EconBiz (www.econbiz.de/en/) is a subject specific portal for business and economics. It helps locate articles, books, full-texts etc. The portal has been around for more than ten years changing shape in accordance with technical developments and user needs and expectations. Since 2011 apps – first for iPad and iPhone, since 2012 also for Android-Smartphones- are one way to use EconBiz. (http://www.econbiz.de/en/econbiz-mobil/) Through the apps we offer our users new ways to access our content pool of more than 8 million records. The number of features of the web-portal has been reduced in the apps. However, the apps also include additional features like a map of libraries that can be used to find a library close to the user’s location. There are a number of future challenges we face, especially with the apps. We serve users in a specific discipline but not in a specific library. Thus, we have to find solutions for presenting availability options independent of a specific home base. However, we still need to be able to refer users back to their home libraries for licensed material or printed books. This works o.k. for German libraries since we are able to include external availability checkers. But these services do not work well in an international context. A focus on “open access only” material that we provide in EconBiz Open (open.econbiz.de) may thus be an option for the international version of the apps. In the future, we have to decide whether it is better to improve the native apps or to offer a mobile friendly version of the web portal. Both versions have their individual advantages and disadvantages. In the long run, we might go for a web-portal optimized for mobile users but right now the stripped down apps offer much faster access to the huge content pool than the web portal and make better use of the small displays and of the hardware-specific usage. In spring 2012, usability experts will perform a heuristic evaluation and then the usability of the apps will be tested in a student project. I will present our experiences with the apps, the results of the usability tests and our thoughts on and options for future developments. EconBiz was developed by the ZBW- German National Library of Economics – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics and the USB – University and City Library of Cologne. The apps were developed by the Know-Center in Graz, Austria.

1. EconBiz Mobile –
A Library App for Researchers
Why App and Where Do We Go from Here?
Tamara Pianos
Information Provision and Access
Trondheim
02.10.2012
The ZBW is a member of Leibniz-Gemeinschaft

2. Overview
• Background information: ZBW and EconBiz
• Old clothes: portal beginnings
• The wardrobe: different clothes for different occasions
• Why App? Functions, challenges, usability
• Where do we go from here?
• Conclusion
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3. About the ZBW: largest library in the world for
business & economics & related social sciences
Kiel
&
Hamburg
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4. 2:13 p.m.: Our Daily Connection to Norway
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5. About EconBiz
• Subject specific portal for business & economics & related social
sciences
• Covers articles, books, full-texts, events etc.
• Started as a project in the year 2000
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6. EconBiz: Very Old Clothes
2002
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7. The Wardrobe:
Different Clothes for Different Occasions
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8. EconBiz: Last Season‘s Clothes
• 2010 ff: Google-like search interface
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9. EconBiz: Scope and Limitations
• Search engine, Solr-index
• Content pool of more than 8 million records
• BUT: Access to licensed & printed material difficult for users outside
German universities
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10. Fast + Easy Solution  EconBiz Open
• Open Access material only
• ~ 1 million documents
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11. Why App?
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12. 2010: Reasons for the Apps
• Try out innovative service
• Offer less complex, easy-to-use, up-to-
date service
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13. 2009-Study: What Users Want on a Mobile Phone
Keren Mills: M-Libraries: http://arcadiaproject.lib.cam.ac.uk/docs/M-Libraries_report.pdf
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14. Basic Needs
Relatively easy to supply:
• Opening hours
• Location
• Contact information…
A bit more of a challenge:
• OPAC
• Borrowing Records
• E-books…
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15. What the EconBiz Apps Offer
• Search a number of (free) databases simultaneously
• Direct access to open access PDFs
• Access to licensed material depends…
• Reduced features (no expert search, less filters…)
• Additional feature: map of libraries that can be used to find a library
(but not individual library maps)
• Basic information on location and opening hours, contact info etc.
• Helpdesk
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16. iPad
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17. Basic Features
Display of:
• filters
• results • mail
• favourites • notes
• map • libraries
• …
• options
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18. Seite 18

19. Map and phone-App
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20. Seite 20

21. Seite 21

22. Seite 22

23. Seite 23

24. Seite 24

25. Seite 25

26. Phone-Apps
• Basically the same
• many functions
behind the „more
options“ icon or
button (Android)
• + Barcode-scanner
to start search
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27. Challenges
• We serve users in a specific
discipline but not in a specific library
• We need to find solutions for
presenting availability options
• Refer users back to their home
libraries for licensed material or
printed books (works o.k. for
German libraries since we are able
to include external availability
checkers. But other countries…)
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28. Availability Challenges
German
Gateway
WorldCat
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29. First Usability-Test-Results for the Apps
• iPad much better than phones for
actually doing research
• Bright icons misleading 
• Library options confusing,
raise false expectations
[availability always difficult]
• More space for search-words
• Different „folders“ for saving
results/favourites would be good
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30. The Buffy-Musical Question:
„Where do we go from here?“
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31. App versus Mobile Website
Apps: Website:
• Offer faster access • Easier to realize one login
• Make better use of the small and list of favourites
displays / User experience • One version – not different
design versions for different devices
• Easy to save data and PDFs • Faster, easier, cheaper to
on device realize
• Use offline
• Geolocation services
for in-depth analysis:
GIA Whitepaper
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32. EconBiz: Today
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33. EconBiz: Possible Future?
EconBiz
EconBiz
EconBiz
personal choice
content, language etc.
EconBiz
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34. In the Meantime: Some Accessories
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35. Facebook (App) and Twitterbot
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36. Geo-Mashup of Calendar of Events
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37. A Bigger Wardrobe
• More tools and gadgets will be
provided by student projects
• EconBiz will be a content provider
and testbed for the EU-Project
EEXCESS and for our
Science2.0-Research-Network
Tochtermann, 2010
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38. Conclusion
• EconBiz is available in different shapes and sizes
• Rapid changes in technology make it difficult to plan a couple of
years ahead
• The API gives us flexibility for quick developments and for different
future usage options. It helps us to bring our content to the platforms
that the users prefer - independent of their shape and size.
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39. Questions?
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40. Questions?
TAMARA PIANOS
T: +49–431–8814–365
E: t.pianos@zbw.eu
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41. Some Sources on Library Apps
• Conference: http://www.m-libraries.org/
• Wiki: http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=M-Libraries
• Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/7719700810/
• Ellyssa Kroski: Libraries to go
• Rudolf Mumenthaler: Arbeiten mit mobilen Geraeten
• Tamara Pianos: EconBiz to Go (includes a number of references)
• Hans-Bodo Pohla: Bibliothekarische Applikationen
(includes a number of references)
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42. EconBiz & EconBiz Mobile Links
• EconBiz-Prezi
• EconBiz-Open-Prezi
• http://www.econbiz.de/en/ext/econbiz-mobile/
• Video: EconBiz4iPad [in German]
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43. Apps for iPad, iPhone und Android
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/econbiz/id419108453?mt=8
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.zbw.econbiz&hl=en
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