The document discusses how libraries have changed their mobile web presence in recent years. It notes that early mobile sites focused on basic information like hours and contacts, but now offer more research features like searching the catalog, accessing ebooks and articles, and checking course reserves. The document also examines trends in user behavior on mobile, emphasizing that users expect to complete full tasks and shouldn't be limited by "dumbed down" mobile sites. It suggests libraries continue expanding features on mobile to support user needs.

1. The Mobile Web and
the Mobile Websites
of Libraries: How They
Changed for the Last
Few Years
Bohyun Kim
Digital Access Librarian, Florida International University Medical Library
@bohyunkim (Twitter) / http://www.slideshare.net/bohyunkim
/ http://bohyunkim.net
Amigos 2012 Online Conference. June 8, 2012.
Access by Touch: Delivering Library Services Through Mobile Technologies,

2. http://yfrog.com/ntshuibj

3. http://gacovinolake.hubpages.com/hub/

4. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone

5. Introduced in 2007, the iPhone sales
increased by 130 times for the last 5 years .

6. We all got caught by the
mobile fever…

7. Libraries mobilized
 SMS reference
 Mobile library Website
 Mobile resource and device workshops
 Mobile device lending program
(e-book readers and iPads).
 Handheld Librarian Online Conference was held first
in July 2009. More than 2000 people attended it. 6
conferences were held for less than 3 years.
 ALA LITA’s Mobile Computing Interest Group was
established in 2009.

8. Mobile computing changed
“big time.”
Photo from Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pagedooley/4313864280/lightbox/

9. Mobile Internet 
Source: Luke Wroblewski, Mobile First (2011) p.8.

10. Wireless data tsunami
 “Over the past five years, AT&T’s wireless data
traffic has grown 20,000%.”
 “The nation’s second largest wireless carrier’s
data traffic has at least doubled every year since
2007.”
 Source: http://techcrunch.com/2012/02/14/atts-
wireless-data-traffic-doubles-every-year-but-
throttling-is-not-the-solution/

11. Desktop Internet 
http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-02-15/tech/29983706_1_tablet-
market-pcs-smartphones

12. Capable mobile device
+ Faster network
Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/thelightningman/4322905624/in/photostream/lightbox/

13. Smartphones
= The most common web
access devices
“ Home usage of personal computers in 2010 was down 20% from
2008 in the United States. The culprit? Smartphones and tablets
gobbling up our time online (http://bkaprt.com/mf/5).
“ In November 2010, visitors to web-based email sites declined
6%, but visitors accessing email with their mobile devices grew
by 36% (http://bkaprt.com/mf/6).
“ Traffic to mobile websites in 2010 grew 600% after tripling
between 2009 and 2010 (http://bkaprt.com/mf/7).
Source: Luke Wroblewski, Mobile First (2011) p.8.

14. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/120590/

15. A few years ago vs. Now
Source:
http://www.libsuccess.org/index.
php?title=M-Libraries
http://www.slideshare.net/bohyu
nkim/planning-for-your-librarys-
first-mobile-website
http://www.bohyunkim.net/blog/
archives/705
http://journal.code4lib.org/article
s/2055

16. How are those mobile sites
now?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rwhgould/5554807256/lightbox/

17. 2010  2012

18. 2010  2012
http://sherman.library.nova.edu/m/

19. 2010  2012
http://medlib.fu.edu/m

20. 2010  2012
http://m.harvard.edu/libraries/

22. 2010  2012
https://www.lib.umn.edu/mobile/

23. 2010  2012
http://m.lib.ncsu.edu/

24. 2010  2012
http://m.library.oregonstate.edu/

25. General trend
: More stuff in the mobile site
 The library mobile sites are now showing more information beyond
library hours, location, and contact us.
 While this type of basic information appeared as primary tasks
before, now search and research, library resource use is appearing
to be more of primary tasks on a library mobile website. `(e.g.
Libguides, Books, Articles, Course Reserves, Databases, etc.)
 A search box is starting to appear on a mobile website homepage.
 Additional features are being added to the mobile site such as an
library account transaction (e.g. item renewal) and course reserves.
 Study room reservation, computer availability information are
offered in some mobile sites.

26. Looking back at some of the
tips 2 years ago …
 Environmental scan - OK
 Target audience - YES
 Primary tasks & user needs /expectations
 Marketing
 No longer true
 Mobile devices’ constraints and slow networks
 Focus on users’ information needs on the go
 A companion site with less features and content

27. Which is faster and more convenient?

28. Always on, always with you
Are our
assumptions
about mobile
device user
behavior
accurate?

29. 84%
80%
74%
69%
64%
62%
47%
Source:
http://blog.compete.com/2010/03/12/smartphone-owners-a-ready-and-willing-audience/

30. User Behavior on the Mobile
 Motivation: Micro-task, Bored, Local
Source: Josh Clark, Tapworthy (2010) Ch. 2.
 Edit/Create (urgent change/micro-tasking) : I need to get some-thing done now
that can’t wait.
 Lookup/Find (urgent info, local) : I need an answer to some-thing now -
frequently related to my current location in the world.
 Explore/Play (bored, local) : I have some time to kill and just want a few idle time
distractions.
 Check In/Status (repeat/micro-tasking): Something important to me keeps
changing or updating and I want to stay on top of it.
Source: Luke Wroblewski, Mobile First (2011) p.50.

