One of the things I get to do is teach a course for Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science on Web Development and Information Architecture. And, one of the things we talk more and more about in that class is developing a library web presences for a mobile environment. This summer the class is even reading a book titled Mobile First.
The thing is, designing for mobile isn’t just something to think about for library websites. It’s something to think about when planning programs, services, and collections that tend to be face-to-face but could really have an on-the-road or on-a-device aspect. For example:
Research and Reference
- About 15 years ago I used to joke with friends that we should setup library satellites in Starbucks. We were seeing even then a lot of people tmaking Starbucks, and similar places, their office outposts. In the late 90s having a library satellite in a place like Starbucks was a sort of crazy idea. In 2012, that’s no longer the case. While it can be difficult to get out of the library to be where teens are, the technology tools for roaming around your community are available so that you can be in a local mall or pizza place or baseball game with a tablet and a wireless connection and provide services to teens (and anyone else for that matter). What if you were to start to brainstorm with teens, colleagues, and administrators how you could provide service in the community outside of the library using mobile devices? What would it take to get started? How can you work towards getting there?
- A few weeks ago the Pew Internet and American Life Project released a report on the just-in-time information seeking behaviors of adults using mobile devices. (Adults in this case are anyone 18 or over.) The report states, “Users’ ability to access data immediately through apps and web browsers and through contact with their social networks is creating a new culture of real-time information seekers and problem solvers.” What does this mean for how librarians serve teens who are similarly seeking information quickly via their devices? Do we make sure to have chat going on Facebook to make it easy to ask a question of a librarian? Do we make sure we have apps and mobile web presences that make information seeking fast and painless? The answer to both is “yes.” While the report focuses on those 18 and older, it does note that younger (The 18 to 29 age range) mobile users are more likely to perform just-in-time information seeking than older users. That being the case, doesn’t it make sense that teens are a younger audience doing the same and that you need to serve them so that they succeed in that information seeking?
Programs
- Another Pew Internet and American Life Project report that came out a few weeks ago was on teens and online video. One finding is that, “37% of internet users ages 12-17 participate in video chats with others using applications such as Skype, Googletalk or iChat.” What a great way for you to connect with teens for mobile programs. Teens can be on a device at home, in school, at the house of a friend, or even in the local pizza place. You could have video conversations with teens from anywhere – the library, the school, home, the local Starbucks or pizza place. You and teens don’t have to feel tethered to a location for face-to-face programs. Get out of the library and into the community and stream a video book discussion group or TAB meeting from anywhere.
- One of the topics I talk a lot about is social reading within the app environment. (I’ll be discussing just that at YALS Add a Comment