The future is mobile

Nicky Whitsed, Director of Library Services

25 March 2010

• Why mobile services?• The Open University • Finding out what students want services students want from

libraries on their mobiles• The technical bit• Sharing experience with others worldwide

“The mobile market today has nearly 4 billion

subscribers, more than two-thirds of whom live in developing countries. Well over a billion new phones are produced each year, a flow of continuous enhancement and innovation that is unprecedented in modern times.’ (Horizon Report 2010 page 9)

The fastest-growing sales segment belongs to smart phones — which means that a massive and increasing number of people all over the world now own and use a computer that fits in their hand and is able to connect to the network wirelessly from virtually anywhere. (ibid)

By 2020 the mobile will be the primary connection tool to the internet for most people

(Pew, Dec 2008)

In 2 or 3 years time we believe most of our students will have a smartphone

(Sclater, Director of Leaning Innovation Office, OU 2009)

Leading edge technologies

• SnapTell - use your phone to snap a video cover or scan a barcode

• QR codes - Quick Response 2D barcode• FrontLineSMS - open source turns your

mobile into a communications hub used by British Army in Afghanistan to alert group

• Sixth Sense- projector,mirror and a camera. Check your e-mail on a blank wall

Why mobile services

forstudents?

• Flexible access for distance learners (anytime, anywhere) many of whom work

• Caters for different styles of learning and communication

• Empowers students to engage when it suits them

• Students as contributors

• Can support special needs

Categories of mobile learningTechnology-driven

Miniature but portable e-learning

Connected classroom learning

Informal, personalised,situated mobile learning

Mobile training/performance support

Remote, rural

(Kukulska-Hulme, Traxler 2009)

The Open University• 40th anniversary in 2009• 1000 academics• Supported Open Learning• 8,000 associate lecturers (tutors)• 500 courses• Blended learning• Increasing use of eLearning (VLE = moodle)

Open University students

• no previous qualifications required• 164,000 undergraduate students• 17,000 postgraduate students• 10,000 students have disabilities• 25,000 students live outside UK• Part-time study

– 70% of undergraduates in full- time employment– 50% sponsored by employer

• 2 million alumni

Our challenges• Students of the future• Social networking age

– Being where the students are• Clusters project • Social:learn

• New technology and

applications• Information overload

– More new information has been produced in the last 30 years than in the 5,000 years before that

Openlearn

• http://openlearn.open.ac.uk• see ‘Find information in…’• Open electronic

information resources

• SAFARI

iTunes U

The Open University strategy

Develop a mobile-optimised front end to the VLE

Provide better functionality and user interfaces than possible with web browsers

Enable users to participate in group activities by uploading their content

Enable students to record audio for assessments

Ensure course materials are readily available on a range of e-books and mobile devices

Make the Library web site and a range of learning objects available

Investigate SMS for Library reference services

The Future is mobile

Our priorities are to

• Provide a variety of excellent learning resources to enhance the student’s learning experience

• Ensure that all our students develop the skills they need for work and study in the knowledge society

How do we do this?

Supporting achievement - http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=KI60v6L_2mI

Early developments: Content

Mobile Safari:Information

literacyon the move

Examples of optimized mobile services

what we’re working on

• Mobile Safari – homepage

• iKnow

mobileSafari & iKnow

• Offshoot of OU information literacy course Safari

• Using Athabasca University software

• Flexible placement

• Information skills for the workplace

• Relationship to Safari• Multi-market audience -

at work and at study• Integrated into main

resource

M-Libraries: Information use on the movefinding out what students want

• 10 week project, funded by the Arcadia Programme, Cambridge University

• ‘to inform future development of library services to mobile devices’

• Survey of students at Cambridge University and the Open University

• Focus on how students use their mobile phones & what services they would use

Recommendations from the Survey

• SMS services – renewals, overdue etc. notifications• Piloting text referencing services – Ask a librarian (160

character answers)• Mobile OPAC interface• Optimize Library website for mobiles• Adapt Athabasca’s Digital Reading Room model• Mobile access to national database of libraries• Library audio tours

Mobile Open Library 2.0 – Phase 2

Key recommendations from Arcadia project@Cambridge

• Piloting text referencing services – Ask a librarian (160 character answers)

• Optimize Library website for mobiles• Adapt Athabasca’s Digital Reading Room model• Mobile access to SCONUL database of libraries• Library audio tours

A mobile version of the web site for students on the move

(www.open.ac.uk/library)

Early developments:website

• Design of mobile-friendly website interface

• Implementation of Athabasca University’s Auto-Detect and Reformat software

Mobile-friendly library website

Before After

What we’re working on

Consolidated search (e-Books, SFX, Catalogue etc.)

M-library Design/Technology

Technical view

MySQLIndex

database(Marc data

feeds records)

OU Library Search API

Web searchUser interface

Presentation layer

Search results(XML)Search

query

DatabaseIndexstore

Voyager Marc record feeds forebooks, archive web, print, course materials and loans

SFX eJournals (Text2Marc feed)

Library website index

SFX eJournals (Text2Marc feed)

Library website index

Query database

Optimized search results for mobile users

search results for PC users

Search (technical diagram)

Learning Objects Content Authoring

Learning Objects Generator (technical diagram)

LOG Db

Store

LOG Interface API

Content Author

User interface

Content Packaging

View and EditView

LO Content

Preview

Preview

Download

IMS contentpackage

Contentsoptimizedby ADR

Contentsoptimizedby ADR

Technical challenges

• Too much content means a lot of scrolling for users• Larger images don’t fit on screen and take longer

to download• Flash isn’t supported by some smart phones e.g.

Black berry• Limited and slower bandwidth• Advanced html features not supported by many

smart phones• Too many devices and models

Athabasca University

Desktop: http://library.athabascau.ca

Mobile friendly Library website: Supported devices: PDA, Palmtop, Blackberry, IPAQ, Smart phones, Iphones

The site includes mobile friendly:• Digital Reading Room• Digital Reference Centre• Digital Thesis & Project Room• Airpac Library catalogue• Search engine

North Carolina State University

Sharing m-libraries experience and ideas with others worldwideFirst International M-Libraries

Conference, Open University, UK 2007

Second International M-Libraries Conference, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada 2009

Search results for m-libraries Search help

            2058add

Third International M-Libraries Conference

BrisbaneMay 11-13 2011

Where are we going with mobile technology?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/theonashow3/2534427539/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexey05/2440617631/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mimizone/128921193/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/azchael/3318281354/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlimivcf/918262841/

ReferencesNew Media Consortium (2010) Horizon Report

NMC, 2010Kukulska-Hulme,A. and J.Traxler Learning design with mobile and wireless

technologies in Rethinking pedagogy for the digital age edited by H Beetham and R. Sharpe, Routledge 2009

Kerren Mills, Hassan Sheikh, Gill Needham, Anne Hewling

Photo Credits

Contacts

• Nicky Whitsed, Director of Library Services– Email : n.whitsed@open.ac.uk, tel +44 1908 653254