Publishers have responded to the demand for access to content via mobile devices, but done so in an inconsistant manner, with a range of apps and sites with different content, a variety of authentication issues and usability problems. This session will highlight Jisc work to surface these issues to publishers.

1. Authentication and usability
mark.williams@ja.net
UK federation manager
19/03/2014
Mobile resource problems:

2. Mobile resource problems
»About Jisc
»The situation
»Work done already
»The problems
»Sector requirements
»Solutions
2

3. About Jisc
»Covers UK HE, Research (and FE, equiv of community
college)
»National broadband network for education (Janet, UK equiv
of Internet 2)
»UK access management federation (equiv is InCommon)
»Jisc Collections - Central licensing
»R&D in library and IT
3

4. 4
Time
Use
mobile
desktop
The situation: A tipping point

5. Links
» Jo Alcock, (Jisc M-library community support project), Evidence Base,
BirminghamCity University., j.o.alcock@bcu.ac.uk , @joeyanne
» Claire Koch, University of Surrey, c.koch@surrey.ac.uk, @claire_joanne
» Claire Gravely, University of Surrey, c.graverly@surrey.ac.uk ,
@library_claire
» Keren Mills, (MACON: Mobilising Academic Content Online), OU, @mirya
» Ben Showers, Jisc, b.showers@jisc.ac.uk, @benshowers
» MarkWilliams, Janet, mark.williams@ja.net
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Contributors

6. MACON project
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http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/macon/

7. MobileTechnology in Libraries
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http://mlibraries.jiscinvolve.org/wp/pathways-to-best-practice-guides/

8. Library Success Wiki
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http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=M-Libraries

9. The problem
» Massive growth of the use of mobile devices
» Publishers respond to demand for apps
» Publishers respond in many different ways
» Response breaks existing models of:
› Discovery & research pedagogy
› Authentication
› Application usability
› Content usability
› Licensing
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A response to demand

10. Library issues: Discovery
» Discovery
› Following aVLE link
› Via a mobile optimised library site
› ViaGoogle - “would you like to download an app”
› Silosation of content via apps
› Mobile – Consumption device or a discovery device
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Difficult and interfering with the pedagogy

11. Library issues: Authentication
» Authentication
› Federated login (institutional login) - WAYFLESS urls??
› IP - ‘Access via this app is IP only – connect to your campus’  Mobile??
› Activation key (Desktop created or publisher sent) - Often need to be
on campus
› Facebook, Google etc – Secure?
› Device twinning –Time limited and often needs advance warning
› The authentication and discovery Mobius strip
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Inconsistent & confusing

12. Library issues: Mobius 12

13. Library issues: Maze 13

14. Library issues: Square one 14

15. Library issues: Discovery 15
A pity because:

16. Library issues: Discovery & authentication
» JISC UBIRD study
» Users often don’t move onto an alternative authorative resource
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Results of failure in the ”Discovery to download” phase

17. Library issues: Application & content usability
» Off line or online access?
» Content reflow
» Crashing….Redirect links (breaks mobile browsers)
» Content or marketing fluff
» Loss of library led walled garden – wild west of apps
» W3C
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Poor experience

18. Library issues: Licensing
» Apps
› Free? Pay? Double dip? Is it extra / new content?
› Counter Stats?
› Does student know if content is available via institutional subscription
› Full content?
› Meeting Model licence standards?
› Export / Download?
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Already a subscriber

19. What libraries want: A manifesto for mobile
» Simple, consistent and clear login experiences
» No crashes
» Mobile adapted content – not “Apps”
» Cross platform compatibility - ( LBJ library ”your iphone” )
» Transfer across devices
» Continuity - apps appear and then disappear - idea of life cycle
» Core product not just a “value added, USE ATYOUR OWN RISK offering”
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Wish list

20. Way forward:Working with libraries & publishers
» Two Jisc workshops
› Oversubscribed
› Exactly right audiences
› Near unanimous agreement on problems & possible solutions
» Highlight standards for developing for mobile.
› Best practice
› Exemplar content development by Jisc
› New standards? NISO / EPUB?
» Authorative Wiki on mobile resources
› Jisc Collections
› Criteria
› Self declared questionnaire / completed
› Comment moderated and reviewed by Jisc and publisher invited to comment
› Epub support grid, Library success wiki as examples
› International
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21. 21
Way forward: Criteria building
» App, web app or mobile site compliance definitions:
› App or Web app?
› Platform compatibility
› Mobile browser auto-detect
› Mobile url
› Mobile federation WAYF
› Embedded federation discovery
› Direct url access to content (VLE links etc)
› Content availability (full, partial)
› Authentication methods
› Site usability
› Content usability (what standards do we use)
› Cross platform portability

22. 22Opportunities Barriers Who
Increase access and usage
Focus on specific mobile issues
Discoverability- see in a list
Use for discussions between publishers
and societies
Help product development
Publishers would have access to more
direct Feedback
Conversation with users
Publisher checklist
Credible, objective ratings
Consolidate list of requirements and
best practice and provide targets for
product development
Could prove model for communication
about standards for other products
Subjectivity
Cost
Legacy content hard to represent
People who don’t have to the resource
rating and commenting
Criteria too library focused rather than
end user focused
Lack of opportunity to respond to
negative comments
Too UK focused
Too much work to keep up with
comments and responses
Fear of buyers being put off by
negative ratings
Lack of standards / is there a
community census of criteria and
requirements in UK /globally
Resource available to complete form so
make it clear what is high priority
Initial set up by one organisation
Content crowd sourced with guidance
from the initiator
Libraries /Jisc determine checklist
criteria
Publishers provide factual data
Users/libraries/crowd sourcing provide
ratings
Moderation by independent groups
Publisher owns checklist
Right of reply
ISO /NISO?
working group to establish criteria up
to date and maintain criteria
contribution to assessing products
from libraries and users
Who represents end users? Libraries?
Publishers/ student bodies
UK but have global agenda
Where?: In one central place, open, backed up and easy to edit globally. Jisc?

23. 23
Ultimate aim
publishers can closely engage and work with
libraries to ensure that they are producing a
product that meets the needs of users

24. Discussion
» Is this go the way to go?
» Any mobile problems not mentioned?
» Any US specific issues we need to think about?
» Who should Jisc work with in US?
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Questions