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What is the current state of mobile services among academic libraries of the country's top 100 universities, and what are the best practices for librarians implementing mobile services at the university level? Through in--‐depth website visits and survey questionnaires, the authors studied each of the top 100 universities' libraries' experiences with mobile services. Results showed that all of these libraries offered at least one mobile service, and the majority offered multiple services. The most common mobile services offered were mobile sites, text messaging services, e--‐books, and mobile access to databases and the catalog. In addition, chat/IM services, social media accounts and apps were very popular. Survey responses also indicated a trend towards responsive design for websites so that patrons can access the library's full site on any mobile device. Respondents recommend that libraries considering offering mobile services begin as soon as possible as patron demand for these services is expected to increase. [Abstract from EBSCOHost Education Source: Full-text article available in ESC library databases.] Link: http://search.proquest.com.library.esc.edu/pqrl/docview/1691586122/5530379CBA1C4741PQ/3?accountid=8067 Yan Quan, L., & Briggs, S. (2015). A Library in the Palm of Your Hand: Mobile Services in Top 100 University Libraries. Information Technology & Libraries, 34(2), 133-148. doi:10.6017/ital.v34i2.5650

Robert, This link takes me to the ESC login, but after logging in I receive the following message: Failure to connect due an internal server error. I thought maybe this was due to a browser issue, but it occurred with Safari, FireFox & Chrome. I searched for and located the article online (http://ejournals.bc.edu/ojs/index.php/ital/article/view/5650/pdf) - the research is interesting. Research presented confirms that "mobile [library] services are already ubiquitous among the country's top universities". My university's library services, catalogs, databases, ebook collections, etc. are also all accessible via online access from the university's library website page and directly via a link every LMS course shell. We have standardized certain items in all our LMS course shells and a link to the university's library resources is one of these standardized course shell items. If students have the mobile LMS app on a tablet/phone, again, all library services, catalogs, databases, & I believe ebooks?, etc. are accessible.

To Mark: I added in a link to get to this article and to all the articles I posted in the commercial databases. It is very interesting that ALL the ERIC links work but all the commercial links directly to the full-text PDF articles do not. Robert, December 1, 2015 I am sorry about this. I copied the link directly. Perhaps it did not work because you have to log in to the database first. The link will not take you there because you need to authenticate first, etc. Anyway, you can find the article in the EBSCOHost Education Source by title in the ESC databases. I realize that you already found it at another web site. That's OK, too. As long as you can access it. -- Robert

Kathryn Johns-Masten of Penfield Library at the State University of New York-Oswego presented on her library's experience implementing a mobile website using the iWebKit framework. Penfield librarians identified user needs, learned from other libraries' sites, chose a framework compatible with desired devices that fit available resources, and evaluated their site through focus groups and analysis of usage statistics. Johns-Masten proposed best practices for libraries considering a mobile site and led a discussion of factors involved in choosing a framework and issues related to technical support of mobile websites. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER] [Abstract from EBSCOHost Education Source: Full-text article available in ESC library databases.] Link: http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.library.esc.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=2&sid=6b435564-9bcd-4f6f-95df-581478f9b036%40sessionmgr4004&hid=4103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=86746117&db=eue Johns-Masten, K., & Mann, S. (2013). Mobile Websites and Apps in Academic Libraries: Harmony on a Small Scale. Serials Librarian, 64(1-4), 206-210. doi:10.1080/0361526X.2013.760422

"How will your library serve mobile device users? By building apps from scratch? By offering entirely separate content? Or by modifying your site for mobile devices? This author found that the best fit for a joint library serving Victoria College and the University of Houston-Victoria was to build a mobile website in HTML and CSS using mobile standards and best practices suitable for those devices. As the sole web services librarian, it was her duty to develop a browser-based mobile website and code it from scratch. In this article, she shares the findings, experiences, and helpful code snippets for building a mobile website on your own." [Abstract from ERIC database.] Link to full-text article in ESC ProQuest Research Library database: http://search.proquest.com.library.esc.edu/pqrl/docview/1019444398/75C2FCA9AB3D4B62PQ/1?accountid=8067 Williams, B.S. (2012). Less Is More: How to App-ify Your Library Services. Computers in Libraries. 32(5), 36-38.

In August 2009, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries launched a mobile web site and catalog designed for use on smartphones. Library users can search for books and view library hours, location branches, and other basic information about the University of North Carolina libraries on their iPhone, Android phone, or other smartphone. An outline of the development process is given in eight major steps that are designed to be replicated by other libraries. Lessons learned during development are also shared, along with recommendations of devices to develop for and tools to use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] [Abstract from ESC Academic Search Complete database] Link: http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.library.esc.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=11&sid=32d26eef-5aab-4af2-ad1a-c9624344797d%40sessionmgr115&hid=126&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=57138008&db=a9h Haefele, C. (2011). One Block at a Time: Building a Mobile Site Step by Step. Reference Librarian, 52(1/2), 117-127. doi:10.1080/02763877.2011.528269

Great article from Gale: ARL is Association of Research Libraries. In December 2009 the Libraries Copyright Task Force (LCTF) of Colorado State University Libraries (CSUL) presented its findings to the CSUL interim dean and assistant deans. As part of its charge the LCTF was asked to "identify ... current practice in responding to questions and issues regarding copyright in the Libraries" as well as "determine what the Libraries purview is in regard to copyright vs. other units in the University community ... and any external role [the] Libraries can/should play". The LCTF was also asked, as its charge, to "define content for a Libraries web site and possibly produce the content" (Negrucci, et al., 2009, [pp. 1-5]). This task force was the most recent of three internal committees that had examined copyright issues germane to the library and university community over the course of the past five years, as the transition from print to digital materials, the expansion of document delivery services, and the increase of local digitization initiatives prompted CSUL staff to address intellectual property issues with ever-increasing scrutiny.

