). Helping
users help themselves with self-service technologies. Library Journal. Retrieved
Thomas, Lisa Carlucci.
(2012). The State of Mobile in Libraries 2012. Library Journal. Retrieved
from http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/02/mobile/the-state-of-mobile-in-libraries-2012/
Check out the WSU Libraries Mobile app to see how librarians here at Wayne State are addressing the needs of mobile users.
