Putting your library on a mobile phone: It’s more than screen size

Putting your library on a mobile phone: It’s more than screen size

Cindy CunninghamOctober 2009

LITAForum 2009

Brief introduction of OCLC mobile pilot

Some industry statistics

Early adopters

What makes it mobile?

Library challenges and things to consider

Conclusion

Questions

OverviewOverview

Why mobile?Why mobile?

• OCLC is a global organization—over half of its 140M records are in non-English languages—and it serves populations around the globe, where mobile usage is very high.

• Mobile access spans the spectrum of library users and reaches the emerging library users: the young and the technorati.

• Also, ironically, it is preferred access for those who do not have PCs, who live in developing countries and/or who live in rural areas.

• OCLC strives to offer web-scale solutionsthat help libraries and library users, and as a research organization wants to stay out front, helping libraries explore the latest solutions.

Why a pilot?Why a pilot?

• Needed to gauge user interest, confirm user patterns and preferences.

• Wanted to learn more about the mobile space before making a big investment in resources.

• Found a platform company already working in the mobile library space that could ramp up quickly, offer reliable and responsive technical support, support all devices and expand along with us.

Why WorldCat?Why WorldCat?

• A single place to learn about libraries and library holdings

• Visibility for every library, by driving Web and mobile traffic back to the user’s library of choice

• Web-scale through WorldCat.org

• The best positioning to reach users everywhere

• The WorldCat Registry is free to all libraries and directs users to their closest library

Update your profile:

http://worldcat.org/registry/institution

delivers:

Why Boopsie?Why Boopsie?

• Mobile platform to support enterprise solutions

• Winner of the 2009 AT&T Fast Pitch Platinum Award in the Enterprise Category (WorldCat Mobile pilot app sited as an example of the application features of speed and indexed searching)

• Started working with Pepperdine and had a working mobile platform for libraries up and running

• Could guarantee quick implementation, full support for trouble-shooting and adjustments/innovations

• Could support international installations and huge data sets in multiple language codes

Some industry statistics Some industry statistics

• As of October 2007, there were:

• 1 billion PCs

• 1.2 billion internets users,

• 3.3 billion mobile phones (Vint Cerf, Google Analyst Day, Oct 07)

• US mobile phone market penetration:

• 84% by end of 2007, growing past 100% by 2013 (SNL Kagan)

• 115 million smartphones shipped; 410 million by 2012(ABI Research)

• Mobile internet users will grow 19% by 2012, to 91.7 million users

(Kelsey Group)

• 80% of teens with phones use text messaging regularly, say “email is for business dealings” (news.com)

• One in ten households in the US no longer uses a landline but relies upon a mobile phone (Library Journal, Oct 15 08)

March '08 March '09 % Change

Any access method 21.5 32.5 51%

Browser 15.4 20.7 34%

SMS 6.8 11.7 72%

App downloaded to phone 6.2 11.3 83%

* Local content defined as searching for information on maps, movies, business directories or restaurants(US Mobile Subscribers Age 13+)

Source:  Comscore, June 18, 2009

Access methods for local mobile contentAccess methods for local mobile content

Subscribers Accessing Local Mobile Content* by Access Method, Three-

Month Average

Mobile Phone Users by CarrierMobile Phone Users by Carrier

US Subscribers:

•Verizon - 86M

•AT&T - 78M

•Sprint - 50M

•T-Mobile – 30M

Worldwide:

• Vodaphone – 300M

• Orange – 100M

• O2 – 35M

• China Mobile – 750M+

Source: Comscore, 2009

• American University Libraries• Ball State University Library• Boston University Medical Center Mobile Library• Cal Poly Pomona University Library • Hanover College, Duggan Library• Harvard College Library• University of Illinois Library• New York University Libraries• University of Richmond Library• St. John’s University, College of St. Benedict• University of Virginia Library

Some early adopters Some early adopters

What makes it mobile?What makes it mobile?

Actionable—user is ready to act

Geographical component—where is the nearest…? How do I find…?

Speed—I can’t wait

Relevance—small screen—give me only what I can use

Economy of effort—don’t make me key too much on these small pseudo-keyboards

One device for everything—I will read as well as search on this device

Challenges and things to considerChallenges and things to consider

Resources—staff, budget, full, on-going support

Deliver relevance—expectations are high and you can only dazzle once

Apps store support—multiple stores and requirements, long wait time

One access point—what if the OPAC users switch—what else do you need to communicate via the mobile interface?

Metrics—plan to capture what you need

Staffing—share the support so that everyone understands it and can deliver good customer experience

ConclusionConclusion

Don’t start until you’re ready to keep going

Think it through—it’s easy to shoot from the hip

Have a roll-out plan and communicate what is available and what is coming—user expectations are high:>

Don’t let one maverick developer with time on his hands talk you into it withouthaving a full plan for on-going development

How to follow the pilot and learn moreHow to follow the pilot and learn more

Go to www.worldcat.org and click to learn how to download the mobile app.

Give us e-mail feedback: worldcatmobilepilot@oclc.org

Follow the WorldCat blog: www.worldcat.org/blogs

Follow WorldCat on Twitter: @worldcatorg

Join our social network: http://worldcatmobile.ning.com/?xgi=7hFEY1p>