To discover how a newly developed library mobile website performed across a variety of devices, the authors used a hybrid field and laboratory methodology to conduct a usability test of the website. Twelve student participants were recruited and selected according to phone type. Results revealed a wide array of errors attributed to site design, wireless network connections, as well as phone hardware and software. This study provides an example methodology for testing library mobile websites, identifies issues associated with mobile websites, and provides recommendations for improving the user experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] [Abstract from ESC Academic Search Complete database] Link: http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.library.esc.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=2&sid=32d26eef-5aab-4af2-ad1a-c9624344797d%40sessionmgr115&hid=126&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=83583519&db=a9h Pendell, K. D., & Bowman, M. S. (2012). Usability Study of a Library's Mobile Website: An Example from Portland State University. Information Technology & Libraries, 31(2), 45-62.

The California State University-Fullerton Pollak Library recently launched a mobile version of its Web site to accommodate the needs of a burgeoning mobile user group. This article focuses on the process of conceptualizing, building, and deploying the mobile version of this Web site. It highlights the development process, from reviewing and understanding existing user needs to translating findings into meaningful mobile Web sites, and provides a detailed overview of the finished site. Some of what was learned during the conceptual and developmental phases might help other libraries considering going mobile. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER] [Abstract from ESC Academic Search Complete database] Link: http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.library.esc.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=20&sid=777400f5-917a-43a0-83b8-26cdc83f8315%40sessionmgr4003&hid=4103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=77492907&db=a9h DeMars, J. M. (2012). Smarter Phones: Creating a Pocket Sized Academic Library. Reference Librarian, 53(3), 253-262. doi:10.1080/02763877.2012.678236

"Mobile device use has been soaring in recent years in all user groups. Mobile learning is no longer an optional activity for academic institutions, but a necessary endeavor. Developing a curriculum around mobile learning is essential, particularly for distance-based, non-traditional students. Understanding how students use their mobile devices is important to supporting mobile learning initiatives. Student survey responses were examined to determine how students use mobile devices in education. Librarians must stay on the forefront of mobile technology by using their skills in curating and teaching to support this important educational initiative and to become leaders in this area." [Abstract from ERIC Database.] Gebb, B.A., & Young, Z. (2014). Mobile Resource Use in a Distance Learning Population: What Are They Really Doing on Those Devices? Journal of Library & Information Services In Distance Learning, 8(3-4), 288-300.

I wasn't able to read the article - even through the ESC library connection. However, I am curious about the use of mobile devices in distance education and why there is not a higher level of support for some of the apps that are available. For example, my employer fully supports the Blackboard app on iPhone and Android platforms. Whereas at ESC, the Moodle mobile app is still not functional. Many times I have been out without my laptop and would like to get some work done on the phone, but looking at the Moodle website is horrid - even with its responsive theme. It seems the more we expect students to be mobile, the more we should embrace and support its many facets.

You could usually put in an Inter-library loan request (ILL) to get the full-text of articles that only appear in abstract form or do not appear in the ESC database. I just went to chat with a library as ESC and they gave me this web site adress: http://www.esc.edu/library/interlibrary-loan/

The article identifies common archival issues (i.e., listing and cataloging) associated with archiving digitally created information, due to rapidly changing technologies used to create digital information. This makes it challenging to appropriately list and catalog the moral impacts created by the rapidly emerging technologies. The article (n.d.) states, "ever morphing nature of information technology is changing our ability to even fully understand moral values as they change. Lorenzo Magnani claims that acquiring knowledge of how that change confounds our ability to reason morally '…has become a duty in our technological world'" (section 1.1). The article alerts to impending moral and ethical dilemmas created by smart phone apps that will be soon be capable of streaming biometric data (e.g., vital signs, physical activity logs, caloric intake, etc.) and linking it with GPS tracking to identify geo-locators tied to fluctuations in biometric data via phone applications. The advantage of such technology can lead to promotion of more healthy lifestyles. However, streaming such sensitive biometric information (data) leads to privacy and ethical concerns that are not easily resolved. Other moral, ethical and privacy issues are created surreptitiously when browsing websites on the Internet. "Browser software records all manner of data about our visits to various websites which can, for example, make webpages load faster next time you visit them. Even the websites themselves use various means to record information when your computer has accessed them and they may leave bits of information on your computer which the site can use the next time you visit. Some websites are able to detect which other sites you have visited or which pages on the website you spend the most time on. If someone were following you around a library noting down this kind of information you might find it uncomfortable or hostile, but online this kind of behavior takes place behin

The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy Description: Current issues are now on the Chicago Journals website. Read the latest issue. The Library Quarterly is an international journal focused on research that chronicles libraries as organizations that connect their communities to information. This article was part of required reading but I believe it is applicable to my project.

a Universal Service Discount for technology ("E-rate"), public schools and libraries must have an Internet Safety Policy that includes a "technology protection measure that filters or blocks visual images that are obscene; child pornography; or "harmful to minors", which are generally defined as "depictions of nudity and sexual activity that lack artistic, literary, or scientific value".