About the Forum
iPhone. iPad. Android. Blackberry. Kindle. App store. 3G.
The visibility and utility of mobile hardware, software, and connectivity continue their exponential increase. Libraries are finding it difficult to ignore the implications a perpetually connected user base has to information resources traditionally confined to desktop or laptop computers. Library users stand to benefit enormously if libraries can effectively offer their information resources in the now-ubiquitous mobile medium.
Many questions remain to be answered:
- How informed are libraries and their resource providers about what users want to do with mobile devices?
- Are information providers’ recent mobile interface offerings useful to libraries and mobile users?
- How can libraries take advantage of existing popular mobile apps?
- Can individual libraries be effective in addressing mobile technologies and user demands on their own, or will development dollars be best spent on collaborative efforts or vendor-supplied services? Are such efforts and services available?
- In focusing more attention on mobile users, are libraries neglecting other user populations who do not have access to mobile devices?
- Do mobile device and service providers have any incentive to work with libraries and serve neglected populations?
These and other issues remain in flux as the library and larger information communities attempt to grasp the impact of mobile computing. Join NISO for a one-day forum at which invited speakers will explore many of the pressing questions about libraries’ interaction with and promotion of mobile technologies.
Event Sessions
Registration Desk Opens
8:00 am
Continental Breakfast
8:00 am - 9:00 am
Introduction: How Standards Fit (or don’t fit) in Mobile Computing
Speaker
9:00 am - 9:30 am
Opening Keynote
Speaker
9:30 am - 10:30 am:
Digital formats and mobile devices have made content portable, searchable and increasingly affordable. Growth in the breadth of selection has been outpaced only by increases in the number of devices in use. Sophisticated mobile devices now offer the benefits of the web in a handheld format.
At the same time, Publishers are struggling to find and deploy business models that reflect this new, mobile reality. This session will provide an overview of the current state of mobile reading and try to project how this new reality will affect our thinking about the distribution and consumption of content.
Break
10:30 am - 10:45 am
Using Surveys to Find Out What Users Want with Mobile Devices
Speaker
10:45 am - 11:30 am:
This presentation will discuss the results of a 2010 survey at Texas A&M University asking students, faculty, and staff what features they wanted from the Libraries' mobile interface.
MedLinePlus Mobile: The Why, What, and How
Speaker
11:30 am - 12:15 pm:
This session will present the design and development of MedlinePlus Mobile (m.medlineplus.gov) by the National Library of Medicine.
Lunch
12:15 pm - 1:15 pm
Models for Mobile in Teaching and Learning
Speaker
1:15 pm - 2:00 pm:
Mobile technology platforms have been rapidly evolving since the first commercial mobile phones were introduced in 1983. Going back almost that far, educators have been exploring the potential of this technology for teaching and learning, but have always struggled with this shifting landscape. With the introduction of iOS and Android, and their respective app stores and development frameworks, educators have become much more confident in investing in developing relevant pedagogies for mobile learning. In this presentation, Chris Millet will discuss a variety of mobile learning projects currently underway at Penn State, including explorations of iPads in Freshman composition, mobile media authoring, and augmented reality. Assessment outcomes from these projects will be shared, as well as best practices, pedagogical models, and specific technical and logistical solutions.
Mobile Sensors: Building an Open Source Staff-Facing Tablet App for Library Assessment
Speaker
2:00 pm - 2:45 pm:
This talk will explore the use of mobile technology to provide enhanced services to library patrons with an application that they will never interact with. NCSU Libraries has undertaken the development of an open-source, mobile tablet-based (e.g. iPad) application for collecting and centrally managing data about how physical spaces and in-person services are utilized in our libraries. This system will facilitate new and rapid evidence-based analyses of spaces, impacting decision-making on issues such as space design, service prioritization, and technology allocation. Additionally, building on recent experience developing web-based and native-iPhone library apps, the speaker will discuss complicating implementation-related issues such as platform dependence, intermittent network coverage (data caching), and centralized data synchronization with multiple collectors. Finally, an early prototype of this tool will be used to demonstrate some new assessment possibilities.
Break
2:45 pm - 3:15 pm
Mobile Interfaces and the Impact on Source (and Opportunities for) Publisher Content
Speaker
3:15 pm - 4:00 pm:
With mobile now termed the seventh mass media, publishers large and small are tasked with engaging readers in this often space-limited environment only to find that what worked in print or online does not translate well on a mobile device. The American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) utilizes mobile publishing to broaden their reach to their clinician audience. Their first app ACCP-SEEK, derived from print board exam preparation guides, launched October 2009. Building on that experience, they partnered with HighWire Press to bring their flagship journal, CHEST to the iPhone® and iPad® and, later, created a mobile-optimized Web site to meet the needs of other device users. This session will explore these projects from inception through post-launch evaluation, covering the many challenges faced along the way: developing the right design and function set, obtaining usage reports, authenticating users, creating an appropriate business model, and more.
"Ask Anything" Session
Speaker
4:00 pm - 4:45 pm:
Bring your questions, comments, and ideas to share with the entire group.
Forum Wrap-up
Speaker
4:45 pm - 5:00 pm
Additional Information
- Early bird rates are offered until May 1, 2011.
- Registration closes May 11, 2011. After that date, a processing fee of $50 will be added. This also applies to any on-site registration.
- Cancellations made by May 11, 2011 will receive a full refund less a $50 processing fee. After that date, there are no refunds.
- Registration includes a continental breakfast and lunch. Notify the NISO office if you have any dietary restrictions (301-654-2512).
- Students should submit proof of enrollment when registering. Please contact the NISO office (301-654-2512) with questions.