31. Don’t dumb things down
on the mobile
“ There are, of course, differences based on mobile and
desktop usage patterns; but the core value of a web
service remains the same across both formats and beyond.
In fact, you’ll quickly find your customers will expect to do
just about everything (within reason) on mobile. Especially
those who primarily (or only) use their mobiles to get online.
So don’t dumb things down on mobile—focus on what
really matters most anywhere people can access your
website.
Source: Luke Wroblewski, Mobile First (2011) p.22.

32. It’s not that
the sea
monster is too
big;
it might be
that the
house is too
small.
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/severinstmartin/310138661/lightbox/

33. Discoverability
Unless you tell me,
how would I know if there is a mobile version?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zebble/6817861/lightbox/

47. http://libguides.calpoly.
edu/mobile/1192

55. ?

58. Improve?
Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/39718079@N00/261054170/lightbox/

59. Make it easy
to discover first…
 Make the Mobile site link on your library
homepage more prominent.
 Footer = a good location.
 If you use an icon,
make sure the meaning is obvious.
 Add the auto-redirect to the mobile site when a
user visits the Desktop site on a mobile device.
 Make discovery happen when a user is on a
mobile device and accessing the library online.

60. Do-It-Yourself on Mobile
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marielamuse/7341089880/

61. Towards a full-feature
library mobile website
 DIY Mindset of today’s library users
 Let them serve themselves on the mobile device!
 “You’re pretty good at helping me, thanks,
but I’d really prefer to do more things by myself
— and by the way, you don’t make that very easy for me.”
- Matthews, Brian. 2011. “Helping patrons help themselves,” Chronicle of
Higher Education Blog Network.
http://chronicle.com/blognetwork/theubiquitouslibrarian/2011/10/13/are-we-
in-the-diy-era-helping-patrons-help-themselves/

62. What features to offer?
: (a) for micro-tasking
 Catalog Search
 Library account
– Fine, Account creation
 Library items (Physical)
– Renewal, Hold, Checked-out items
 Library items (digital)
– Download & Read/listen/watch
 Resources / Research
 Books, Articles, Course Reserves

63. Catalog search

64. Account management
-DC Public Library
iPhone app

65. Library Account
- NYPL App

66. Renewal
Hold
Download
http://overdrive.dclibrary.org/0FFC7F67-F9B8-4EFD-965F-
1CB1FCC8C786/40/20/en/Default.htm

67. Course Reserves
- Read PDFs
http://m.lib.ncsu.edu/

68. Research - Books

69. Research - Articles

70. What features to offer?
: (b) for entertainment
 Digital collection
 Podcasts
 Book recommender

71. http://www.moma.org/m#home

72. http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/m/

73. Podcast

74. OSU Libraries Book Genie
http://m.library.oregonstate.edu/

75. Scotsdale public library
Gimme!
http://gimme.scottsdalelibrary.org/

76. What features to offer?
: (c) for local / in-context
 Campus / Neighborhood / Exhibit tour
 Barcode scan

77. Historic Tour
of where you are now
http://tour.library.oregonstate.edu/

78. MOMA

79. http://m.lib.ncsu.edu/

80. Scan ISBN
– NYPL app

81. BookLook
https://spl.boopsie.bredir.com/webapp/#1!Home

82. > People look at
their smartphones
Are we ready? an average of 150
times a day. That’s
approximately
once every six
minutes during
waking hours.
> Mobile internet is
the only internet
for 25% of U.S.
users.
Jay Ramirez, “Five Reasons Marketers Should Think Mobile First. 2012.
http://www.moroch.com/blog/2012/03/five-reasons-marketers-should-think-mobile-first/

83. References
 Aaron Tay, “What are mobile friendly library sites
offering? A survey.” Musings about Librarianship,
2010.http://musingsaboutlibrarianship.blogspot.com/2010/04/co
mparison-of-40-mobile-library-sites.html
 “M-Libraries.” LibSuccess Wiki, 2012.
http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=M-Libraries
 Josh Clark, Tapworthy: Designing Great iPhone Apps. O’Reilly,
2010.
 Luke Wroblewski, Mobile First. A Book Apart, 2011.
 Jay Ramirez, “Five Reasons Marketers Should Think Mobile First.
2012. http://www.moroch.com/blog/2012/03/five-reasons-
marketers-should-think-mobile-first/
 See other references on slides.